Detroit transplants living in Dallas

Tag: cheap meal

Super Awesome Shepherd’s Pie

It’s cold in the Ferndizzy, ball chillingly cold, so I made C some nice winter comfort food – Shepherd’s Pie modified from a Rachael Ray recipe. Enjoy!

Shepherd's PieIngredients
* 2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
* 2 tablespoons sour cream
* 1 large egg yolk
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
* 1 3/4 pounds ground turkey
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
* 1/2 cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls
* 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and broth. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan, season meat with salt and pepper, and brown and crumble meat for 5 minutes. Add chopped onion to the meat and continue cooking another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

Hey Look, What’s This?

It has been a while since I’ve posted… sorry. Lots of strange and borderline exciting things have been happening (OMG House is back on!!) and as a result blogging hasn’t exactly been at the top of my list of things to do.

Still, most of you don’t give a shit about that, so here’s some food.

Greek Pasta with Tomatoes and Black Beans
-or-
$7 For 2 Dinners For 2 People
-OR-
A Modern Take on Frugalism for a Modern Economic Crisis

Serves: 4
Prep. Time: 10 Minutes, Cooking Time: 15 Minutes, Total Time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients:
2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes or Del Monte Stewed Tomatoes, Italian
1 (15 oz) can Bush’s black beans, rinsed and drained
10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped
8 ounces Barilla penne pasta, cooked
1/2 cup Athenos reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese (we substituted Mozzarella because of C’s aversion to icky Goats)

Directions:
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and beans in a large non-stick skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add spinach to the sauce; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with feta.

Fiesta Fry Pan Dinner

Pulled some ground turkey out of the freezer & combined $5 worth of stuff I didn’t have on hand to make this awesome 1-pan dinner!*

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 chopped onion
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

In a skillet, cook turkey and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary.
Stir in taco seasoning, water, zucchini, tomatoes and corn; bring to a boil.
Add rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with cheese, cover, and let stand until the cheese is melted.

*Brought to you by allrecipes.com & their nifty ingredients search engine

Let’s talk about food…

Amazing goulash…

1/2 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/3-ish pounds ground sirloin
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
Fresh ground Black pepper & Salt
1 cup beef stock
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped dill (or more!)

Bring a pot of water to boil for pasta. When it comes to a boil, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook pasta 12 minutes (package time) to al dente.

While water comes to a boil and pasta cooks, heat a deep skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil then ground meat. Break up meat and crumble for a few minutes. Add garlic, onions, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and seasonings to the beef. Cook a few more minutes then add beef stock and sour cream to the pan. Bring to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Add cooked pasta and stir. Let pasta absorb some sauce, a minute or so. Adjust seasonings and serve. Garnish the prepared dish with chopped parsley, and..

PREPARE FOR FOOD COMA.

Not only does this make a metric crap-ton, but it tastes amazing.