The Cookbook Chronicles i

A few days ago, I volunteered to make muffins for our student association retreat. Unfortunately, the retreat was cancelled. The positive side is that I still had the ingredients and time on my hands (and an extra box of Nilla Wafers (; ) to make them at my own leisure. 

Start by placing a Nilla Wafer at the bottom of a cupcake wrapper. Heat the oven up to 350 degrees. 

Cream together three 8 ounce packages of cream cheese and 2/3 cup of sugar. Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature, or you’ll have lumpy muffins. Add 3 eggs, one at a time until fully mixed in. Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract and, finally, 2 tsp lemon juice. The lemon juice is optional, and to tell you the truth, if you want lemon flavor, I recommend using lemon zest. 

Fill the cupcake wrappers 2/3 of the way full. Stick them in the oven for 15-18 minutes. They are done baking when you press on them and they spring back. Let them cool and ennnnjoy!

Next time, I’m thinking of putting an Oreo at the bottom instead of a Nilla Wafer. The Nill Wafer got a bit soggy, and it would have been nice to have a little crunch.

The truth is that these are more like little cheesecakes than muffins, so the title to describe these…um..cupcakes (I think) is misleading. But, I’m titling them the way that my grandma had them named.

So, my student association’s loss is my gain. David liked them so much that he sucked the cheesecake off the wrapper. He then went on to tell me that I’m not to give them away.

Ok, honey, whatever you say. I’m not going to argue (because I like them too much). 

I did not feel very well today, and I spent most of my day resting. My husband was sweet and let me have control of the TV today, rubbed my back, and cleaned the kitchen. I had time to kill.

Any extra time that I have (when I have it) is dedicated to a few diversions that I enjoy: watching movies, reading, sewing, and Stumbleupon. I stumble onto beautifully designed blogs with recipes that inspire experimentation. Today, I stumbled onto a recipe for red velvet brownies, and although I am intrigued, I do not have the ingredients on hand to make them.

My husband was also intrigued, and I wanted to thank him for being so sweet to me today. I am sad to report that we did not have boxed brownies, but then it hit me: who needs boxed brownies anyways? Everything’s better when it’s made from scratch.

The recipe that I discovered is simple. All you need is flour, sugar, butter, eggs, cocoa, and vanilla. And, of course, chocolate chips. Simple.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While that heats up, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa. Add the eggs and melted butter, and vanilla and mix well. At this point, the batter was somewhere between dough and batter, and I was worried that the chocolate chip brownies were going to be more like chocolate chip cake. I added a tiny splash of milk, which smoothed it out better.

Pour the batter into a baking dish, and sprinkle with chocolate chips, and if you like, nuts. Bake for no longer than 20 minutes. Remember that chocolate burns, and when it does, it’s bitter. And gross.

Let the brownies cool. Pour a large glass of cold milk and enjoy.

I’ve grown up on boxed brownie mix. These brownies are not as fudgy, and not as rich, but extremely delicious. The richness comes from the chocolate chips, and when they are melting and gooey out of the oven, they are A.MAZ.ING.

My husband’s brownie craving was satisfied, and I still have control of the remote.

Chocolate Chip Brownies

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

2 eggs

4 Tablespoons cocoa

1 teasoon vanilla

Bake at 350 degrees for no longer than 20 minutes.

This morning, my dad sent me a very sad message simply stating that Sara, my grandpa’s beautiful 15 year old Border Collie, had to be put down today. I know it’s weird that I’m writing about a pet that isn’t my own, but I really loved that dog.

Sara had one gear: go. It was usually activated by pressing on her spot on the top of her head accompanied by a “BEEEEP.” I called it her on/off switch, because when you pressed it, she’d run around the house like crazy and pick up her squeak pig, which really didn’t squeak at all. If I got on the floor to play, she’d be all over me. She was energetic and fun.  

