Shepherds Pie

For the meat mixture:1 1/2 lbs lamb or beef (cubed or ground is fine)
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried sage
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
salt and pepper

For the potatoes:2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into equal sized pieces
4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups grated white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 cup chives, chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. 

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain well and return to pot to remove any excess moisture.

Meanwhile, brown beef or lamb in a large dutch oven over medium heat.  Drain off any excess fat.  Add onions, carrots and garlic, and sauté until softened.  Add butter, stir until melted.  Sprinkle flour over meat and veggies, stirring to coat.  Cook 1 minute.  Deglaze pan with Guinness, red wine, and beef broth.  Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low.  Add Worcestershire sauce and spices, simmer about 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender.  Add peas, and season mixture to taste with salt and pepper.  Simmer until mixture has thickened.

Once potatoes are drained, stir in butter and milk and mash until consistency is smooth (add a little more milk if necessary).  Stir in cheese, parsley and chives.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Pour thickened meat mixture into greased casserole dish (I used an oval one, smaller than a 9×13).  Spoon potatoes gently over the top of the meat mixture, making irregular peaks with the back of your spoon.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and edges are bubbly.

Watercress and Kale soup

YUMMY light soup perfect for lunch or a light brunch.

olive oil
1 sweet onion minced
2 small russet red potatoes minced
10 oz washed watercress
1 clove garlic minced
4 oz rough chopped kale
4 C gluten free chicken stock
sea salt
black pepper
lemon juice
sour cream to garnish


Heat oil in a large skillet and add the potato, onion and garlic and sautee for 10 minutes but don't allow it to brown. Add the watercress and kal. then pour chicken stock over veggies and allow to cook at a low heat until veggies are wilted. Puree the dish in small batches, pour into a bowl and chill over night and let it sit. Serve and add a dollop of sour cream to garnish.

Amber's Smoky Chili

This is a super after spice chili that is a big hit at any party. It has a smoky flavor and is great!

1    16 oz can of Red Beans
1    16 oz can of Chili Beans
1    1/2 lb of ground beef
2    8oz  diced spicy tomatoes
2    16 oz tomato paste
1    diced onion
3    TBSP minced garlic
1    C bittersweet dark chocolate
1    TBSP Chili powder
1     TBSP Paprika
1    TBSP Salt
1    TBSP Red Pepper
2    C Beef Broth

Directions:

brown ground beef in large skillet. Melt chocolate in separate pot. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and three cups of water. Cook on low heat for two hours. Stir sporadically. Add two cups of beef broth and one cup of water then cook for two more hours on medium heat.

Super Yummy Honey BBQ Wings

I LOVE breaded Honey BBQ wings and I'm so excited I perfected this recipe! They're so amazingly good. An awesome alternative to the normal sunday football hot wings. 







20 chicken wings, tips removed
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 bottle KC Masterpiece original barbecue sauce (important!!)
1/4 cup honey (you can use agave nectar as well)
oil, for deep frying

PREPARATION:

Wash chicken wings, remove the tips; cut the two pieces in half. shake off excess water. place eggs and milk in a bowl and mix well. set aside. Mix together barbecue sauce and honey, set aside. Put flour in bag, shake wings to lightly coat. roll wings in egg wash and toss back in flour again. you want a fairly heavy coating of flour. Repeat 2-3 times.

Heat oil to 350 degrees F. Fry wings until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Dip each wing in BBQ/Honey sauce and place on greased cookie sheet( pieces should not touch each other). Bake 15-20 minutes until they no longer look shiny. They'll be heavily breaded but super yummy. Seriously they're not diet friendly but they're sinfully good.

My Hot Wings

These are super great and kind of like my favorite wings of all time, Taco Mac. Sadly I've yet to completely unravel that mysterious goodness but mine are pretty close. Enjoy!

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup Durkee's sauce(if you cant find any there's a substitute recipe below that i've come up with)
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 2 -3 lbs chicken wings
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• vegetable oil , for frying

Durkee's Substitute Recipe-

 

• 1/2 cup cold water
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar , plus
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt , plus
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

Put all ingredients, except for the butter, into your blender.Blend on high speed about 2 minutes or until mixture is smooth. Pour into top pan of a double boiler.Cook over gently boiling water.As sauce begins to heat, add butter, stirring often to incorporate.Cook for 12-15 minutes (stirring often) or until sauce becomes thick and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Cooled sauce may be run thru blender, again, on high speed for about a minute till smooth.Refrigerate sauce in covered container for several hours before using.

 

 

Directions for wings: 

Combine hot sauce, butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and sugar; mix well in a pot and warm the sauce until butter is melted. Keep warm until ready to use.If the wings are frozen, be sure to defrost and dry them. If they have not been clipped yet, clip the tips off, and separate at the joint. Wash them well in cool water. Season with salt, paprika and cayenne. Put on a paper towel covered rack/tray in the refrigerator overnight to air dry.  Oil should be about 375 degrees. Deep fry the wings in batches until just golden, about 10 to 15 minutes or until some parts of the wings begin to turn dark brown. Put the wings into a large bowl with lid. Add the hot sauce. Put on the lid, then shake making sure to coat all the wings evenly. Serve any left over sauce on the side. Remove the wings from the oil to a paper towel covered pain to drain and put in a warm oven (200 degrees) while cooking the remaining wings. But don't let them sit too long, because you want to serve the wings hot.

Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• Nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Sinful Espresso Chocolate Mousse

Super Easy and absolutely delish Mousse.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate (use the bars you buy in store for shaving and melts more evenly
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl set over (but not in) a saucepan of simmering water, stirring often, until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
2. In a small saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, espresso powder, 4 tablespoons of the sugar, and ¾ cup of the cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture lightly coats the back of the spatula, 2 to 3 minutes (do not boil). Strain into the melted chocolate and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until completely cooled, about 30 minutes.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1 ¼ cups cream and 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form.
4. In 3 additions, fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Divide among 8 serving glasses and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (if longer, bring to room temperature before serving). Sprinkle with the shaved chocolate before serving.