Food for Comfort

I looove shepherd's pie. I'm not sure what it is about this homely dish, but it always hits the spot. I have made a few different variations and have tried a few different variations, but have to say that this one is my very favorite. Now, this does take some time to prepare; it's not for a quick dinner night. The results are totally worth it though (and the leftovers taste just as good)!

For those not familiar with Food Porn Daily, you should check it out. It's your best bet when you feel like drooling over food. They came out with a cookbook recently, from which this recipe was found. I couldn't find the recipe on their site, so that leaves me to type it up (not looking forward to it). Hopefully one out of the ten of you reading will make it and justify the time it will take to do so.

Shepherd's Pie

From the Food Porn Daily Cookbook

Filling:

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 1/2 lbs. ground lamb, buffalo, or beef (I decided to use buffalo with this. It has a subtler taste than beef - but I feel it would be just as good with beef.)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 yellow onion; peeled and diced

2 large parsnips; peeled and diced (they look like white carrots, but have their own unique taste)

2 large carrots; peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic; peeled and minced

2 tbsp. fresh rosemary;minced (or 2 tsp. dried)

2 tbsp. flat leaf parsley; minced

2 tbsp. flour

1 8 oz. can tomato paste

1/2 bottle dry red wine (didn't have half a bottle so substituted what I lacked with extra beef broth)

2 cups beef broth

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp. paprika

Topping:

1 large turnip; peeled right before use and cut into 1.5" cubes (white roundish bulb with purple near the top)

3 large russet potatoes; peeled right before use and cut into 1.5" cubes

4 tbsp butter; diced

2 oz. cream cheese; diced

1/3 cup milk

salt

pepper

chives; finely chopped, for garnishing (optional)

Preheat a large pot over med-high heat for a few minutes. Add oil to the pot. Once oil ripples from the heat, but before smoking point, add the meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown, stirring occasionally and break up the meat. Once meat is browned and cooked through, remove from pot and set aside.

Drain off all but 1 tbsp of oil from the pan and return to stove. Reduce heat to med and saute onion, parsnips, and carrots, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add garlic, rosemary, and parsley to the pot and cook for another minute. Sprinkle with flour and stir to combine. Add remaining filling ingredients and browned meat. Stir to combine. Raise heat to med-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low or low and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

While the filling simmers, cover cubed potatoes in a pot with 1-inch water liberally salted. Boil over high heat for a few minutes and then add the turnips. Boil for another 6-8 minutes or until the potatoes and turnips are very tender. Drain well. Using a mixer with whisk attachment, beat potatoes, turnips, butter, cream cheese, and milk until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Adjust seasonings to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler.

Once filling has finished cooking, pour into a large glass or ceramic casserole dish so that the filling only goes halfway up the sides. Spread potato mixture evenly over filling. Using a spatula, swirl potatoes to create peaks.

Broil shepherd's pie until peaks have browned. It only takes a few minutes. Watch carefully as the topping can burn easily.

Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chives to garnish.

And for dessert....

Cranberry-Pear Tart in Walnut Shortbread Crust

Get the Recipe

I made four mini tarts with this recipe and they were delicious! A great Fall dessert. With the streusal topping, they're fairly sweet so if you like the tartness of cranberries, leaving a little of the sugar out of the fruit mixture wouldn't hurt. Also, I didn't have any brandy, so just left that out. These little guys were quite filling and a couple people couldn't finish theirs. That being said, the larger tart might have been a better option for portion control or plan on sharing one of these between two of your guests (recommended only for couples- or, at the very least, you might get some odd looks).

Easy Glazed Chicken

This is a really easy recipe that is super yummy. It comes from my beloved Fine Cooking magazine. The original recipe has instructions for grilling, but I cooked it under the broiler and it was great. Try it out!

Grilled Chicken with Apricot-Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup apricot preserves (preferably without corn syrup)
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil for the grill
One 4-lb. chickens, each cut into 8 pieces, or 3 to 4 lb. good-quality bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks, and breasts, each breast half cut into two pieces
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the preserves, vinegar, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and a large pinch of salt; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. (If making ahead, store covered in the refrigerator. Before using, warm over low heat to loosen the consistency.)