Another great memory I have is when my grandpa got Josie a few years after he got Sara. Any kid is drawn to puppies (apparently that hasn’t changed for me) and Josie is timid, but very loving. So when Josie waddled over in that cute way that puppies walk and start to give me kisses, Sara would knock her out of the way to get my lovings. She got so jealous of Josie. Sara always had to be  the center of attention. Of course it made me laugh, as it does now that I’m thinking about it.

The last time I saw Sara, my dad and grandpa were talking about laying irrigation on my dad’s ranch. She was in my grandpa’s truck and it was a hot day, so she didn’t come out. You never think that it could be the last time you see someone you love. It’s funny how you expect these things to happen, but when they do, you don’t expect they would happen that day. I really wish I had spent a little more time with her or that I had gone to the dove hunts earlier this year.

This is the first animal that I can safely say that I will miss. I loved her because she was always happy to see me. And I was always happy to see her. I miss her so much already.

The whole reason I wrote this was because I’ve always found writing to be therapeutic. I don’t think there’s a point to this rambling, but since when does most stuff on the internet make any sense?

I hope to follow up with a recipe soon. Baking has a way of making me feel better, too.

If you have a pet, please give him or her love. If you have the means, donate to your local SPCA or adopt a puppie in Sara’s honor. If you don’t have the money, donate shredded paper for cages or your time. There are thousands of wonderful dogs, just like Sara was, that deserve a good home with  lots of love, food and squeak pigs.

I don’t mean to toot my own horn (ok, yes, yes I do), but I just made the most amazing carrot cake. EVER.

My Grandpa and Grandma Proctor are visiting from Maryland, and my Grandpa’s 70th birthday was on the 7th. So, to celebrate this momentous occasion (and to clear out the rest of my carrots) I decided to make carrot cake.

To Grandma Mary’s cookbook I went. There are two recipes that I know of in her recipe book. The first I looked at required a mixture to sit in the fridge for 12 hours…and that’s time I didn’t have. 

I think this is the ONLY carrot cake I will ever make again. What’s wonderful about it is that it’s so flavorful and moist that it doesn’t need the cream cheese frosting I made to go with it. I was thinking of using it to make carrot cake muffins for a nice cold fall morning sometime.

This cake calls for crushed pineapple chunks and GROUND nuts which I thought was kind of weird, since I thought carrot cake was supposed to have chunks of nuts in them and just carrots. The ground walnuts made something of a paste, which was really great because I think it made the cake light.

First, blend 1 1/2 cups veggie oil, 2 cups sugar and 4 eggs (yes! Four!). Then, mix in 2 cups of grated carrots (it doesn’t need to be exact, more is better here), one 8 ounce can of crushed pineapples with the juice, and 1 cup of ground nut meats. The recipe doesn’t specify which kind of nuts, but when I think of carrot cake, I think walnuts. Mix until well blended. Next, in a large bowl, sift 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. I learned a long time ago that too much of a good thing is a bad thing, so while I didn’t add too much extra cinnamon, my teaspoons were heaping. Add the dry ingredients gradually and mix well. Although it was not called for, I added a dash of vanilla. In this case, a little more of a good thing is a great thing.  Pop it in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick or knife come out cleanly.

Nothing goes better with carrot cake than cream cheese frosting, and I think this is the best one I’ve made yet. Blend together 1 cup of sweetened, unsalted butter and 1 8 ounce package of room temperature cream cheese, 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 3 3/4 cups of powdered sugar. Remember to add the powdered sugar slowly or you will be cleaning powdered sugar off of your wall, countertops, floor, ceiling, etc.

Make sure you let the cakes and frosting cool the frosting doesn’t melt. (I learned my lesson from the strawberry cake. If you haven’t read it yet, you should. Disasters in baking are so much more fun to read about than than triumphs in baking.)  

