Shepherd's Pie

INGREDIENTS:
4 Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled & quartered lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon milk
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8-10 oz of frozen peas, carrots and\or corn
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon ketchup
1 package french onion soup mix
3/4 cup chicken broth (or beef broth)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1 - Add the Worcestershire sauce to the ground beef and set aside. Add onion soup mix to mix to 3/4 cup of broth and set aside. Remove frozen veggies from freezer to begine thawing process, the more frozen they are for baking, the more crisp they will be in the final dish.  I don't recommend thawing them completely.
2 - Put all potatoes in saucepan with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add enough water to cover the potatoes well and bring to a boil
3 - Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft to a fork
4 - Warm cream and melt butter together
5 - Put potatoes in dish andd ad the cream and butter. Mash with potato masher. Add milk as needed until the desired consistency is achieved.
6 - Add 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Set the potatoes to the side.
7 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook ground beef in skillet until well browned. Remove excess fat, add in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup and soup mix to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
8 - Spread the ground beef mixture in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Add the vegetables as the next layer and top with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese on top.
9 - Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

THOUGHTS:
Great fall and winter meal that works as leftovers for days. The key to the taste is in the mashed potatoes. Make sure that they are tasty enough to stand alone and the dish will turn out wonderfully. When I don't feel like making my own taters, I just buy Bob Evans homestyle microwave potatoes and they taste great.

Garlic Balsamic Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
3 Boneless Chicken Breasts
Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS:
1 - Season chicken with salt and pepper. Rinse mushrooms and pat dry. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat and saute chicken until browned on 1 side (approximately 3 minutes)
2 - Add garlic and turn chicken breasts, scatter mushrooms in skillet. Continue frying while shaking skillet and stirring mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes then add vinegar, broth, bay leaf and thyme. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
3 - Move chicken to platter and cover with foil. Continue to simmer sauce uncovered over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Swirl in butter and discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles or rice.

THOUGHTS:
Not the greatest dish ever, but it's easy and is made with things you usually have around the house.
UPDATE:  This was much better the second time!  I would suggest serving with bowtie pasta.

Pasta Primavera with Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz penne pasta
1 package chicken tenderloins cut to slightly larger than bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
2 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 yellow squash, chopped to bite sized pieces
1 zucchini, chopped to bite sized pieces
1 bag of carrots, green beans, peppers, trimmed to 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 Tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Parmesan cheese, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1 - Season chicken with lemon pepper, 2 teaspoons salt, and garlic powder. Use gallon size ziploc bag to cover the chicken in the seasoning. Put the chicken into the fridge until needed.
2 - Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line baking sheet with aluminum foil
3 - Bring water to a boil for the pasta and cook as directed on package. Pasta will be reheated with the chicken so it is not a problem if the pasta is done well before the chicken and veggies.
4 - Toss vegetables with 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, lemon juice and Italian seasoning. Arrange vegetables on the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes or until tender.
5 - Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and brown for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and lower heat to medium and cook until chicken is no longer pink. I cut the pieces of chicken in half while cooking to verify doneness and get the chicken into bite sized pieces.
6 - Mix in cooked pasta, lemon zest, basil, parsley & balsamic vinegar. Gently toss & cook until heated through.
7 - Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with vegetables and garnish with Parmesan cheese to serve.

THOUGHTS:
I got a friend who hate vegetables to eat vegetables with this dish. The garlic salt and the balsamic make a very tasty combination.

Dad's Balsamic Raspberry Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
1 jar Polaner All Fruit Seedless Raspberry spread
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4+ Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS:
1 - Combine all ingredients in sauce pan
2 - Heat & stir until smooth
3 - Serve warm

THOUGHTS:
My dad made this to go with pepper encrusted pork tenderloin for Christmas and it was amazing. I can't wait to make it for my friends!