Cottage Pie

Last night I made a tasty dinner called Cottage Pie.  I found the recipe on Martha Stewart's website here.  It's a simple take on shepherd's pie, but with all the flavor and more!

Ingredients:

- 3 tablespoons of butter

- 1 onion

- 2 carrots

- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste

- 1 pound of ground beef

- 1 cup of a dark porter beer

- 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme

- 2 tablespoons of flour

- 1 cup water

- 3/4 cup frozen peas

- 1 large russet potato

- salt and pepper

Directions:

Chop up the onion and carrots into small pieces.  Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet, and add the onion and carrots.  Cook until the onions have browned a bit, and the carrots are beginning to get tender.  Add the tomato paste and ground beef.  Cook until the meat begins to brown.

Then add the porter beer.  My husband is a big beerie, and he picked out this nice beer called Lucky 7 Porter by Evolution Craft Brewing.  The flavor worked really well in this recipe.  I want to make this again, and I definitely plan on using this beer next time too.  

While adding the beer also add the thyme, and season with salt and pepper.  As you can see in the photo I didn't remove the leaves from the stem, but I wouldn't suggest that.  I thought they might fall off, and then I could simply remove the sticks.  That didn't happen, and my husband had to help me remove the hot saucy leaves, so we could get all those unpleasant stems out.  

After the beer has reduced a bit add the flour and water.  Let reduce a little more, and add the peas.  

While that's reducing clean the potato, and cut it into thin slices.  Once the meat mixture has reduced pour it into a 2 quart dish, and cover with the potato slices.    Cover the potato slices with the remaining butter, and season with salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven for 40 - 45 minutes.  The potatoes will be soft in the center, and the skins will be crunchy.  Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.  The liquid will soak in during that time. 

This was so yummy!  The perfect cold night meal.  I loved the flavor of this, and it was so simple to make.  I want to cook this again sometime soon!  Happy Nom Nom Monday, chris!  

Pork with a Brie & Blue Cheese Sauce

Happy Nom Nom Monday!  Today's recipe is a delicious Pork Tenderloin with a Brie & Blue Cheese Sauce, and a new potato & carrot side.

Ingredients:

For the Pork & Cheese Sauce:

-1 lbs of thinly sliced pork tenderloin

- 1 tablespoon of butter

- 3 tablespoons dry white wine

- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

- 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

- 4 oz of brie and blue cheese

- 1 1/2 teaspoons of honey mustard

- ground black pepper

For the Potatoes & Carrots:

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 3 cloves of garlic

- 3 carrots

- 2 cups of new potatoes

- 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley

- seasoned salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

Sprinkle ground black pepper on the pork tenderloins.  Melt the butter in a frying pan on medium-high heat.  Once the butter has melted, and started to brown place the meat in the pan.  Cook for about five minutes, or when the meat is just barely cooked, turning only once.  Transfer to a warm plate, and keep covered.  Then add the white wine to the frying pan, and bring to a boil.  Add the heavy whipping cream, and parsley, mixing together while bring back to a boil.  Then add the cheese and honey mustard.  Cook together until everything has melted together, also add any juices that have run off of the meat.  Once everything is throughly combined, plate the meat, and cover with the cheese sauce.  

To cook the potatoes and carrots, start by washing them off, and removing the skin from the carrots.  Cut the potatoes into quarters, and then slice the carrots about a quarter inch thick or less.  Also mince the garlic cloves, and warm the olive oil in a frying pan.    

Then add the minced garlic, and potatoes.

Add the carrots, and season with seasoned salt, and ground black pepper. 

Now chop up the fresh parsley, and add that to the mixture. Stir, cover, and let cook until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.  

Serve and enjoy!  I love a good cheese sauce, and this one is fantastic.  My husband has become an expert at whipping this up, and it's now a new favorite of ours.  I could eat this everyday.  Though I guess that wouldn't be too healthy. 

Happy Nom Nom Monday, and happy DIYing, chris!

Chicken Soup

Happy Nom Nom Monday. Since Hurricane Sandy is in full swing for us I made us some Chicken Soup.  It's an adaptation of Aaron's mom's Turkey Soup.  It's the same recipe but with a chicken instead of a turkey.  

Ingredients:

- 1 large onion

- 1 whole cooked chicken (bones & all)

- water

- 4 cups potatoes

- 1 cup celery

- 1 cup carrots

- 1 cup mushrooms

- salt and pepper

Directions:

Begin by dicing up the onion and placing that in a large pot with the whole chicken.  Cover with water and let boil.  Cook for 30 - 40 minutes if fresh, or an hour if frozen.  Next remove the chicken from the stock.  

Drain the stock, and check the onion and remaining chunks for bones.  Return the onion to the large sauce pan.  Hold the stock off to the side for a bit.  

Let the chicken cool a bit, and then clean all the meat off of the bones.  Return the meat to the large pan, and discard the bones and skin.  Add the stock to the pot, and bring back to a simmer.  

Cut the potatoes, carrots, celery, and mushrooms up.  I actually did this ahead of time, which worked out great.  Whatever works for you though.  Add the potatoes to the simmering chicken stock, they will take about 50 minutes to cook.  Twenty minutes later add the carrots and celery.  They take about thirty minutes to cook.  When there is only 10 - 5 minutes remaining add the mushrooms.  

Everything should be perfectly cooked and ready to serve 50 minutes from adding the potatoes to the simmering chicken stock.  Once served I seasoned with salt and pepper.  This is the perfect meal for being trapped indoors from a hurricane. 

Hope everyone in the surrounding areas are staying dry and safe!  Happy Nom Nom Monday, and DIYing, chris!