Everything I learned from that applied here and not only did the cake taste amazing, it looked pretty too. I took a rolling pin to the rest of the walnuts and smashed them into uneven pieces and put a thin ribbon of them around the circumference of the cake. They are rustic looking and they add a nice crunch to an otherwise moist, heavenly cake. I would’ve toasted them, but I didn’t have time and I didn’t want to melt my cake. Like I said, lesson learned.

By the way, I had a huge amount of frosting left, which my grandpa said I could put on graham crackers. I’m not one to argue, I think I might to that… if I don’t end up sitting down and eating the rest of it with a spoon.

We put candles on the cake and my grandpa blew them out. got my husband to try a small piece of the cake that I shaved off the top of the bottom layer, and he actually accepted a piece of cake (shocker!). It was so successful that my husband, who for the record hates cake, requested carrot cake for his birthday cake.

So all in all, this is a great recipe. I WILL use it again, and I highly suggest that you all do the same.

If you did a “rebake”, I would love to read about it. If you did anything differently, I’d like read about that, too. I know there are more of you out there now. If any of you know how to add pictures, please let me know. I’m so jealous of people who have thise gorgeous blogs, and I want one, too. If you share your knowledge, I just might hare my meatloaf recipe…maybe.

Happy baking!

Danielle

If there’s one thing that I love about summer, it’s all the great fresh fruit that’s in season. I love Santa Maria strawberries (and no matter what my husband says, California strawberries are ALWAYS better than Virginia strawberries), and I love the blueberry stands at the side of the road. But one of my favorite fruits in season is peaches.

I don’t really remember my grandma putting peaches in anything besides ice cream and cobbler. The great thing about cobbler is that it’s so versatile. You can put any kind of fruit in it, frozen, fresh or canned, and it will always be amazing.

That being said, my friend Ri came over tonight for a little Kielbasa, cabbage, and mashed potatoes. I had a few peaches in my fridge and so I decided to do a little baking.

The recipe that I used was one of many, but this one was in my grandma’s handwriting, and I like those the best.

I sifted the dry ingredients together in my Kitchen Aid mixer bowl when I discovered that I didn’t have any shortening. Until Ri arrived, I cut and skinned the peaches. They weren’t quite ripe so I sprinkled a little sugar on the top of them to bring out the juices. After Ri showed up, we went to the closest Fresh n Easy and got shortening. I got the shortening with butter flavoring because 1) my recipe didn’t call for any butter and 2) like Ri says “Everything tastes better with butter”. You can’t argue with logic.

That being said, we returned home to the fantastic aroma of Kielbasa and cabbage boiling away on the stove, which my wonderful husband started. I can’t tell you how great it is to walk in the door and smell dinner cooking already. It wraps you in the security blanket of warmth and belonging. We are homeowners cooking dinner in OUR house, and it feels incredible.

But back to the cobbler. I added wet ingredients, shortening, a little milk and an egg. I put the mixture on medium speed until it looked like cake batter. The batter was a little bland, so at Ri’s suggestion, I added about 1 tsp of vanilla extract (I’m not sure though, I just poured it in without measuring), a dash of nutmeg and a little bit of cinnamon to taste. I sprayed a 2.2 quart baking dish with Baker’s Joy, a spray that is like Pam but has flour in it. I swear by it. I poured the batter into the baking dish and dumped the peaches on top. The recipe then called for me to sprinkle 1 cup of granulated sugar on the top, but since I had put so much sugar on the peaches to begin with, I put much less on…maybe about 1/4 cup. I did, however, throw a small handful of brown sugar on top. Then, I poured 1 cup of boiling water on top of the batter and peaches. Had the dish been bigger, I probably would’ve gone with 2 like the recipe called for. The cobbler bakes at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, and then for about 40 minutes at 350.Give it the toothpick test to see if it’s ready. If it’s clean, then it’s done. If not, pop it back in the oven for a little while…just like a cake.

I took the cobbler out of the oven and placed it on a wire cooling rack, but I couldn’t resist and Ri and I dug in. One bowl, two spoons. I would’ve put ice cream on it, but honestly, it didn’t need it. I’d call this experiment a success.

