Shepherd's Pie

Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
• 1 onion chopped
• 1-2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

METHOD

1 Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).

2 While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.

3 Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked. 

4 Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.

5 Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste. 

6 Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.

7 Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

(Used Flake Potatoes.  Pile in smaller pan to have thicker layer of potatoes.)

Peanut Butter Bread

This is a great quick bread. If I haven't started a normal wheat bread by 8 in the morning, I can still manage this for a yummy kids' lunch.

• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-3/4 cup milk
• 2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder

Cream together the peanut butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and salt and mix well. Now add half the milk and half the flour, and all of the baking powder. Mix very well. Add the remaining milk and flour, and mix again until the batter is nice and smooth. Turn the mixture into a well oiled 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, or two smaller loaf pans. Bake at 350° for about an hour, 45 minutes for smaller loaves. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

(I also made a batch that was Gluten Free by just substituting the flour with "UNflour" and it turned out wonderful.)

Orange Jello

This is a recipe we had for Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas when I was growing up.  We usually doubled it for a large crowd.

Prepare round or ring Jell-O mold 12 hours or more before serving.*

Dissolve:

2 small pkg. orange Jell-O

2 C. boiling water

Add: 

1 pint orange sherbet

Place in mold and set.**

Combine and arrange around the outside or inside of the molded Jell-O:

1 C. coconut

1 C. pineapple tidbits or chunks

1 C. mandarin oranges

! C. miniature marshmallows

8 oz.  Cool Whip

* Spray mold with PAM spray or use vegetable oil to lightly coat the mold so the Jell-O releases easier when dipped for a few seconds in hot water

** Stir occasionally until it thickens so the sherbet will be distributed throughout

Pizza Dough

This is an awesome recipe for pizza dough and actually tastes like store bought pizza so I thought I would share.

2 cup milk
1/3 cup cooking oil
1 egg
1 Tbs. sugar

Heat on stove to about 100 degrees - about body temp 

Add:

1 Tbs. dry yeast, let yeast grow

Take off heat and put in a large mixing bowl.  

Add:
 5 cups flour (I have not tried it with wheat flour yet, only white)

Knead dough, let rise for 50 minutes.  Sprinkle corn meal on clean dry surface and roll out dough on top of it.  Add sauce (see below or favorite pizza sauce) and toppings as desired.  Makes two pizzas.  Cook at 375 for 15-20 minutes.  

Sauce:
1 can tomatoe sauce
Seasonings to taste:
oregano
italian seasoning
garlic salt (or powder)
basil

Cool Whip Frosting

1 c. cold milk
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 sm. box vanilla or chocolate instant pudding mix

8 oz. Cool Whip

Beat on low for 1 minute. Stir in 8 ounce thawed Cool Whip.

(If using vanilla pudding you might add a few drops of red food coloring for pretty pink frosting.)

Refrigerate when cake is frosted.

Italian Crockpot Chicken

4-6 boneless chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 8-oz package cream cheese

1 package of Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix 

Combine soup, cream cheese, dressing mix.  Pour over chicken in crock pot.  Cook all day over low heat.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Tri Tip Steak

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp Laury salt
1 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 tsp garlic salt

Mix it together with the meat in a large baggy or tupperware a day or two before cooking.  Periodically turn or mix to make sure the marinade gets on all sides.