SHEPHERD'S PIE....

I always start this dish using leftover homemade mashed potatoes. That is what shepherds pie is or originally was... a dish using leftovers. Some people use chopped leftover roast, leftover sliced potatoes and peas. I usually just make it from an abundance of leftover mashed potatoes.

3-4 cups leftover mashed brought to room temp to make them spreadable,
2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion
2 cups peas and carrots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon better than bullion beef paste
1/2 cup hot water
(or substitute 1/2 cup ready beef stock for water and paste)
3 - 4 tablespoons pulverized croutons (put them in a baggy and beat them with a rolling pin)
1 tablespoon of butter
2 - 3 tablespoons deep red wine
(if you would prefer a more "saucey" type of filling, use 1/2 can Campbell's Golden Mushroom, don't confuse this with cream of mushroom... it is dark and rich and a whole different soup, more gravy like)You should not dilute it much, just about 1/8 cup. You do not want a brothey filling, it won't work.

Brown the ground beef, drain and set aside. Saute onions adding garlic for the 1 minute. Meanwhile, microwave frozen peas and carrots just until they are no longer cold but not hot. Add the peas and carrots to the onions and garlic, saute 1 more minute. Add wine and stir to de-glaze pan. If you are ommitting the wine, proceed to the beef broth. Pour in the beef stock and continue cooking till it bubbles. Add the saute mix to the ground beef, stir to incorporate. Melt your butter, transfer crouton crumbs to a bowl and stir in melted butter.

Assembly
Butter a casserole dish, add ground beef mixture. Top with mashed potatoes and spread them evenly over the ground beef forming a sealed topping. Sprinkle crouton crumb mixture over the potatoes. Cook in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Note: you can really play with this dish... use your leftover meat and whatever kind of veggies you have (just chop them small). Add cheese onto the top of the potatoes. Some people really prefer this to the crumb topping or put a combo of grated cheddar cheese topped with the crumbs. You will want to switch the oven heat to broil for a few minutes, watch it carefully if you do.

LOIN ROAST, RICE and GRAVY, CARROTS AND GREEN BEANS.

THIS WAS SUNDAY DINNER WITH A GUEST. WE Had loin roast, rice and gravy, green bean w/onion ham seasoning and black pepper and carrots made with the roast. A nice time in all. I did a little marinating before popping it in the oven.

Pork Fried Rice with Cabbage and Mixed Onions

Pepper and Garlic Encrusted Pork Loin with Red Wine and Vegetables

I personally think a good roast requires a glass of wine... poured over the roast, not in the glass. I am also real big on fresh ingredients, you will never see instant mashed potatoes on my table. Oddly though I like Kentucky Fried Chickens weird instant potatoes(but not their gravy),go figure? Sooo, start with a fresh pork-loin roast, about 4 1/2 pounds is good for about 5-6 people. A 3 pound bag of red potatoes, a bag of carrots, 4 or 5 washed and cut celery stalks and two fresh onions. I got up at about 5:30 A.M. and began my marination with a nice drizzle of kitchen bouquet right down the center top of the roast. This is a product that your mother or grandmother may have used and it is an absolute staple in my kitchen. If you are wondering what it is and what is in it... it is a browning sauce or a caramelizing sauce it has a vegetable base (water, carrots, onions, celery, parsnips, turnips, salt, parsley and spices. There are two types of preservatives in it, sodium benzoate and sulfiting agents. These are common preservatives found in everything from Soda to Wine or dried fruits. ( I then placed fresh chopped garlic, onion powder, freshly cracked pepper, a little better than bullion (I used beef, because that is what I had, they do have a neutral vegetable). I tucked all of the ingredients in a large glad-ware container with a tight lid and refrigerated it until about 4:00 P.M. I paid special attention to getting a good coating of onion powder (not salt), chopped garlic and cracked black pepper onto the top and sides of the roast... you will need some in the wine marinade as well. I cooked this at 350 degrees to 145 degrees internal... it then rested for about 25 minutes. You will want to drop your vegetables in for about the last hour of roasting. You can choose various vegetables, I like carrots, celery and onions... you can roast the potatoes with the roast however I am all about the mashed potatoes.

Simple, Classic Banana Bread...

