Photo from Wikipedia

Shepherds Pie Recipe: Ground Beef Shepherds Pie Recipe

by Brandy Summers


A hearty meal of shepherds pie will give you that warm glow during the colder months. This recipe features ground beef, potatoes, cheese and mushroom soup.



5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 pound ground beef

6 slices American cheese

1 (10.75oz.) can condensed golden mushroom soup

3 teaspoons butter (optional)



Directions



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.



Place the potatoes into a large saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash.



While the potatoes are cooking, crumble the ground beef into a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Drain off the grease. Stir in the mushroom soup.



Transfer mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish. Layer the slices of cheese over the meat. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the top. Dot with butter.



Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.





=> Shepards Pie Recipe: Down Home Shepherds Pie



Another homemade version of shepards pie featuring ground beef, potatoes, corn, beans, cheese and gravy.



1 (7.6 oz.) package potato flakes

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 onion, finely diced

1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (15 oz.) can green beans, drained

4 (10.5 oz.) cans brown gravy

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 pound American cheese slices



Directions



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



Prepare potatoes according to directions on box. Set aside.



In a large skillet, sauté ground beef over medium heat for 1 minute. Add onion to skillet and continue to cook until beef is no longer pink and onion is beginning to brown. Drain off some of the grease.



Add corn, green beans and gravy to the skillet. Mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread potatoes over the top. Layer cheese slices over potatoes.



Bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese turns golden brown.





=> Sheppards Pie Recipe: Chicken Sheppards Pie



This sheppards pie recipe features chicken, potatoes, garlic, cheese and spices.



8 potatoes

1/4 cup butter

2/3 cup milk

1 medium head roasted garlic

1 pound chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

1 cup corn

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded



Directions



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.



Cut the head of garlic in half and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap garlic in aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.



Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.



Peel, chop and boil the potatoes until tender; drain. Mash potatoes. Add butter, milk and the roasted garlic; mix well. Set aside.



In the bottom of a casserole dish, arrange the chicken evenly on the bottom. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Layer on the peppers, corn and all but 1/4 cup of the cheese. Spread mashed potatoes on top.



Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.



Bake for 25 minutes, or until brown around the edges.





=> Shepherds Pie Recipe: Easy Shepherds Pie Recipe



If you like shepherds pie, but don’t have time to fuss over a longer recipe, you can whip up this version in a short time. It’s still homemade and will hit the spot perfectly.



1 pound roast beef, cooked and cubed

2 onions, sliced thinly

1/2 cup homemade beef gravy

4 cups mashed potatoes, cooked



Directions



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



Layer the roast beef in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish. Layer the sliced onions on top and pour on the gravy. Spread the mashed potatoes on top.



Bake for 1 hour, or until potatoes are browned.





=> Shepherds Pie Recipe: Turkey Shepherds Pie



This version of shepherds pie will take a little bit more effort, but you’ll be rewarded with a savory pie featuring turkey, red potatoes, zucchini, green beans, mushrooms, cheese, spices and a whole wheat crust.



5 large red potatoes, peeled

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup milk

2 (9-inch) whole wheat pie crusts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1 pound ground turkey

1 large carrot, julienned

1 zucchini, thickly sliced

1/4 cup canned green beans, halved

6 large fresh mushrooms, quartered

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter, diced



Directions



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.



Boil potatoes until tender. Mash with 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine and milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.



Saute onion and carrots in olive oil until soft. Stir in the ground turkey, parsley, thyme and garlic. Once turkey is almost browned and broken up, add zucchini and mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste; drain. Stir in the flour.



Divide meat mixture into two whole wheat pie crusts. Sprinkle cheese over meat, if desired. Spread green beans over the cheese. Spread mashed potatoes evenly

over mixture. Dot with butter.



Bake for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are slightly browned.





=> Sheperds Pie Recipe: Savory Sausage Sheperds Pie



A real hearty sheperds pie meal for sausage lovers.



1 pound sausage, uncooked

1 (12 oz.) jar beef gravy

1 (10 oz.) package frozen mixed vegetables

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 (24 oz.) package prepared mashed potatoes



Directions



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.



In a skillet, crumble and cook the sausage over medium high heat until brown. Drain on paper towels.



In a bowl, combine the sausage, gravy, vegetables and Worcestershire sauce.



Pour mixture into a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes evenly on top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.



Mmmm . . . where can you find that yummy recipe?
Milkshakes, Smoothies, Brownies, Chili, Casseroles and more!
http://www.-best-free-cooking-recipes.com




Article Source: Add-Articles.com

Photo from Wikipedia

Black Forest Cake

Author: David Slone

Black Forest Cake, is a chocolate cake with a strong cherry element to it which is popular throughout North America.

Called Schwarzwälderkirschtorte in German, which means Black Forest Cherry Torte (torte is the German word for cake).

The origin of this cake in unknown, but it is believed to have originated in the late 16th century in the Black Forest Region (Der Schwarzwald in German) located in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg. The area is known for its sour cherries and Kirsch or Kirschwasser (a double distilled, clear cherry brandy made from the sour Morello cherry).

