Cooking Together With Friends
  • Home
    • Diane & Jerry's Socially Distanced Thanksgiving
    • A Gregory Virtual Food Event
    • The Joy of Meals with Friends
    • The "Best Ever" Dinner Party!
    • Structuring the Evening
    • Expeimenting with new recipes
    • Fat Tuscan - Cooking Class
    • A New Style Church Dinner
    • Camp Cooking
    • Sushi Feast
  • The Young Cook
    • Willow >
      • Easy Graham Crust Cheesecake
      • Pesto Bruschetta
    • Ryan - A Talented Cook >
      • Ryan's Menu
      • Sausage and Potatoes, Onions, and Peppers
      • Lemon Bars
    • Veronica
  • Menus
    • Menu #1 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 1
      • Warm Spinach Salad
      • Pasta alla Puttanesca
      • Peach and Blueberry Crisp
    • Menu #2 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 2
      • Risotto with Peas
      • Chicken Saltimbocca
      • Tiramisu
    • Menu #3 >
      • Shopping list - Menu 3
      • Broccoli & Squash Soup
      • Salmon en Papillote
      • Creamy Brandied Cherries
    • Menu #4 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 4
      • Salad with Greens and Stawberries
      • Paella
      • Pineapple Coconut Crumble
    • Menu #5 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 5
      • Citrus Avocado Lettuce Salad
      • Shrimp with Feta Cheese and Orzo
      • Pears with Raspberry Sauce
    • Menu #6 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 6
      • Fennel and Orange Salad
      • Moroccan Turkey Stew
      • Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
    • Menu #7 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 7
      • Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad
      • Chicken with Goat Cheese
      • DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
    • Menu # 8 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 9
      • Green Salad with Roasted Pears and Blue Cheese
      • Orange-Raisin Chicken with Toasted Cashews
      • Nutty Brownies
    • Menu # 9 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 9
      • Green Waldorf Salad
      • Baked Fish with Ripe Olives and Feta
      • Chocolate-Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
    • Menu #10 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 10
      • Squash Mushroom Soup
      • Quinoa Salad
      • Banana Strawberry Frozen Dessert
  • Recipes
    • Salads >
      • Green Salad with Roasted Pears and Blue Cheese
      • Salad with Greens and Stawberries
      • Warm Spinach Salad
      • Fruit and Nut Tabouli
      • Hurricane Salade Niçoise
      • Fennel and Orange Salad
      • Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad
      • Green Waldorf Salad
    • Vegetables, Legumes, & Potatoes >
      • Les Trois Pommes
      • Pasta Primavera
      • Brandied Winter Squash
      • Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese
      • The Best Sweet Potaoto Wedges
      • Sweet Potato Salad
      • Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito
      • Cuban Black Beans
      • Sautéed Tofu with Broccoli in Chili-Orange Sauce
      • Willow's Tuna Cakes
      • Brussels Sprouts
      • Quinoa Primavera
      • Spinach, Mushrooms, and Red Peppers
    • Soup >
      • Squash & Mushroom Soup
      • Corn Chowder
      • Lemony Shrimp & Bean Soup
      • Turkey Mushroom Rice Soup
      • Pear & Carrot Soup
      • Lentil Soup
      • Hearty Vegetable Soup
      • Onion Soup
      • Avocado Cucumber Soup
    • Seafood >
      • Pasta alla Puttanesca
      • Sesame Stir-Fry Shrimp and Spinach
      • A Great Lobster Roll
      • Flavorful Shrimp
      • Fish with Lemon Garlic Sauce
    • Meat & Poultry >
      • Chicken, Apricots, Sweet Potatoes, & Prunes
      • Hurricane Chicken Salad
      • Sweet Potato, Turkey, & Peanut Stew
      • Shepherd's Pie >
        • Shopping List - Shepherds Pie
    • Impossible Quiche
    • Sweets & Breads >
      • Sun-Dried Tomato Cheese Bread
      • Ryan's Cranberry Sauce
      • Chocolate Prune Cake
      • Pear & Custard Dessert
      • Chocolate Yogurt Pavlova
      • Banana-Walnut Souffle >
        • Shopping list - Banana Souffle
      • Powerful Bran Muffins
      • Orange Walnut Torte
      • Nuts - 2 Ways
  • Blog
  • Your Ideas
    • Maureen & the Air Fryer
    • Ohan's Perfect Steak
    • Myra's Soups
    • Ron's Sweet Potato
    • Sallie's Quinoa Salad
    • Ron & Brenda's Puttanesca on Coucous
    • Julie's Crunchy Cheese Snack
Picture

