Delightful Shepherd's Pie

I like Sheperd's Pie a lot but the one issue I have when I order it from restaurants is that there is so much oil oozing out of the meat.  Of course, part of it has to do with the fact that it's usually ground beef (although traditionally, I believe it's supposed to be lamb).  Topped with the mashed potatoes, it makes for a really heavy dish.  Most restaurants are pretty smart about serving Shepherd's Pie in reasonably small to normal portions.
So today, I give you a recipe for a slightly lighter Shepherd's Pie that can be modified to be even lighter if you wish!

Hit the jump for the recipe!

Creme Brulee Makes Everything Better

So here is the creme brulee recipe I promised.  Forgive me for the missing accent marks- I don't know how to type them in nor will I go out of my way to find out at this late hour.  Maybe in the future I'll update it with the corrections.  I took French in high school, so it does kind of bother me that the accents aren't there. -.-...

I came up with this recipe after reviewing several other recipes online.  Many, if not all, called for the use of a vanilla bean for flavoring.  I didn't really know where to get vanilla bean (can it be found in most grocery stores?) so I decided to go ahead and use vanilla extract.  =O...

Hit the jump for the madness!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Okay, so I'm not exactly Irish nor am I Catholic but seeing how the Boyfriend had the day off, we could not resist the opportunity to have our friends over to hang out.  We thought up a menu, I went shopping with one of my dear girlfriends, and prepped late Saturday night.  I had already painted my nails a festive green with gold sparkles and got dolled up Sunday afternoon before everyone showed up.
Now I am fat and happy, cleaned up, and ready to share the details of the night!

I know it's tradition to feast on corned beef and cabbage but the Boyfriend and I weren't feeling very keen about it.  I love raw cabbage but cooked cabbage I tolerate.  We decided to stay geographically close with cuisine so we settled on Scotch eggs with maple beer mustard and mashed potatoes.  I bought a salad bag the night before so we would have some fresh veggies to eat with the meal but the next day, I had forgotten about them.  -.-... The Boyfriend cooked some corn to add on the side instead.  After the meal, my friend asked, "What happened to the salad?"  =O....

In the end, everything was delicious and we finished our night with some delicious creme brulee!  Which, yes, may not be exactly Irish either BUT... it is a custard-y dessert and seemed like something they would eat.  xD Not exactly a light meal which is why I'll be eating that huge salad bag sitting in the fridge for the remainder of the week.  =X

Hit the jump for the recipes!

Baked Chicken and Creamed Spinach

It's definitely been a while since I've posted anything about food!  Actually, I was going through a real baking kick during the holidays but nothing really worth posting since I was using online recipes from Martha Stewart and allrecipes.com.  Since I was baking so much, I didn't really feel like cooking outside of simple things I could quickly throw together like Hamburger Helper or rice and side dishes.  I let the Boyfriend get creative and man, he made some DELICIOUS things like parmesan-crusted pork chops and creamy mashed potatoes.
Even though I'm feeling a little under the weather today, I somehow found the energy to whip up a little something.
Hit the jump for the recipes!

Summer Pasta Salad

I love summer but the heat and humidity can often mess with my appetite.  Sometimes I don't feel hungry when I should be and other times I am super picky about what I'm in the mood for.  Usually I want something refreshing which is fine if I'm craving sweet but a little more challenging if I need a savory taste.  The thought of having something hot or fried can make my stomach turn.
So this summer, I've revamped a pasta salad that my best friend and I used to make last year to satisfy our hunger and palate on those swampy days.

Baked Ziti

I remember when my mom used to make baked ziti for me and my sister when we were kids. It was nice that she diverted away from her comfort zone of Korean cuisine. I thought it was the best ziti in the world with the Prego tomato sauce and melty mozzarella. Even though my taste in tomato sauce has refined considerably (not that I frown upon canned sauces), I will always remain nostagic about the taste of my mother's ziti.
A few months ago, I started getting a real hankering for baked ziti. I was intimidated at first. It seemed like a lot of work, you know? Finally, I took the bull by th-e horns. I used the Food Network app on my phone to browse through various ziti recipes. I figured out the basics and bought my ingredients:
1. Ziti pasta is obviously the go-to but in a tight pinch I have used the twisty pasta as well... you know, the one that looks like an untapered screw.
2. Tomato sauce. I appreciate a good homemade sauce but I just don't have the time and energy to make one. I buy Hunt's tomato sauces a lot because it's so cheap and flavor it with herbs and spices to appeal to my palate better.
3. About a pound of ground turkey or whatever meat you like. You can skip the animal part altogether as well.
4. Onion. Extremely crucial. Adds a lot of flavor to the meat. Chop half up into a fine mince.
5. Shredded mozzarella. I usually buy part skim mozzarella since ziti is such a heavy and hearty meal. I supposed you can buy the whole mozzarella if you have time to grate it yourself.
6. Ricotta cheese. I also buy this part skim. I love that Sbarro's ziti has ricotta in it because it gives such a nice creamy taste and texture to the dish.

Hasty Dinner for Two

I had one of those "Oh snap!" moments today as I realized my roommate's daughter and I were going to be alone for the night and the dinner menu was up in the air. We wanted to go grocery shopping but my roomie really needed to pick up a shift for some extra moolah so that did not happen. So with an nearly empty fridge (mostly full of condiments, LoL), I rummaged through the cupboards for some quick inspiration.

I nearly whooped for joy when I found a can of tomato sauce. People, always buy these when they go on sale. Tomato sauce is so freakin' versatile and make any meal possible. Often, the deals are 4 for $5 or 10 for $10 (as they are this week and you betcha I will be taking advantage of that!).
I pulled out a box of linguini and put them together but still wasn't quite satisfied. You see, I am quite a carnivore. I really don't enjoy having a meal (ESPECIALLY, dinner) without some kind of meat whether it be fish, chicken, or beef. There was ground turkey and chicken breast in the freezer that was frozen solid but I also don't like defrosting raw meats in the microwave. It skeeves me out. xP

Lucky me, my roommate had bought a bag of pre-cooked frozen meatballs which are DELICIOUS by the way. Sounds crazy but honestly, I have had homemade meatballs from my AWESOME Italian friend's family so I know what it's like to have delicious meatballs and these babies meet my standards. These also go on sale quite often- some sort of two for one deal.

So my entree was set and I started to think of veggies. Yes I have to have veggies too. I take a balanced meal very seriously! I couldn't believe that I had forgotten about some leftover asparagus- actually I am not surprised- someone hid it in the cheese drawer. =T