Still figuring out how to post pictures in my posts. Do any of you out there know how?

I’ll post the recipe some other time. It’s late, I’m tired, and I’m full of yummy delicious food.

If there’s anything that any of you would like to see me attempt, let me know! I’m always up for a challenge.

Happy cooking!

Danielle

I designed this blog to be specifically for cooking. However, my mind is full and I have a few things that I’ve been wondering.

I miscarried a baby in November, and this unfortunate event led me to a community online on facebook of other mothers who have experienced pregnancy loss, still birth or infant death. I often look at all of these grieving mothers, I wonder “Why?”. Why us? Why do people who want their children, who pray and delight in their children have them taken away when everyday thousands of women make the conscious decision to end their unborn child’s life? Why are so many unloved children born to crack whores who can’t provide for them? Why are so many precious children born to teenage mothers into broken homes where they don’t know love at all? When my husband and I have a stable, happy loving home, why am I not getting ready to welcome my child into the world?

As I help a good friend of mine observe her daughter’s angelversary, I think more and more about it.

I try so hard not to be a bitter person. I try to keep things in perspective and rationalize why this has happened to us. I realize that I don’t have the answer, and trying to find one is futile…but that doesn’t stop me from wondering. And getting angry. And then getting completely heart broken.

Because the truth is that everyday I walk around with a huge chunk of my heart missing. I don’t think I’ll ever feel completely whole again.

And it’s only made worse when people ask if I have kids. I want  to say “One in heaven”, but I don’t want to seem melodramatic or like I’m looking for people’s sympathy. I  just want people to acknowledge that he or she was here, even if it was for a little while. My child didn’t impact anyone’s life but my own. But I honestly don’t know how to answer that question. For now I say, “None, we’re waiting until I’m done with school.” It’s not completely true but not completely false. But it’s always hard for me.

I’ll never have closure. I’ll always look around at Christmas or Thanksgiving and wonder what it would be like if my child were here. My child’s will never impact anyone’s life and I’ll always have to wonder how  people would have  loved him or her…what he or she looked like…the person that he or she would grow up to be.

I’m left to wonder like so many other people I’ve met are. So, if you have children, next time they are around, whether they are all grown up or teeny tiny, whether they are sleeping like angels or tearing up your house like little devils, make sure that you thank God for every moment you have with them. Cherish them and love them. Because many people are not able to do that tonight.

I hope to have a recipe related entry for you in the next week or so. Keep your eyes peeled. And, seriously, kiss your babies.

My grandma has one recipe that I have a handle on about 99.9% of the time. It is my go-to, and the meal that I’m requested to make whenever I cook dinner for my brother or dad. That, ladies and gents is meatloaf.

It seems like in TV shows and movies, there’s always that brat kid that sees dinner, looks at his mom, and whines “Meatloaf, again?”. This is NOT that kind of meatloaf. It’s the best recipe EVER. Now, I’m usually pretty open with my recipes, but this is an exception. You have to be family for this one. It’s that good, that I will not share this one. After all, a girl has to have her secrets…

I love making meatloaf. It’s a fun dish to make, because you get to mix it with your hands. This is one of those dishes which you have constantly have to wash your hands, as they come into direct contact with raw meat.

The strawberry cake that I made yesterday is a cake that my grandma used to make all the time before she passed. It’s pink, which is why I like it so much, and it’s soooo good.

I bought fresh strawberries from the Farmer’s Market on Tuesday, and I let them sit in the fridge for a few days. This ensured that all strawberries would be ripe by the time I put them into the cake. It was the first time I made this cake, so I learned some very valuable lessons.

1. Use matching cake pans. I didn’t realize that one of the cake pans I used was deeper than the other, so the cakes weren’t the same height, nor were they the same circumference.

