"Healthy," Veggie-Loaded Shepherd's Pie

Matt has been BEGGING me to make shepherd’s pie.

I have been putting this off for years, actually…but I decided to finally give in. The bland combo of beef, potatoes, and corn just never did it for me, so I went on a cyber mission to find a “jazzier” version of this comfort dish. I came across this recipe by Ellie Krieger and immediately fell in love. It had a wonderful combination of veggies that brought more layers of flavor to the dish, and it was a healthier alternative to the traditional recipe.

I followed the recipe exactly, so I will not post it here (it is linked above). The only changes I made were adding 50% reduced fat cheese to the top, and a few small handfuls in with the potato/cauliflower mixture, and also adding scallions as a garnish.

This recipe was a winner. Partly because it was truly tasteful. Partly because it was somewhat healthy. But mostly because my husband had no idea that he was eating cauliflower! I told him a few days later, once the leftovers were gone. I’m sure now he would say that it didn’t quite taste right…but his clean plates and many helpings proved otherwise!

I apologize for the picture below, but this is a dish that really does not photograph well!

Guinness Onion Soup

I am 100% Irish. Matt, despite his Italian look, does have a little Irish in him, too. But we did not have corned beef and cabbage for St. Patty’s Day. We are having it at the end of this month for family (our first gathering at our new house!), but I couldn’t just ignore my heritage altogether on this wonderful day.
I had remembered seeing a French onion soup recipe using Guinness last year, and decided to try my own version of it. I used my regular onion soup recipe (an Ina Garten adaptation), and just made a few changes.

Ingredients:
5ish pounds yellow onions, halved, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (I wanted leftovers to freeze)
1/4 pound unsalted butter
2 bay leaf
1/2 cup medium-dry sherry
2.5 bottles of Guinness
6 cups beef stock
4 cups beef broth
kosher salt
freshly ground white pepper
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
French bread, sliced
EVOO
garlic powder
parmesan cheese
swiss cheese
cheddar cheese

Preparation:
After slicing the onions, cook with butter and bay leaves in large stockpot for about 20 minutes, until golden. Add sherry, and deglaze the pan, letting simmer about 5 minutes. Add the beer, and let simmer an additional 15 minutes.

Add the thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and all of the stock and broth. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, and let simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Slice a French baguette and brush with a mixture of EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and grated parmesan cheese. Broil until golden brown.

Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls, then top with the toasts. Cover toasts with swiss, cheddar, and parmesan cheese, and put under broiler until cheese melts and slightly browns.

I served this with a Caesar salad. This soup was delicious, as it always was, and the Guinness really did come through in the soup. A nice treat as we await our boiled dinner!

Mother's Day Brunch

For Mother’s Day, since I am not one, I hosted a wonderful brunch for many of the moms in my life, my mom, my mother in law, and my two sisters in law. The menu included:

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast
Homefries with Onions and Rosemary
Egg Casserole with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
Fruit Salad
Apple and Blueberry Muffins
Steak (brought by the in laws)
Bacon
Banana Bread
Mimosas
Bloody Marys
Coffee and Tea

Matt Makes Chili

This was a meal we on the last chilly, rainy Sunday of the spring. Matt makes chili frequently, and he is so good at it. I’ve never made it – his is so good, why bother? I won’t list his “secret” recipe here (he doesn’t really use a recipe, just throws together whatever hits him at the moment), but I did want to share pictures. He took care of the cooking, I took care of the presentation and serving. What a team!

Mac & Cheese

Today I decided to make homemade mac & cheese instead of just opening a box of Kraft. The original recipe I use is my Dad's, who called it his "world famous mac & cheese." My dad really was a great cook in his day, but a very messy one. That must be where I get it from??? However, I have been feeling really crumby about the amount of BAD food Matt and I have been eating since, say, December! So, I wanted to tone the recipe down a bit. I searched for quite a while, and ended up using a recipe from America's Test Kitchen. I have made some modifications to it, but not much. I have put a * next to what I did differently that wasn't in the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
Salt, to taste
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 (12-ounce) can 2 % reduced-fat evaporated milk
2/3 cup low-fat milk (2 %)
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or celery salt (optional)
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch
8 ounces 50 percent light cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)*
4 ounces fontina cheese, grated**

*original recipe called for the 8 ounces of cheddar, but I wanted a bit more cheese, and I wanted to use 2 different types, so in addition to the cheddar I used 4 oz. of fontina as well. (Also like gruyere in this recipe)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring 2 1/2 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and the macaroni; cook until the pasta is completely cooked and tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave it in the colander; set aside.