Pre-heat oven to 350' Grease and Flour two 9 X 5 pans or play with 4 square pans or muffin pans. 2 Cups All Purpose Flour 1 tsp. Salt 2 tsps. Baking Powder 1 Cup Butter Softened 2 Cups Sugar 2 Extra Large Bananas (these need to be overripe and speckled) 2 Jumbo Eggs 1 Chopped Walnuts 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract 4 to 5 taps of nutmeg... or 4-5 grates of a fresh nutmeg Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl, cream together softened butter, sugar and vanilla. Move the butter mixture with a spatula to 1/2 side of the bowl, break up bananas and mash with a fork, crack two jumbo eggs over the sugar mixture and beat, incorporate all ingredients in the bowl.Pour moist ingredients into the dry ingredients, stir until blended. Bake for 60 or until a knife comes out clean.

A Really Good Garlic Herb Bread

So... any good sauce (or gravy if you will) deserves good pasta and to my way of thinking a really good bread. I have been making a garlic herb bread to go with my spaghetti for some time. I use real butter, unsalted and a good olive oil. Cut off cold butter by the tablespoon... drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil for every four tablespoons of butter. A single stick of unsalted butter. 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil. 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. 2 teaspoons of onion powder. 1 teaspoon of sweet basil 1/4 teaspoon of oregano or Italian seasoning. A dozen turns of a cracked pepper mill. 2-3 tablespoons of a decent parmesean. add a little sea salt if desired. Once you get all of the spread ingredients incorporated, spread it a good Italian or even French bread (use a partial baked bread if you can find it). Bake at 350 for about 5-7 minutes... turn to broil and watch carefully... about 1 1/2 minutes until golden in color... not burnt, unless you like it like that. I make the spread ahead of time... like days ahead. This can be made in larger batches and kept in the refrigerator or the freezer. I have a tendency to play with the spices and sometime use a jarred, prepared chopped garlic with the liquid... very good. Throw on some decent Provelone Cheese, or if you are from St. Louis try adding a little Provel, you know what I am talkin about!!!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches from Leftover Roast

I have always been very opposed to wasting food; the economy makes it a moral crime. I am always trying to figure out ways to use up leftovers without eating the same thing repeatedly. Making leftovers into something new has always been a good way to ensure nothing gets wasted. I took the pork roast from earlier this week and slow cooked it in a pan of homemade BBQ sauce in the oven. What you will need... Pretty much, whatever is in the fridge and pantry or... Any type of leftover roast (either pork or beef - you can use leftover chicken as well). 1 small can of tomato paste 2 or more cloves chopped garlic 1/2 cup of red wine 2 tablespoons onion powder 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2 tablespoons paprika 1/4 cup of brown sugar Generous amount of fresh cracked pepper Ground red pepper flakes for taste I found two bottles of BBQ sauce in the fridge... each had about 3 tablespoons of BBQ sauce in each... filled both bottles about 1/3 of the way with steaming hot tap water, shook and poured it into the sauce pan. Place the roughly broken-up roast in an oven-proof baking dish (de-bone the meat first) and pour the watery sauce over the meat. Seal tightly with foil... start in a 400 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes... knock the heat down to 225 and just let it go for about 3 hours. Shred the meat with a fork and spoon and stir it to incorporate the sauce. Serve on buns, rolls or Texas toast... throw some pickles, chips, leftover slaw or potato salad... a cold beer is nice with this if you have one... recommend Blue Moon Belgian Wheat Ale... throw it in the freezer for 10 minutes and serve it extra cold. This dish can also be done in a crock pot if you are going out or it is during the hot summer months. Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe ReCap 1 small can of tomato paste 2 or more cloves chopped garlic 1/2 cup of red wine 2 tablespoons onion powder 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2 tablespoons paprika 1/4 cup of brown sugar Generous amount of fresh cracked pepper Ground red pepper flakes for taste

For supper tonight I made a classic Boston Pork Roast.

Used up the leftover mashed potato's from another meal and made mashed potato pancakes with onions and corn kernels .

Carrots cooked with the roast and gravy made from the skimmed roast drippings to garnish.

Last but never least to go with a pork dish is some type of apple. Here I used a gala apple, stewed in a little butter, apple juice, apple sauce and cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar...

Banana Pudding, So Simple...

I have never made or eaten Banana Pudding before.It is such a quick and simple prep. I used the instant Jello Vanilla Pudding, I could have used the cooked variety of Jello Pudding or even a scratch pudding, however that defeats the simplicity of this desert. Half the beauty of it is the speed and ease of creating it.

You will need two of the large boxes of Jello Vanilla pudding mix (I use the instant) 6 cups of cold milk. 3 Large fresh bananas. A regular sized tub of whipped topping. 1 box 11 oz box of vanilla wafers. I happen to be a big fan of Glad ware. The containers are handy, stack-able and you have a tight seal on the container. If the glad ware gets lots or you end of giving it away... no need to cry, these items are affordable and very replaceable.