2. ALWAYS sift the powdered sugar for frosting. I did not and I had chunks of powdered sugar in the frosting, so my frosting was lumpy and not at all pretty

3. I think next time, I will use both frozen AND fresh strawberries. The beauty of frozen strawberries is that they are already cut and hulled, so it saves prep time. Also, they tend to break apart easier, giving you a smoother frosting. Next time, I think that I’ll use fresh strawberries in the cake and between the layers, but I will use frozen strawberries for the frosting.

4. This is a tip for cake decorating in general. The frosting called for melted butter, so I put the frosting on the cake right after I poured the melted butter into the frosting. HUGE MISTAKE. The frosting melted, causing my cake to become an ugly, Dali-like version of a cake. Most of the frosting melted off the sides and onto the plate. So, next time, I will allow myself more time for the frosting, or I will make it while the cakes are cooling and I’ll pop it into the fridge to make it thicker and not so runny.

Other than the cake looking like a pink monstrosity, it was pretty good…as far as I know. I was told that it tasted like Grandma’s so that’s the highest compliment I can hope for.

In a mixing bowl, mix a box of white or yellow cake mix with a box of strawberry Jello, flour, 4 eggs and 1/2 of a 10 oz. package of strawberries. (That’s five ounces for those of you keeping score at home). I opted to use the white cake mix, although I bought both. I’m thinking of using the yellow cake mix for snickerdoodles for the neighbors across the street that have been so kind to me. :) Like I said, I cut and hulled a small basket of strawberries, but a small basket is all you really need if you opt to make the batter with fresh strawberries. The strawberry flavor comes mostly from the Jello, so the fresh strawberries are more of an added surprise than for flavor. I think that it’s nice to use fresh ingredients when they’re in season. If I had made this cake in the winter, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to buy fresh strawberries, because, let’s face it - strawberries have the worst shelf life. Just like avocados. You buy them one day and they aren’t ripe enough and you go to eat them the next day and they are mushy. In the winter, the strawberries in this region are probably imported from Mexico. I would much rather eat something that I know is local. It just tastes better.

Wow that tangent went longer than I hoped it would. So anyhow, mix until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into two cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Make sure they pass the toothpick or knife test before they come out. When they are done, place them on a cooling rack for a few hours and let them cool completely before frosting.

Here’s where the recipe that I have gets tricky. The frosting calls for a package of powdered sugar, but it doesn’t specify HOW big a package. I’m not sure if powdered sugar was only sold in one size when my grandma got the recipe, but I had about a pound of powdered sugar, so that’s what I used. It also calls for a cube of butter, which I’ve figured out means a stick…so about 1/2 a cup. I ended up using a stick and a half of butter because the frosting was way too lumpy. But, again, that could’ve been avoided if I had sifted it (See mistake 2 above). Add the strawberries. The strawberries give it a pretty pink color. Like I said, I think next time I’ll make the frosting with frozen strawberries and then toss fresh strawberries with a little granulated sugar to bring out the juices and place that in the middle of the cake between layers. Make sure to set the frosting aside to cool, or else the frosting will melt much like if you try to put frosting on a warm cake.

So, lessons learned. Cooking and baking is all about trial and error. Unfortunately, some people have to eat the errors, and that’s never good. Presentation is just as important when serving food as making sure the flavors are right together, and hopefully the next cake I make will be as beautiful as the cakes that my grandma used to make.

I’m hearing that I’m getting some readers now. Please don’t hesitate to share my blog with a friend, and please let me know if you’ve tried a recipe I’ve posted. If you’ve tried anything different, let me know! I’d especially like to hear if anyone has changed the flavor by using a different berry and jello. I was thinking of how good it would be to try a raspberry cake with the same recipe, but using raspberry Jello and frozen raspberries instead.

I hope you all enjoyed your Father’s Days. I’m looking forward to writing another entry soon.

Happy cooking!