Turn your oven to Broil. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Set the parts skin side up on the baking pan/cookie sheet, about 5-6 inches from the heat. Cook until the skin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Flip the chicken (with tongs - not a fork) and cook until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of each piece, 7 to 10 minutes more. The thighs, legs, and thinner breast pieces are apt to cook a little faster than the thicker breast pieces. Transfer each piece to a platter when done and tent with foil.

When all the chicken is done, brush it with the glaze on all sides. Return the chicken to the grill and cook for another minute or so on each side to caramelize the glaze. Brush the chicken with any remaining glaze and serve.

Weekly Meal Plan Update

Sorry for the long delay with this update! I actually made the majority of the recipes that week I posted it, but just have been busy this month and haven't gotten around to posting pictures until now. If any of you can remember that far back, did you make any of these recipes?? If so, how'd they turn out?

Turkey Chili Verde

I did end up halving this recipe and it turned out great. It was really tasty and quite easy and fast to make. It's definitely a keeper! The only thing that I might change in the future is to add another can of the white beans. Even though I halved most of the ingredients, I still kept the whole can of beans, and even then with two pounds of turkey, it's pretty meaty. Also, if you aren't familiar with tomatillos, you should be able to find them at most any grocery store these days. They look like green tomatoes.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusal Rolls

I actually didn't get around to making these until last week when I had some girl friends coming over for dessert. By that time, I had bought a sugar pumpkin to make puree with so I didn't use the squash as I'd originally planned. I don't have a bread machine or Kitchen Aid, so I had to knead this by hand. I had never done this before, and was worried they wouldn't turn out right. Luckily, there are tips with the recipe on how to check when the dough is ready. An instant read thermometer definitely helped. My worries were unnecessary though because they turned out great and were loved by all! Also, the original recipe comes from Cooking Light so these are fairly healthy as far as things like this go... The only downside to the recipe is that it only makes 12 rolls. =(

Peach, Chicken and Jack Quesadillas

When I originally saw this recipe, I was thinking the Jack in the name meant Pepper Jack, not Monterey Jack. I couldn't find pre-shredded Monterey Jack so I got a Jack-Cheddar blend. However, after making these, I would definitely go with Pepper Jack instead. They were missing some flavor aspect that I think could've been remedied by a stronger cheese. I also tried to go for the health aspect and use wheat tortillas. Bad idea. The wheat flavor is too strong for the other flavors and overpowers them a bit. Overall, these were just ok. Oh and the sour cream is good, but the recipe makes a little too much and then I had leftovers that I ended up throwing out.

Curried Ratatouille and Grilled Stuffed Naan

This was a mixed bag. The good news is the Naan recipe is awesome! I'm not surprised, as it is from my favorite cooking magazine/website. Again, I was worried about making bread from scratch, but it was surprisingly not difficult, and it tasted just like Naan from an Indian restaurant. Also, the grill pan worked great for grilling it. You definitely want to eat all of these on the day they're made though because they don't taste so great the next day.

The bad news is the ratatouille was not so awesome. Even though I seeded the chilies, it was quite spicy. Also, I just didn't love the flavor/vegi combinations. I did add in some sausage so I could use at as a main dish, and that helped, but will have to try a traditional ratatouille next time.

Pecan Crusted Tilapia and Vanilla Rice

I quite liked this recipe. My husband thought there was too much "crust" for the fish, but I thought it was a perfect amount. It was easy to make and I loved the addition of a little vanilla extract to the rice. I also made the Creamy Lemon Sauce that is listed as an optional addition and I would say it didn't add anything to the fish, and actually felt like it competed with the flavors of the crust. Would skip that for sure next time. This crust would also be great on chicken.

Pasta with Brown Butter and Butternut Squash

Yum! I knew I would like this recipe. As I suspected, I couldn't find Tagliatelle anywhere, so I used fettuccine. Also, the crumbled Gorgonzola is not to be left off. It is the perfect flavor to finish the dish. Since it's noted that this should all be eaten on the day it's made, I only cooked half the pasta and then saved half of the squash puree that I ended up using in a variation of the mac and cheese recipe from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfield. Let me tell you, it was fantastic! Probably the best mac and cheese I've ever had. Here's the recipe for that, although we ate it too fast to get a picture. The blend of cheeses seems random because it's what I had in my fridge at the time, but trust me, I would use the exact same mix again!

