Irish Guinness Shepherd Pie

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I had a couple of leftovers that I did not want to go to waste. So I gathered my extra veggies and mash potatoes and added some ground beef to make an interesting shepherd pie.

It came out wonderfully, my kids loved it. For me the greatest part was being creative and not wasteful with what I had. Here is a recipe of a shepherd pie that I tweaked a little. 

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon black pepper
16 ounces ground beef or lamb
1 large onion, finely diced
3-4 large carrots, finely diced
1 cup frozen peas
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 bottle Guinness
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup stock
1 large quantity mashed potatoes (estimating 6 cups, fresh or leftover)


Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 400°. Saute′ carrots in the olive oil until starting to get tender. Add in the onions and sauté for a minute or two, and then add the meat. Season with black pepper and thyme. Cook until browned then drain fat. Add the butter and peas. Sprinkle with flour and stir through. Add tomato paste, Guinness and Worcestershire sauce. Let this reduce slightly then add the chicken stock. Allow to reduce down until you have thick meaty gravy. Season to your taste. Remove from heat. Grease a 9 x 13” oven proof dish with butter and add the sauce. Spoon mashed potatoes on top.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the potato is nice and browned on top. 

A great meal to serve on a cold wintery day!

Macaroons!

I love macaroons. Recently, my husband found this wonderful pastery shop that makes them. The above macaroons are pumpkin, hazelnut, key lime, raspberry rosewater and espresso. And just by coincidence I had a sample of each flavor ;-)! They all tasted devine, but I would have to say the pumpkin one was a favorite. Check out the cafe site at http://www.essencemacaron.com/index.php

Cocktail Hour

Dirty martini with Hor d' oeuvres.

Had a little cocktail gathering at home with light fare. We had Chianti marinated salami with rosemary wafers, Dubliner cheese and Rosemary olive oil Asiago cheese, with a side of Blue Cheese stuffed green olives.  Dirty martinis were the beverage accompanying the appetizers. So simple and fun to put together in a short amount of time. It was a nice way to relax after a long day.

Ube Yogurt Treat

Ube, an Asian purplish yam.

This delicious recipe was a favorite of mine as a child. I tweaked it a little to make it lowfat, but the taste still remains the same. I love this recipe; very easy to make with few ingredients. 

 All you need is a can of Coconut Milk (13.5 oz), 1 cup of nonfat plain yogurt, 1 cup of sugar, and a pound of shredded Ube (which you can find at any Asian grocery store). Puree in blender and add to ice cream maker. Within a few minutes you will have yourself a delicious healthy dessert. Happy eating.      

Cherry Pecan Meringue, so light and airy

Fluffy clouds of goodness.

Sweet and chewy in the center.

You can't just stop at one........

Ingredients


Makes 36
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chopped pecans


Directions
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla until soft peaks form.
Still beating, very gradually (1 tablespoon at a time) add sugar to egg whites. Continue to beat until sugar has dissolved and stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently fold in chopped dried cherries and chopped pecans.
Drop meringue mixture by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake, switching baking sheets halfway through, until meringues are dry, about 2 hours. Cool completely on baking sheets. Meringues can be stored in an airtight container, up to 5 days.

I need a drink!

Here is my large stiff and yummy drink.

I am right now in the middle of doing my final paper for my master's program. Lots of research, but finding all the information fascinating and exciting. I have to create a poster presentation of my paper as well, and I am finding myself creating lots of great ideas in my head :)...... But back to my yummy drink; I borrowed it from "Martha", she always has great ideas and recipes. Here goes:

Cantaloupe Shake

1/2 cantaloupe

2 cups nonfat yogurt

3 Tbl. honey 

1/2 scoop protein powder

some ice

Blend all ingredients except ice in blender, then put ice in a tall glass. Pour shake into glass and then enjoy! The recipe makes for 2 servings.

Cucumber-Pear Yogurt Shake

A refreshing drink for a warm May day. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

3/4 cup crushed ice

1 medium pear chopped

1 small banana chopped

1/4 cup cucumber chopped and peeled

2 Tbl protein powder

Blend all ingredients together until smooth and consistent, then take a sip and enjoy the lovely day!