Shepard's Pie

We made leg of lamb using this recipe (you MUST make this, it's wonderful!!) for my parent's last meal here. It was over 5 pounds, so there were plenty of leftovers. Leftover lamb just isn't good, it's gamey, chewy and, well, just not good. Trust me here. We also had asperagus and mashed potatoes. So, what do you do with leftover asperagus, lamb and mashed potatoes???

It's screaming Shepard's Pie!

I started off by taking the juice (jus?) from the roast and bringing it to boil in a sauté pan.
Warning: the following pictures may not be pretty, but the end result is tasty!

Scoop out a couple ladles full of broth into a container (I used a measuring cup, but you could use anything). Spoon in a couple tablespoons of flour. Mix very well, till there are no chunks whatsoever. Use a fork or whisk to mix. If you don't get the lumps out now, you will have lumpy gravy!

Pour flour mixture back into boiling broth, whisking constantly. Whisk until smooth and thickened.

Like I said, it's not pretty. Be sure to taste your gravy for seasonings. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Dump meat and veggies into an oven-proof container, the amount is to your liking. You could use a regular baking dish, but I'm always looking for ways to use this pretty dish. Mix in the gravy.

Layer the top with the mashed potatoes. I used my hands to get it all over the top. Of course I don't have a shot of what it looked like after all the potatoes on the top, but you can use your imagination, I'm sure.

Bake, uncovered, at 400 or 425 for about 30 minutes.

Again, not pretty, but so, so tasty!! If you use the crockpot lamb and use plenty of seasonings like Stephanie says, you're golden.

Apple Crisp

Early into our first summer in Korea, we received a flat of peaches from our company. These things were huge, hard and very unripe. I let them ripen forever, it seemed, but they were still hard as a rock and not very sweet. I finally realized there would be no fresh peaches and ice cream for us, so I made peach crisp. I made it again later in the year using apples, which is what I used for this particular recipe. Both are great!

This recipe is hardly baking, as there's no actual pastry so measurements don't need to be exact. It would be perfect for your kid-cook!

For an 8" pan, start with 3 apples (or peaches, if you prefer), peel, core and slice these babies as thin as you can make them. You could use more than 3 if you prefer more fruit, but I prefer more crisp, so I make my fruit layer fairly thin.
Don't tell my tummy.


I sliced them right into the pan.


Measure 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, pinch of salt, and 3/4 tsp. cinnamon into bowl (pretend there's cinnamon in this picture). Slice butter directly into bowl.


You could use a pastry blender, or the two-knife trick, but those take so much more time and it just annoys me. I just stick my fingers right in there and start pinching the ingredients together till it looks like fine sand (that's not really the word I want, but I can't think of what it really looks like).


Please forgive the picture quality.
Pour the flour mixture evenly over the sliced apples. It's going to look like too much, but believe me, you want it all!

Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees (or whatever your supper is cooking at, it doesn't really matter, mine happened to be closer to 400 degrees), and bake about 30-40 minutes until the top is slightly golden.

You can serve this with ice cream or Cool Whip (yuck), OR.....


Hello!
Homemade whipped cream--yum!!
Whip 1 cup heavy cream till peaked, mix in 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla and whip till peaks form.
Your family will thank you.
Even if your tummy doesn't. Just don't tell your tummy!


Dish it up!

What you need

3 peaches or apples, peeled, cored and sliced as thin as you can make them
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
5-6 Tbs butter, chilled (use more or less depending on your preference)

Place sliced apples/peaches in 8" round baking dish. In bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Slice butter into small chunks. Mix well. Pour over fruit. Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes till light golden.

Chamchi Kim bap (Korean tuna rolls)

One of the only foods I was confident enough to order by myself in Korea as chamchi kim bap (that's a hard ch, sort of rhyming with chomp). I could walk into any kim bap restaurant and order this with a relatively straight face and walk out knowing what I was carrying. Adam even made me do this a couple of times while he waited outside. (He knows what sissy I am when it comes to even ordering a pizza over the phone here in the States!)

This is really easy to make, tastes amazing and the only thing you'll have to go out and buy specially is the sushi paper. (Here after called kim paper, as that's what we called it in Korea. It's made from roasted seaweed and isn't very strong tasting.) A rice cooker is extremely nice to have, but it's not a necessity (although I want to get one very badly!) A sushi mat is also nice, but, again, not necessary.