2. Add the evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of the 2 percent milk, mustard, garlic powder (if using), cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the now-empty saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup milk together, then whisk it into the simmering mixture. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened and is smooth, about 2 minutes.

3. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cheddar and gruyere until melted and smooth. Stir in the macaroni, and let the macaroni and cheese sit off the heat until the sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 5 minutes.

The ATK recipe stops there, tells you to let stand and then serve. I like to bake my mac and cheese, so typically I would go on and add the next step below.

*4. Combine the pasta with the cheese mixture and pour into a baking dish. Combine bread crumbs with a few sprinkles of parmesan cheese and spread over the top of the macaroni. You could also add some additional grated cheddar and gruyere cheese to this mixture as well, if you have some on hand.

I have made a number of different mac & cheese recipes over the past few years, and I would like to officially declare this one my favorite!!!! And, the fact that is is lower in fat & calories makes me feel a little better about loving it so much!

Comfort Food - Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

My husband is a typical man. He grew up eating heavy, classic Italian dinners every Sunday. So, my rule of no starches really cramps his style! I wouldn’t say we never have starch, we actually have brown rice quite a bit, and occasionally we have whole wheat pasta…we just rarely have regular old pasta and almost never have potatoes. So, I decided to make him the ultimate comfort food meal, meatloaf with mashed potatoes. I used Emril’s recipe for Kicked Up Meatloaf, and made only a few minor adjustments. One, I omitted the veal, and simply added more beef and pork. Also, I omitted the peppers and celery from the mix recipe, and left off the bacon on the top.

Meatloaf is not my favorite meal, and certainly one I would not make if I could help it, but it was OK. My husband loved it, so I suppose it was worth it! And the potatoes, I must say, they tasted pretty darn good! Those were certainly a nice treat!

"Fractured Chicken"

I bet you are wondering why in the world this dish is called “Fractured Chicken”…

My mom has been making this dish for years, since my brother and I were younger. One evening, we received a call from my brother’s middle school soccer coach letting us know they were rushing my brother to the hospital; he had fallen and appeared to have injured his back. Turns out he fractured 2 vertebrae. My mom was in the middle of making this meal, and accidentally, in the chaos that ensued, left the meal in the oven while we dashed to meet my brother at the hospital. So, since that fateful day back in 1995, the dish has been called “Fractured Chicken.”

This meal is not fancy and really easy to prepare. I am not sure it is blog-worthy, but it is so darn tasty, so I had to share. I guess if I had to give this dish a title I would call it “Baked Stuffed Chicken Breast with Swiss Cheese and Cream of Broccoli.” Ugh, too long and sooo boring. I like “Fractured Chicken” much better.

Anyway, the dish combines chicken breast, cream of broccoli soup, Swiss cheese and stuffing and is a wonderfully comforting, creamy, and delicious weeknight meal!

1 can Cream of Broccoli soup
½ can milk (I use fat free)
4 slices Swiss cheese
2 large chicken breast (or, could be made to serve 4 with 4 smaller breasts)
2 cups Pepperidge Farm cubed herb seasoned stuffing

I began by mixing the cream of broccoli soup with ½ can of milk in a bowl. I poured a small amount of the soup mixture into the bottom of a baking dish, enough just to coat the bottom. I then seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and placed in the baking dish. I poured more of the soup mixture over the chicken, then added the Swiss cheese slices, followed by the remainder of the soup mixture. In a small bowl, I added the 2 cups of cubed stuffing, a small amount of water, and a dab of Smart Balance Trans-Free Light margarine. I microwaved for one minute to soften, then poured the stuffing mixture over the chicken in the baking dish. I placed in the oven at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

I served the chicken over brown rice, which I had cooked in chicken broth, and a side of broccoli. I poured some of the remaining liquid over the chicken and rice, and voila, dinnertime. This meal is SO EASY and perfect when you have a busy night of correcting 7th grade English homework ahead of you!