It is a chocolate layer cake with Kirsch, whipped cream, sour cherries and chocolate curls.

Ingredients:

Cake

4oz Irish butter
8oz brown sugar
4oz plain chocolate
7oz self-raising flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 pint sour cream
3 tablespoons strong cold black coffee
2 eggs
pinch of salt

Pastry Base

4oz cream flour
pinch of salt
2oz icing sugar
2oz/ Irish butter
1 egg yolk
a few drops of vanilla essence

Other:

1 pint cream
1lb tin black cherries
4 table spoons black cherry jam
brandy or cherry juice
4oz grated chocolate

Directions:

Cake:

Cream butter and sugar together well.

Melt the chocolate and beat into the creamed mixture, then mix in the eggs.

Sift flour, salt and cinnamon together.

Fold the dry mix lightly into the liquids, then fold in the sour cream and cold coffee.

Into a lined and greased 9-inch round, deep tin pour the cake mixture and bake for 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Set to cool on a wire rack.

Pastry Base:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and bind until the mixture stiffens.

Roll the pastry onto a floured board worktable until pastry is about the same size as the base of the tin.

Lay out on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Assembly:

Whip cream until it holds its shape.

Put some cream into pastry piping bag with a star pipe attached, and reserve this for the decoration.

Slice the cake into 3 equal-sized layers.

Drain the cherries, reserve 8 for decoration and remove the stones from the remainder.

Put pastry on serving plate and spread the pastry with black cherry jam.

Soak the cakes with sprit used.

Put one layer of cake on top of coated pastry.

Spread a layer of cream with half the stoned cherries.

Put the second layer of cake and add another layer of cream and cherries.

Add the final layer of the cake.

Mask the entire cake with the remaining cream and press on the grated chocolate. Decorate the top with piped rosettes of cream and the reserved whole black cherries.

Tips:

Using 3 identical cake pans instead of 1 large is OK.

Margarine, vegetable oil or regular butter will substitute for Irish butter.

In some countries the brandy is often replaced by rum, in Germany itself it is almost always replaced by Kirschwasser.

This recipe did not come with a temperature to bake at for either the pastry or cake. Cakes usually work at between 325°F and 400°F (160°C and 205°C). Pastries usually work at between 350°F and 425°F (175°C and 220°C).

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/black-forest-cake-105554.html

About the Author:

For more recipes you can use at home or publish on your own website, ezine, newsletter or blog visit Good Cook dessert recipes. Food and drink are two of the great pleasures in life. eat and drink @ mwnch provides recipes and discussion to help you to get the greatest pleasure from them. To us that means sourcing the finest seasonal, local and where appropriate organic produce and ingredients.

Leftovers - Use Them or Toss Them?

Submitted by: Jude

You can save money on your grocy bill if you use up those bits of vegetables, meats and sauces for a meal later in the week. In fact, you can plan to cook a roast or a whole chicken for the purpose of using the leftovers for another lunch or dinner. It's a great time saver as well as a money saver. Here are a few guidelines for using leftovers:

1. Cut leftover meat or poultry into bite-sized pieces so that they will be uniformly heated.

2. When you have a cooked meat or poultry to add to a main dish, add it after the other ingredients are mostly cooked through.

3. Prepare a sauce to serve the meat with. Add the meat for the last few minutes of cooking time.

4. Make a hash of left over meats and potatoes. Hash was a popular leftover dish that my grandma used to make. Here's her recipe:

Chop 1 to 2 cups of leftover meat. Then, cube an equal portion of cold, cooked potatoes. Add 1 teaspoon of minced onion and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

Melt butter or margarine in a frying pan (1 tablespoon for each cup of hash mixture). Spread the meat and potatoes evenly over the bottom of the pan and moisten with a small amount of milk or leftover gravy.

Cook slowly over medium-low heat about 20 minutes or until the mixture has browned on the bottom. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent sticking.

Slide out of the frying pan and into a serving dish.

You can also bake the hash in the oven. Spray cooking spray onto the sides and bottom of a casserole dish. Add hash mixture and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Beef, chicken or turkey all make tasty hash dishes.

5. Use leftover rice to make a delicious pudding dessert:

Mix 1 cup of cold white or brown rice with 1/4 cup sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Stir in one chilled can (10 oz) of crushed pineapple, drained. Fold in 1 cup of whipped cream. Stir just long enough to blend ingredients.

Serve in sherbet glasses for a more fancy meal.

6. Another good way to use up leftovers is to make soup. Here's a good recipe for that leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey:

Remove any fat and skin from your turkey carcass. Put the bones and leftover turkey meat into a large cooking pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and skim off foam from top of water.

Add 3 chopped carrots, 3 ribs sliced celery, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 2 cloves garlic (minced), and 2 chopped onions.

Simmer soup for 2 to 4 hours.

Add 2 potatoes, quartered. Cook for 1/2 hour longer or until potatoes are cooked through.

Serve immediately or freeze for future use.

Impress your family and guests with creative uses of leftovers. They may never guess that they are leftovers!

About Author: Jude Wright is the webmistress of 40 websites. Visit her popular cooking and recipe site at http://homestylerecipesonline.com

Article Source: Free articles