• 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup nonfat skim milk
• 1/2 cup butternut squash/shallot puree (from recipe above)
• 1/3 cup muenster cheese
• 1/4 cup smoked Gouda
• 2/3 cup cheddar/pepper jack blend or mexican blend
• 1/4 cup mozzarella
• 4 ounces (almost 1/4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese (adding this makes it super creamy)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• Directions
  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.
  
  While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
  
  Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, cheeses, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

It was my dearest husband's b-day in September (actually our birthdays are a week apart so this was sort of my cake as well). I only made it a double layer instead of triple, because I knew we'd have a hard enough time finishing it. It is definitely rich! I was a little rushed towards the end of the process and so the chocolate peanut butter glaze that goes over top was a little too thick and didn't go on very smooth. It still tasted good, but my husband thought it'd have been better without it. It was a good cake, but fell a little short of my expectations.

If you haven't tried any of these, but still want to, my favorites were the Chili Verde, Crusted Fish, Pumpkin Buns, and the Mac 'n Cheese using the puree from the Butternut Squash Pasta recipe. Happy Cooking!

Weekly Meal Plan 3

It's good to hear that some of you are trying a recipe here and there. I'm excited to head into fall; just something about cooler weather makes cooking more fun. Plus, I love comfort foods (which are just much more suited to colder weather)! Here's another weekly meal plan that has some great early fall dishes, as well as late summer ones. I hope something catches your interest and motivates you to try a new recipe!

1st Meal: Soup

From Dream About Food

Turkey Chili Verde

Get the Recipe

I always prefer green sauce when it comes to enhiliadas, etc., so green chili sounds great to me! I'm going to half the recipe, since 4 lbs of turkey seems like it would make a ton. Also, this isn't noted in the ingredient list, but the chipotle peppers are optional, since they are added in at the end. Based off my recent meatloaf experience, I think I'm going to be leaving them out.

I came across the below recipe and couldn't pass it up. Make these for dessert or for breakfast! If you read the blog entry, you'll learn there is a shortage of canned pumpkin (which was confirmed when I went seeking it in a few grocery stores). A little cruel to entice with such a recipe only to be unable to make it. However, I did purchase a danish squash and might try making a puree with that and see how it turns out.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusal Rolls

From Back to the Cutting Board

Get the Recipe

2nd Meal: Quick and Easy

From Gimme Some Oven

Peach, Chicken and Jack Quesadillas

Get the Recipe

This is a great end-of-summer recipe. Peaches are still around in abundance and I love the mixing of sweet and savory. If you have chicken cooked and shredded ahead of time, it'll make it even quicker.

3rd Meal: Ethnic (Possible Vegetarian)

From No Recipes

Curried Ratatouille

Get the Recipe

I've never made ratatouille, and wonder if I should start with a traditional version, but this one sounds like it will be delish so here goes! It also is a great late summer dish that utilizes a lot of seasonal vegetables. This can be a vegetarian main course or a side dish. I'm actually planning on adding in some chicken/turkey sausage and serve it with the below recipe.

Grilled Stuffed Naan

From Fine Cooking

Get the Recipe

I've never made any kind of homemade bread, so I'm a little nervous to try it. I don't have a grill, but will see if I can get the same results using a grill pan on the stove. I love naan though, so hopefully it works out!

4th Meal: Seafood

From Our Life in the Kitchen

Pecan Crusted Tilapia and Vanilla Rice

Get the Recipe

Pecans are definitely my favorite nuts, but I imagine you could use walnuts, almonds, or macadamia nuts if you prefer. There is a sauce recipe in the same blog entry that you can use the for the fish if you so desire. I'm intrigued by the vanilla rice, but will skip the vanilla bean and just use the extract.

5th Meal: Pasta (Vegetarian)

From These Peas are Hollow

Tagliatelle with Brown Butter & Butternut Squash

Get the Recipe

I love squash (even as a child it was my favorite vegetable) and I love tagliatelle (if you've never had it go somewhere that serves real Italian and try it), so this pasta dish is right up my alley. In the post, there is a recipe for homemade tagliatelle, but I don't really have the equipment or room to make it. There used to be a gourmet grocery store near me that sold it for a reasonable price, but has since stopped carrying it. Sadly, I may have to substitute it for fettuccine or wide egg noodles.