Prepare the pudding according to the instructions on the box (add the milk and whip it together for two minutes). While the pudding rests for a few minutes, slice your bananas up thinly, then layer the bottom of your pudding pan with a single layer or vanilla wafers. Top generously with pudding and spread evenly, add a layer of sliced bananas, now spread evenly with a layer of whipped topping, repeat the layers ending with a layer of pudding. Place dollops of whipped topping on top. Sprinkle the entire pan with the crumble cookie remains from the bottom of the box. Seal and refrigerated. This dish has to hang out in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before it can be eaten. So, here is my first crack at it... very easy, not rocket science. Apparently it is a staple dish in the south. I am such a damn yankee!!!

LOADED CHILI DOG's

Chili Dogs are a sandwich that does not get nearly the press or consumption frequency of the hamburger, but it is just as American and can be very, very scrumptious.

The items used here can all be picked up at your local grocery store. The roll this sandwich is on is the King's Hawaiian brand hot dog bun. These are great rolls for a couple of reasons: 1) the taste and texture of this bread has that one-of-a-kind slightly sweet, full taste of all King's bread; and 2) this is a good choice because the roll is sliced down the center, which allows the sandwich to stand up to "loading" (it will not breakdown under the weight of the toppings). One of your most important choices is the "dog" itself. I discovered and became a fan of Nathan's hot dogs several years ago. This is coming from a person who had really come to dislike hot dogs with the exception of a treat at a ball game. The company in my opinion came out with a masterpiece with this sausage recipe and it has been around since 1918 and is the self-proclaimed original Coney Island Dog. I believe them. Another good choice is Hebrew National. Whatever you choose, you have to have a great tasting hot dog as your base. I have made my own hot dog chili and it is nice to keep a couple of small containers in the freezer. There are several store bought versions of "hot dog chili" at your store, I have tried several.

I do not like the canned items... just too much tin and other aftertastes interfering and it overpowers the whole sandwich. I have purchased 4 Star Beef Chili this time and I see no reason to look any further. This is a great product with perfect consistency, very well drained in the grease department, great flavor and a meaty (but not overpowering) taste so it balances nicely in the sandwich rather than taking over.

For the pickle I chose Famous Dave's Signature Spicy Pickle Spears. I had not noticed the small print on the jar denoting that this was a sweet/hot spear. It was the only pickle spear I had in the house so I sliced the spear in half and split it between two chili dogs. It ended up working. It does not bring any significant heat with it. In the future I will simply do what my dear Joe does and add habanero peppers to a jar of good kosher dill spears and let it hang out in the fridge for a week. So in essence I recommend you use Joe's hot and spicy pickle spears. I used sliced jarred jalapenos, rough chopped green onions and French's yellow mustard to round the whole thing out. This turned out to be a truly good chili dog. I will stick to all of the same items in the future with the exception of the pickles. As to the hot dog chili, I like the 4 Star Beef Chili as well or better than any that I have made. It is nicely priced and ends the argument for me about homemade versus store bought in this case.

Just a quick recap of everything you will need: King's Hawaiian Hot Dog Buns. Nathan's Foot Long 100% Angus Beef (naturally gluten free) Hot Dogs. 4 Star Beef Chili. French's Yellow Mustard. A Good Hot Pickle Spear. Sliced Jarred Jalapeno. Rough Chopped Green Onions. Play with the items mentioned above and swap out, add or omit elements to your taste, half the fun of a good chili dog is the variety of ways you can dress it up or down...

The next time I throw down some chili dogs, it is my intention to give Applegate Farms, Natural Big Apple Hot Dog a try. In a recent taste test. Applegate came in second to Nathan's and well before Hebrew National. The best reason to try this product however is the healthiness of it... Yes, I said healthy in reference to a hot dog. These hot dogs contain a mere 110 calories per frank and 9 grams of fat compared to double that in almost all other full flavor hot dogs on the market. What they do not contain is Nitrates, Gluten, Hormones, Antibiotics and even avoid the GMO connection as they use 100% grass fed beef. They are offering 3 versions of their hot dogs. 2 are Applegate The Great Uncured Hot Dog... these are the store items and come in Beef or Chicken. The 3rd hot dog product is what I have my eye on and that is the Natural Big Apple Hot Dog. So, besides all of the healthy reasons to try the Appleton Farms hot dog is the reviews coming in... the Natural Big Apple, frank is being described as having the taste, smell and “snap” of a N.Y. street vendor hot dog. That makes it worth a try... will check back and give my own review.