On tap this week

The weather this past weekend was perfect!   It's weekends like this that give you hope spring is really here or at least on her way.....

It was G's bday so Nana & Grampy came up to help celebrate.   The big boys played golf while Nana and I hung out with the wee one and then we all met for lunch.  Pickle does not take well to sitting in a high chair these days which makes life interesting to say the least.   Hopefully this phase will pass soon.

We are lucky enough to have a park within walking distance to the house and we spent the afternoon down there.   Pickle wants nothing more than to be outside and he had a blast at the park and made some new friends to run around with.  I love it that he is not shy around people - I think one reason is because he is in daycare and is just used to be around others and playing.

Sunday I took a nap when Pickle did and as a result the afternoon was rushed - which I hate.   G was outside working on a project with converting the kennel and so I was trying to cook for the week and keep a toddler happy.  Not a whole bunch of fun but it all worked out and we even slipped in a walk around the neighborhood. 

Here's what on tap this week......

Cheese & Spinach Tortellini w/ Alfredo sauce.  I discovered after I was cooking the pasta that there wasn't going to be enough for two meals so I cooked some chicken as well.   Going to basically play it by ear and see what happens.

I also made a Shepard's Pie which I've never done.  I looked at a lot of recipes but I basically patterned mine after here - since I work with a bunch of engineers I think its only fitting.

Here is basically what I did.....

1 lb ground beef
Olive Oil
1 onion diced
1 can corn - drained and rinsed
1 1/2 tablespoons flour (would use more next time)
1 1/4 cup beef broth

7 small pototoes
butter
sour cream

butter
paprika

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Butter/spray a 9 inch glass pan

Cook you potatoes sans skins and then smash them. Add butter and sour cream to your liking for a smooth  creamy mixture and put aside.

Basically you brown the ground beef and drain it.   Then you cook the onions in some olive oil until the are tender and the corn and let it simmer with the onions for a minute.  Then add the beef back in and sprinkle the flour over the top.  Let cook for a couple of minutes and then add the beef broth.  Start with a cup and cook for a minute or so until the "gravy" forms.  You may or may not want to add more broth at this point.  Mine was a little soupy.....

Pour the meat mixture into your pan and spread the potatoes over the top.  Put some small pats of butter on the top and sprinkle the whole thing w/ paprika.

Into the oven for 30 minutes. 

G and the Pickle both liked this and so it will probably be put on rotation. 

Recipe Recap

A couple of weeks ago I made this......

They may look like just your normal taco's but they are not - they are baked taco's.
The original recipe can be found here but i made a couple of modifications.  Next time I will skip the tomato sauce and use enchilada sauce - Ole'!  This recipe is a keeper and G actually wants me to make it when we have a friend of his over that has gone to South America for a couple of months.  FYI it reheats great as well.  Just keep the toppings off and put back in the oven for about 10 or so minutes.

Oven Tacos
adapted from Blog Chef and Mommy I'm Hungry
2 1 lbs ground beef 
1 small onion diced
1  2 small can diced green chilies 
1 recipe for Homemade taco seasoning packet taco seasoning
1 (8 ounce) 4 oz  can low sodium tomato sauce 
1 (16 ounce)  1/2 can fat free refried beans 
2 cups shredded reduced fat Colby-jack cheese   whatever cheese you have
18-20  12 hard taco shells 

Toppings
Lettuce (shredded), Tomato (diced), Salsa, Guacamole, Sour Cream,Olives, sliced  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  
In a large skillet brown ground beef and onion over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Return to pan, add chilies, refried beans, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. Mix well and cook for a few minutes if mixture seems runny.   Make sure to cook this until all the liquid evaporates so your taco's stay crunchy

Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, standing up. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell. Place into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through. 
Remove from the oven and top with any optional condiments for serving. 

Stew

Last week I made a departure from the plan and threw together a stew one day.

G will eat this but I forget he is never truly thrilled with eating it twice in one week.  No worries as I divided the leftovers into small containers and put them in the freezer for lunches.

No picture - sorry I forgot....you will just have to take my word it was tasty!


Beef Barley Stew

2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/2 cup water
1 onion rough cut
3 carrots finely chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup barley (I would maybe add a cup next time)
1 lb beef stew cut up in smallish pieces

Throw everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.   Yes you could brown the meat first but lets be honest here part of the joy of slow cooking is only having one pan dirty.   Also, who has the time for browning.  

Served with a salad and some rolls fresh from the oven!

Bon Appétit 

Recipe Recap

Here's a brief update on the new recipes we tired last week.

First up the Clam Chowder
This was pretty much a home run hit with G.   He said it was "restaurant worthy" and "if he had a facebook page he would post a pic and say how great it is".   I'd never made clam chowder before and definitely will again being that A - G loved it and B - it could not be more simple,  We had a salad of greens, tomatoes, and a little feta to go with it.

Next up Stuffed Beef Crescents
These were a hit as well and not only did I get two dinner I also have some in the freezer for another day.   My advise if you are going to make this and there is just two of you - divide the meat in two.   I did it "fresh" both nights.  By this I mean I only used on roll of crescent dough per night.   You just need to reheat the meat the second night before you roll it in the dough.  Also, the second night G decided he wanted a sauce on the side so he had his with a side of salsa.   These little pockets are very rich so you definitely want a veggie of some sort to balance the whole thing out.  I will keep this recipe but it won't be one that I will pull out all that often.  That's roasted broccoli - if you missed it my post on roasting veggies can be found here

Bon Appétit!