And since it's both the Mr. and my birthday week, this little number has made its way to the menu. We are both big fans of the peanut butter- chocolate combo, so this should be perfect!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

From Smitten Kitchen

Get the Recipe

Happy cooking! Excited to hear from any of you who try these.

Meal Plan Update

Did any of you make an item from the last meal plan post? If so, I'd love to hear about how it turned out, if you liked it or not, etc. Please share!

Heirloom Tomato Tart

The picture for this is just so amazing (the original one -not my picture) that it had a lot to live up to. Did it do it? Unfortunately, I'm going to have to say "no". Now the crust has a lot of butter in it, but before you have a coronary, it does make two crusts. I wrapped half in plastic wrap and foil and put it in the freezer for future use. It was filling, but my husband used the word "rich" to describe it. I'm not sure if that's the right word, but it gets the point across. The combination of the crust and the cheese filling are pretty heavy together and while the tomatoes and arugula do their best to balance them out, they can't quite do it. Although I did like it, I was a little disappointed.

Chipotle Glazed Meatloaf

As I mentioned in the original post, for some reason I just can't make a meatloaf right. I had high hopes for this one, but my track record did not improve. I'm not sure what I did wrong because the meatloaf just wouldn't hold together when I went to cut it. Also, this meatloaf is very SPICY! My husband even thought so and he always orders things "Hot" when we go out. It's mainly the glaze, but the meatloaf definitely has some kick too. Not recommended for the faint of heart (or mouth). Maybe if you took the time to de-seed the chipotle peppers, it would cut out on a lot of the heat. Besides the spiciness and lack of binding, it had good flavor. However, the meatloaf recipe hunt continues.

Spicy Mash

Now these were good. Really, really good. Just the perfect amount of kick. I didn't want raw onions mixed in, so I sautéed them for a few minutes after the butter and spices became fragrant. I will definitely have to make these again! I also made the roasted carrots. They were yummy although I only cooked them for about 30 minutes and they could have used the extra 10.

Baked Rigatoni with Turkey Bolognese

Surprisingly, this was probably my favorite meal out of the bunch. I'm not usually "wowed" by pastas, but this one was really good. Once you start eating it, you don't want to stop! I loved the zucchini mixed in and that it still has a bit of crunch to it. Definitely give this one a try if you haven't already.

Pulled Beef Sandwiches with Blackberry Chipotle Sauce

A correction to the original post, I had boneless beef ribs, not pork, in my freezer so I used those. Doing so, I found you need to braise the meat for at least a half hour longer than what you would do for the chicken, but it wouldn't hurt to do another 15-20 on top of that to get it really tender. I made these for a dinner with some friends and they were a hit. The blackberry chipotle sauce is really tasty and just the right amount of heat (very little - although it was too spicy for our 2 year old). I really had no idea what liquid smoke was, but after looking it up on the internet to know what to look for, I found it very easily in the same area as BBQ sauce in the grocery store. Since fresh blackberries weren't on sale, I used frozen blackberries (thawed) and they seemed to work just fine. Also, I didn't strain the sauce, just used my hand blender to puree it really good. I had quite a bit of extra sauce, so I froze it to try on something else later on.

Also, I was surprised that the Cilantro Lime Slaw was so well accepted. My husband loved it and he hates coleslaw. It was a really light and refreshing side dish - and super simple to make!

Creamed Corn with Bacon and Rosemary

This side dish received mixed reviews. I thought it was good, although definitely had a unique flavor, but there were people that left some on their plates, so that speaks for itself. It did have a strong rosemary flavor, so cut back on that if it isn't your thing.

And one final recipe... (in this case it's true that the best is saved for last).

Chipotle Flourless Chocolate Cake

From Simply Recipes

You MUST try this recipe! It is sooooo good (and very simple). It is now one of my favorite dessert recipes. Even if you think you don't like dark chocolate, try this. Don't be scared off by the chili powder - it's so slight that it just adds another dimension to the chocolate. When I made it, I used half semisweet chocolate and half dark chocolate (around 70% cacao I think). Also, I didn't have chipotle chili powder so I just used the regular stuff. Mmmm, just thinking about it makes me want to go bake another one right now.

On that sweet note, I'll bid you happy cooking!