Joyful Cooking

1/13/2019

3 Comments

 
Picture
The smell of comfort food coming out of the oven at dinnertime creates the anticipation of pleasure, but when the weather is chilly, or downright cold, this pleasurable anticipation is elevated to a whole new level.  But how do we make the act of creating this wonderful experience joyful?  We enlist someone or someones to cook with us; we can enlist children, spouses, or friends.    But what if they aren't as precise as we are - or, even worse, much more precise?  What if they use three pans instead of one?  It's important to focus on making the occasion joyful and also letting them understand they're involved in the clean up.  If we can make cooking a joyful experience for others, we will enjoy our cooking more and reap the benefits of great home cooked food.  The following is a favorite old standby in lots of homes.  This is a recipe for six that fits nicely in a 10.5 inch baking pan, but my mother used to make them in individual ramekins and put our initials in the mashed potatoes on top.  This is a great memory you can make together with family and friends.        

Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 pounds of lean ground beef
1 large white onion
​2 large carrots
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
6 oz of tomato paste
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
​ sauce

1 cup frozen baby peas
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds russet potatoes
4 Tablespoons of salted butter
1/2 cup milk
​8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces.
3. Add potatoes to large pot and cover with water and boil over high heat until potatoes are fork tender about 20 minutes.
4. While potatoes are boiling, dice the onions and carrots.
5. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions and carrots sauté about 2 minutes and add the meat and cook until the meat is brown.  
6. Add beef broth and bring to boil over medium-high heat stirring well, lower heat medium and stir in tomato paste and Worcestershire, stir well and mixture begins to thicken.
7. Add peas and corn, stirring until well combined.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste*, remove from heat and put in a baking dish.
9. Drain the potatoes well and add butter, milk, and HALF the cheese and mash until desired consistency and salt and pepper to taste*
10. Spread the potatoes over the meat and sprinkle the remaining half of the cheese on top of the potatoes.  Place dish on a baking sheet to catch any drippings.
11.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are golden brown. 
(* since in our house we add less salt than is common, 1/4 teaspoon usually works for us, but I do recommend you taste and add the salt and pepper by 1/4 teaspoons until it tastes good to you.)
#StoneSoupBlog  #comfortfood  #cookingtogether 
3 Comments
Sherry Grover
1/25/2019 08:11:34 pm

This looks delicious. I've always made Walties version. Brown ground beef with seasonings. Drain fat. Meanwhile, either boil or nuke potatoes to cooked but firm. Slice. Thin slice a bunch of onion, and open 2 to 3 cans of asst stewed tomatoes. Layer beef, onion, potato, tomatoe continuing until the casserole feels "heavy enough"😉 end with tomato and top with grated parm if desired but not neccessary. Because everything but onions are cooked it doesnt require a long bake. 375 maybe 20 to 30 mins.

Reply
tricia
1/28/2019 07:29:17 am

Thanks Sherry. It's great to see this variation of an old recipe. Hope to see some other variations on this blog.

Reply
Leah Zissimopulos
3/4/2019 02:10:30 pm

I LOVE shepherds pie! Thanks for sharing this recipe. :)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

       Tricia Gregory,               MA,RD/N

     A dietitian who is a foodie and loves a great dinner party with wonderful food and terrific friends.