PS: Made spring rolls for the first time by myself on Friday. As this is a blog dedicated to my grandma’s cookbook, I didn’t post anything about them. But, if you are interested, I’ll post an entry about it.

PPS: They were super good.

PPS: DON’T use the recipe for peanut sauce on whatscooking.net. They tell you to use 1/2 cup of soy sauce and 1 cup of peanut butter and it was DISGUSTING. There was no going back and making it better. I think it was supposed to be 1/2 Tablespoon, not 1/2 cup. It tasted like peanut butter and soy sauce. Horrible. You couldn’t taste the chili or garlic or vinegar or anything.

Strawberry Cake

1 package of yellow or white cake mix ( I recommend white)

1 small package of strawberry Jello

3 T. water

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 of a 10 oz package of frozen strawberries

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.

Icing

1 package powdered sugar (I used a pound)

1 cube melted butted

other half of frozen stawberries

Beat together in mixer and spread on cooled cake.

If there’s one thing that I remember fondly of my grandma, it was making deviled eggs and potato salad. In fact, I think that deviled eggs were the first thing that I was allowed to help make, besides pumpkin pie.

So, when I was invited to a BBQ by my friend, Ri, I knew that I had to make my grandma’s potato salad.

It’s not a secret recipe or anything, in fact, I think that my grandma got it off of a mayonnaise jar. So, I’m happy to share it with you :)

The recipe calls for 2 pounds of potatoes, and I usually use the regular ones, but I bought organic Yukon Golds, which is really pretty with the yellow from the mustard. I peeled the potatoes and put them on to boil. I did the same with the eggs. The recipe calls for two, but I really like eggs (and what is a deviled egg potato salad without eggs?) so I boiled three.

I moved into a new place and the stove top gets really hot really fast, so I thought that the eggs were done so I took them off earlier than usual. Big mistake, the yolks were not fluffy, they were a little undercooked. The nice thing about putting them in a salad is that you can’t really see it. I usually overcook my potatoes and so I cooked them whole and they seem to be soft with just a little crunch. So they are cooked perfectly.

Once I drained and cut up the potatoes and eggs, I started the mustard/mayo mix. I like making the “sauce” before adding the big chunks of potato and egg. That way, everything gets an even coating.

Mix the mustard, mayo, cider vinegar, celery, sugar, onions, and salt together. I made a few substitutions. Instead of cider vinegar, I used distilled white vinegar. I don’t really think it adds anything new, but I was out of cider vinegar. I like cider vinegar much much better. Also, I left out the onions, because my grandma rarely put them in hers. My dad is a picky eater, like I’ve probably mentioned before, and one of the things he doesn’t like is onions.

Which is surprising. My dad has been a lot of places and I’ve seen him eat a lot of interesting things over the years. I remember a time when we went to a basque restaurant in Bakersfield, I think, and a cow tongue was placed before me. I was disgusted, it still had the taste buds on it and I couldn’t bring myself to even try it. My dad stabbed it with a fork and inhaled it. He’s also eaten interesting things like sheep’s brain in Kazakhstan. So, in light of that, I don’t understand how he can’t eat peas or onions…but I digress.

I added a few other spices. I added celery salt and onion powder. I think it needs pepper, but I can’t find my pepper grinder anywhere (I’m still unpacking). I added a little more salt to counteract the sugar. Instead of sugar, I should have added sweet relish. Crap. Too late. There’s nothing than I hate more than overly sweet potato salad. Except for overly BLAND potato salad. Well, anyhow, I tossed the potato and eggs in the wet ingredients, and set it to chill in the fridge. Now I’m contemplating adding relish. Or pickles. Something for crunch besides the celery.

Here’s the recipe to play with. Make changes to it, and let me know what you did differently…if anyone’s out there….

Deviled Potato Salad

1/3 cup yellow mustard

1/2 cup mayo

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped celery (I found it was about 2 stalks)

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 lbs potatoes, peeled, cooked and cut into 1/2 in. pieces

2 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

I ended up coming home early…I will NOT subject myself to step areobics.