One more note worth mentioning: this is not traditional kim bap. You won't find kim bap with pickles in it. Instead you'll get a pickled radish. I prefer actual pickles, and I couldn't find pickled radishes anyway. Also, a traditional kim bap will have a few more ingredients I can't get here. For a more detailed and traditional recipe, click here. Her pictures are wonderful and she's got a ton more recipes that look amazing!

I made 2 rolls today. If you make the amount of food I prepared, you'll have leftovers.

What you need

Carrots, julliened (about the length of your kim paper)
Pickles, quartered length-wise (these are mini's)
Tuna (buy the better quality stuff. In Korea we used tuna packed in olive oil. Man, it was good! But I couldn't find it here. Such a bummer. Ironic, actually.)


1 or 2 eggs, fried (1 egg for 2 rolls, 2 eggs for 4)


1-2 Tbs. Mayo (mixed in with tuna in bowl)

Cut up your egg into skinny strips.


Kim paper (a.k.a. sushi paper).
Lay it out on your mat, or just on a clean surface if you don't have a mat.


1 1/2 cups cooked sushi rice, per roll (Korean rice is the best, in my opinion, but Vail is not the place to find it. Korean rice is stickier, but sushi rice makes do just fine here. )
Flatten it out onto your kim paper. I didn't use enough here, I haven't made this in about 2 years. It turned out fine, just the ends weren't stuffed enough. So, in yours, press the rice all the way to the edge. That look on Owen's face is only concern that there won't be enough. He loves kim bap!


Lay your strips of veggies on the rice. Don't use more than 2 strips each. It doesn't take much to fill up a roll.


Put about 1/4 cup tuna onto veggies. It may not even take that much. Just experiment with what looks right.


Roll it up! I wasn't talented enough to take a picture of me rolling. But here it is.


Using a very sharp knife, slice into 6-8 pieces. Wipe your knife clean with a damp cloth in between cuts. Remember, sushi is meant to be stuffed into your mouth all in one bite--kim bap is the same way. So, make your slices accordingly.

Find some hungry kids willing to experiment and SERVE!
It's delicious dipped in soy sauce mixed in with some wasabi.

Mostaccioli Bake

This recipe is from the vault. The vault that was my crammed recipe box. I packed my recipe box up when we moved overseas and hadn't seen this since 2005. I love this dish, had forgotten how much I loved this dish. I prepared this dish for last nights' dinner and loved it all over again!

I haven't done the math on it exactly, but it ends up being a fairly inexpensive meal as well. Like, under $5. I'll bet you have almost everything in your kitchen to prepare this tonight. So make it! Oh, and I made the whole 9x13 dish thinking I'd have half left over for another night. Not so. The crew devoured this and we only had enough left for Adam to take for lunch today.

What you need
3 cups uncooked mostaccioli (this is about half a 1 pound package)
3-4 Tbs butter, plus 2 more Tbs.
1 cup chopped onion (As usual, I used onion powder. We have onion issues at our house.)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 milk
1 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, plus 2 more Tbs
1 tsp dried Italian dressing mix (the kind you get in the packets)
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
1/4 cup bread crumbs, whichever variety you have on hand

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Go ahead and grate your cheese, measure out your ingredients, get the spinach thawed and squeezed in your colander.* Grease a 9x13 dish. You can also make the bread crumb topping (found at the end of this recipe). This all makes this dish come together with little hassle and little clean-up.

*side note: you can also squeeze the spinach out really well in a towel, but this will cause you to have a majorly green towel. Do what's best for you.

Cook your pasta according to directions, usually about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt 3-4 Tbs butter in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook about 5 minutes, but don't let your garlic get all brown. Add the flour and whisk constantly for about 1 minute. Slowly add in the milk, whisking the whole time to incorporate your roux. Cook about 4-5 minutes till just bubbling. Remove from heat, stir in 1/4 cup cheese, the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, as there's plenty in the cheese, but it still needs some). Combine the pasta, tomatoes, the cheese sauce, the rest of the cheese (about 1 cup). Stir well. Spoon mixture into your 9x13 dish.

In small bowl, melt 2 Tbs butter. Stir in 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over pasta. Bake about 30 minutes.

Serve with a glass of wine and some fresh bread. All your food groups are in there, so you can take or leave a salad!