    Archives

    September 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    October 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

  • Home
    • Diane & Jerry's Socially Distanced Thanksgiving
    • A Gregory Virtual Food Event
    • The Joy of Meals with Friends
    • The "Best Ever" Dinner Party!
    • Structuring the Evening
    • Expeimenting with new recipes
    • Fat Tuscan - Cooking Class
    • A New Style Church Dinner
    • Camp Cooking
    • Sushi Feast
  • The Young Cook
    • Willow >
      • Easy Graham Crust Cheesecake
      • Pesto Bruschetta
    • Ryan - A Talented Cook >
      • Ryan's Menu
      • Sausage and Potatoes, Onions, and Peppers
      • Lemon Bars
    • Veronica
  • Menus
    • Menu #1 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 1
      • Warm Spinach Salad
      • Pasta alla Puttanesca
      • Peach and Blueberry Crisp
    • Menu #2 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 2
      • Risotto with Peas
      • Chicken Saltimbocca
      • Tiramisu
    • Menu #3 >
      • Shopping list - Menu 3
      • Broccoli & Squash Soup
      • Salmon en Papillote
      • Creamy Brandied Cherries
    • Menu #4 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 4
      • Salad with Greens and Stawberries
      • Paella
      • Pineapple Coconut Crumble
    • Menu #5 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 5
      • Citrus Avocado Lettuce Salad
      • Shrimp with Feta Cheese and Orzo
      • Pears with Raspberry Sauce
    • Menu #6 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 6
      • Fennel and Orange Salad
      • Moroccan Turkey Stew
      • Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
    • Menu #7 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 7
      • Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad
      • Chicken with Goat Cheese
      • DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
    • Menu # 8 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 9
      • Green Salad with Roasted Pears and Blue Cheese
      • Orange-Raisin Chicken with Toasted Cashews
      • Nutty Brownies
    • Menu # 9 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 9
      • Green Waldorf Salad
      • Baked Fish with Ripe Olives and Feta
      • Chocolate-Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
    • Menu #10 >
      • Shopping List - Menu 10
      • Squash Mushroom Soup
      • Quinoa Salad
      • Banana Strawberry Frozen Dessert
  • Recipes
    • Salads >
      • Green Salad with Roasted Pears and Blue Cheese
      • Salad with Greens and Stawberries
      • Warm Spinach Salad
      • Fruit and Nut Tabouli
      • Hurricane Salade Niçoise
      • Fennel and Orange Salad
      • Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad
      • Green Waldorf Salad
    • Vegetables, Legumes, & Potatoes >
      • Les Trois Pommes
      • Pasta Primavera
      • Brandied Winter Squash
      • Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese
      • The Best Sweet Potaoto Wedges
      • Sweet Potato Salad
      • Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito
      • Cuban Black Beans
      • Sautéed Tofu with Broccoli in Chili-Orange Sauce
      • Willow's Tuna Cakes
      • Brussels Sprouts
      • Quinoa Primavera
      • Spinach, Mushrooms, and Red Peppers
    • Soup >
      • Squash & Mushroom Soup
      • Corn Chowder
      • Lemony Shrimp & Bean Soup
      • Turkey Mushroom Rice Soup
      • Pear & Carrot Soup
      • Lentil Soup
      • Hearty Vegetable Soup
      • Onion Soup
      • Avocado Cucumber Soup
    • Seafood >
      • Pasta alla Puttanesca
      • Sesame Stir-Fry Shrimp and Spinach
      • A Great Lobster Roll
      • Flavorful Shrimp
      • Fish with Lemon Garlic Sauce
    • Meat & Poultry >
      • Chicken, Apricots, Sweet Potatoes, & Prunes
      • Hurricane Chicken Salad
      • Sweet Potato, Turkey, & Peanut Stew
      • Shepherd's Pie >
        • Shopping List - Shepherds Pie
    • Impossible Quiche
    • Sweets & Breads >
      • Sun-Dried Tomato Cheese Bread
      • Ryan's Cranberry Sauce
      • Chocolate Prune Cake
      • Pear & Custard Dessert
      • Chocolate Yogurt Pavlova
      • Banana-Walnut Souffle >
        • Shopping list - Banana Souffle
      • Powerful Bran Muffins
      • Orange Walnut Torte
      • Nuts - 2 Ways
  • Blog
  • Your Ideas
    • Maureen & the Air Fryer
    • Ohan's Perfect Steak
    • Myra's Soups
    • Ron's Sweet Potato
    • Sallie's Quinoa Salad
    • Ron & Brenda's Puttanesca on Coucous
    • Julie's Crunchy Cheese Snack