However, I stuck it in the oven when I get home after I poured butter on it.

It smelled amazing, and it tasted even better. By the way, there’s no need to butter the bottom, because it comes out perfectly. I do suggest letting it sit for a little while though, or you will have a delicious mess of potatoes and meatloaf…actually, eat it instantly, there is nothing wrong with a delicious mess of potatoes and meatloaf.

And putting butter on the bottom isn’t a bad idea…it probably will make it taste better. I’ll need to spend a few more minutes on the ellipical tomorrow, though.

Danielle

Well, last night we had meatloaf and potatoes for dinner. The meatloaf was out of my grandma’s cookbook, but I figured that I had made it so many times that it wasn’t worth posting. Plus, I wouldn’t share the recipe with the huge amounts of people reading…which is, like, nobody.

But I feel comfortable sharing this recipe with the world wide web, because it was once published in a newspaper.

Sheperd’s pie is nothing more than meat and mashed potatoes, and some other seasonings and possibly some gravy, baked until the mashed potatoes form a crispy crust of starchy goodness.

And to be honest, I don’t remember ever having it when I went over to visit my grandma. Or ever, for that matter. So I am a sheperd’s pie virgin.

 This is the first recipe from the casserole section that I’ve tackled on this blog. Casseroles are a wonderful way to use leftovers. I mean, you can only do meatloaf sandwiches so many times before it gets old. And I don’t know what it is about mashed potatoes, but I don’t like them cold. I don’t like cold french fries either, but that is a story for another day.

My plan is to make this casserole, cover it, and have my darling husband put it in the oven when he gets home from the gym because I will be going to work out at 6 tonight. And everyone knows that it’s dangerous (and stupid) to leave things baking in the oven when you are not home.  

So here’s the recipe:

6 cups mashed potatoes

2 cups cooked leftover meat (this can be pork, lamb or beef, chopped, but preferably, ground)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried marjoram

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried sage

(2 tsp of poultry seasoning may be substituted for the 4 seasonings above)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garlic salt

2-4 TBS. Gravy (if needed)

3 TBS melted butter

According to the article, start by buttering a medium sized casserole dish. I imagine that you could PAM it, but butter tastes so much better than oil.

Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with half of the mashed potatoes and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine meat with chopped onion, eggs and seasonings. If necessary, moisten with 2-4 tablespoons of gravy (mmmm).

Spread evenly over mashed potatoes in casserole.

Spread remaining mashed potatoes over meat mixture, completely covering inner filling.

Brush melted butter over potato crust.

Place casserole uncovered in a cold oven.

Turn heat to 350 degrees.

Bake until puffed and golden on top - about 1 to 1 1/4 hours…or for those of you who don’t understand fractions, that’s an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.

Now to start assembling the casserole.

I don’t know if I have 6 cups of mashed taters, so I ended up using a smaller casserole dish, and evened it all out with my hands. Then, I crumbled the left over meatloaf into a medium sized bowl and added 1/2 tsp. of marjoram, oregano, and thyme. Since I don’t have sage, I added 1/2 tsp of parsley. Even though I put onions in the meatloaf last night, my hubby and I are huge onion fans…so the more the better. I chopped up the remaining onion from last night and added it to the meat. I cracked the eggs into the meat mixture, instead of beating them first.

I put the meat mixture on top of the mashed potatoes, and then, with the remaining mashed potatoes, I spread them evenly over the meat. Cold mashed potatoes aren’t the easiest medium to work with, but a spatula worked nicely to help me smooth it out.

I covered the sheperd’s pie and put it in the fridge, and will instruct my husband to pour the melted butter on the top before he puts it in the oven to bake.

I’ll write later after I’ve tried it for myself.

If anyone’s out there and tried this recipe for themselves and changed it a little to suit themselves, post a reply and let me know.

Happy cooking!