Poppy seed Chicken

A sure-fire kid-pleaser. I make this every time my husband's out of town or won't be here for dinner. Ok, not every time, but quite often. Adam happens to hate this dish. Go figure. I happen to like it. The kids happen to love it. So much so that I can count on seconds all around. It's from my sis-in-law. Thanks, Sis!

What you need
4-6 chicken breasts or other pieces (I like some dark meat in there), I've also used a rotisserie chicken before
1 can cream of something soup (**if you'd like a homemade version that has to be healthier, I'll post that at the end)
12 oz. cottage cheese
1 tube Ritz crackers, crushed to smithereens
1 stick butter, melted
poppy seeds

Cook chicken and cut up into bite sized pieces.

In a pan, mix the cream of something soup and the cottage cheese till it bubbles a bit. Toss in your chicken. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 dish. Cover top with cracker crumbs, pour melted butter over top and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Dinner!

Oh, and I never claimed it to be a health-fest.



Cream of something alternative:
3 Tbs flour
3 Tbs butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

Melt butter in pan, whisk in flour and stir constantly for about 1 minute. Add milk and broth. Stir till thickened. Add seasonings.

Bird Nests

This comes from my sister-in-law, who adapted it from a Susan Branch Cookbook. I've done some adapting myself. It is fun and easy to make. Every time I make it, I think "What a great company dish! It tastes so good and it's fun to eat with your hands." And then we eat with our hands, and I realize all over again why we've never had people over with this dish. Be forewarned: It's messy!! But, yummy.


What you need

1 head lettuce, any kind works but I like Romaine or Red Leaf

for the dipping sauce:
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 dash hot sauce

for the main dish:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey (I have also used beef and chicken before, all are good)
1 cup red pepper, finely chopped (this is usually too expensive for me, so I use tomato and add it at the end)
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
2 1/2 Tbs fresh ginger, minced or grated/micro-planed
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. lime juice (this is equivalent to squeezing 1 lime)
4 green onions, sliced thin
handful salted peanuts, chopped, as garnish at the table

Separate and wash your lettuce. I lay it out on a platter to put on the table.

Combine your dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl. You can pour it into little individual bowls to serve at each place, if you wish.

Heat olive oil in skillet, add turkey, red pepper (if your using it), and salt and pepper. Cook till no longer pink, breaking up chunks as it cooks. Add ginger, soy and lime juice and cook for another minute. Just before serving, toss in the green onions. (Here is where I would also add the tomatoes.)

To eat: Grab a piece of lettuce, we often tear them in half, spoon in some meat mixture, drizzle on the dipping sauce (can you drizzle dipping sauce?), sprinkle on some peanuts and stuff it in your mouth!

Last time, I served this with fried rice, and we all ended up topping the meat with the rice in the lettuce leaf. It was wonderful!

Grill Shrimp--2 ways; Revisited with a picture!

My mom has this great recipe for grilled shrimp, but I didn't have it written down anywhere. When I called her (2 hours before dinner time), she wasn't there, so I had to improvise in order to give the little crustaceans enough marinatin' time. I love what I came up with! So, that's what I'll give you here first. (Scroll down for my mom's recipe.)

Kickin' Lime Shrimp

What you need

1 to 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, de-shelled, de-veined, tails on
1-2 limes (depending on how much you like the taste)--squeeze juice out and throw in the lime "shells" too
about 1 Tbs Essence*
salt and pepper
about 2 Tbs soy sauce

Mix all ingredients together and marinate covered, in fridge for about 2 hours. Grill or broil (this is what I did because I don't have a grill) for about 4-5 minutes max. If you decide to grill, you can soak some bamboo skewers for 30 minutes, then thread the shrimp on. It makes it easier to turn. If you broil, no need to turn!
*Essence (Creole spice mixture): You can make your own! Click here.


Shrimp Spice Rub

This is my mom's recipe. It's great tasting and good if you forgot to marinate your shrimp before dinner!

What you need
1 to 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, de-shelled, de-veined, tails on
3 Tbs Old Bay seasoning
3 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed

Mix Old Bay, sugar, garlic and onion powder, and cumin together in small bowl. Heat oil in skillet and put in garlic clove. Let heat over warm for a bit. Take off heat. Brush shrimp with oil mixture. Sprinkle on spice rub. If grilling, thread onto bamboo skewers (that have been soaked for 30 minutes). Grill or broil for 4-5 minutes.