Even though I love all kinds of food - Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Greek, the list goes on - it's these cold, wet, dark, windy days that make me think "I should make a nice cozy helping of comfort food tonight". All those comfort food recipes that my mom and aunt would make when I was growing up are still some of my favorites to this day. My mom makes a mean meatloaf. I have fond memories of my Aunt's christmas donuts (which I've tried a bunch of times, but they're never quite the same as hers), and BIG plates full of Ukranian pastries and sweets. Nothing says Chrismtas like my aunt's baking.
Anyway, here is my recipe for Shepherd's pie (it's super easy, I promise!):
You will need:
- 1 or 2 packages of Simply Potatoes (they're ready-made mashed potatoes that you can get in the dairy section of your grocery store. I like the herb and garlic ones the best)
- A medium sized bag of peas and carrots (or add corn if you like - it's a nice way to sweeten up the dish if you like that sort of thing). You'll need about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of veggies.
- two tablespoons of brown sugar
- two teaspoons of worcestershire sauce
- about 1/2 a cup of ketchup
- about half of a small onion, chopped finely
- butter or margarine
First, get a medium sized pan, and put in the onions and ground beef (I like ground sirloin). While the beef is browning, start preparing the potatoes per the directions on the package (tip: add about a tablespoon of butter or margarine, and a little salt and pepper seasoning). Also heat up the vegetables per the package directions.
Once the beef is browned evenly, drain all of the liquid from the pan. Stir in the worcestershire sauce, then add the brown sugar, and stir it all until it's well combined. Add the ketchup last, and make sure everything is well coated and distributed.
Turn the oven on to about 350 degrees. Get out a casserole dish, and spread your beef mixture on the bottom of the pan. Drain the cooked vegetables, and spread them over top of the beef mixture. Lastly, spread the fully cooked potatoes over the top. I like to use a basting brush, and spread a little bit of melted butter or margarine over the top of the potatoes, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
As I said, I love cooking, and I LOVE baking. I just love being in the kitchen, and making something really yummy from a bunch of unrelated ingredients. I picked up the Martha Stewart Cookie edition of the magazine yesterday, and was poring over it last night while Kevin updated the OS on my iPhone. I think I'll try some sugar cookies, and some Mexian Chocolate cookies this week. I just love how the kitchen smells when I put a batch in the oven. I think these days, we're all in such a hurry that we forget how rewarding it can be to make something for our family and friends. It's easy to pick up some cookies from the bakery section of the grocery store (even I have an occasional weakness for a Malomar), but I want to spend some good time in the kitchen this holiday season baking up a little feast for the eyes...
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