Shepherd's Pie

I had never even heard of Shepherd's Pie before I married into the Dean family. I will be honest, it wasn't something I wanted to make very often. I'm not really a big fan of ground hamburger as the main component of any meal. That's just me. I know lot's of people like it, especially my husband. Since Jacob happens to love Shepherd's pie I attempted to turn an old favorite into a new favorite for the whole family, with a few additions of my own. It was a hit! So, I've been making it this way since that day in 2007. Not that much different...but really, really good.

Shepherd's Pie Re-vamped
Feeds 6

4-5 medium sized potatoes
1 tbsp butter
about 1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste
1lb ground turkey
1 small yellow or white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp canola oil
1 can stewed tomatoes, cut into smaller pieces
1/4 cup ketchup
2 beef bullion cubes
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 c water
1/4-1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2-1 tsp black pepper
a few shakes of seasoned salt or to taste (we use Johnny's)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
frozen vegetables of your choice, I prefer green beans, carrots, and sometimes peas
1/2 cup cheese, I use whatever I have

Pressure cook, boil, or bake your potatoes until they are soft enough to mash. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook over medium heat until soft, add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add ground turkey and brown. Sprinkle flour over the browned meat. Add bouillon cubes and water, tomatoes, and ketchup, white and black pepper, oregano, seasoned salt, and worcestershire sauce. Bring it all to a simmer. Add more water or spices until desired sauciness and flavor are reached. Mash or whip the potatoes with a mixer (we like them whipped) with the butter, milk, pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Add more milk and butter to taste. Pour turkey mixture into a square or round pan. Spread frozen veggies over turkey. Smooth potatoes over veggies, and sprinkle cheese. Bake in oven at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese is melted. This will only take about 15-30 minutes if your pie is still warm from the stove. You can also refrigerate the pie unbaked for up to 2 days and then bake with foil on top for about an hour. Take foil off for the last 10 minutes.

Shh! We're eating Chicken Enchiladas

Rain

+

Enchiladas

=

Peace and Quiet

My Favorite thing about this recipe is that we made enough for almost 40 people in one hour. And, the kids were finally quiet for a moment on a long rainy day spent indoors.

Here's what you need for one 9x13 pan:

about 3 chicken breasts (more or less if you like)

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can diced tomatoes with green chili's

1 chopped small onion

12 smaller-ish flour tortillas

2 8oz cans green enchilada sauce (we used mild)

about 8 oz. shredded mexican blend cheese (Jacob would add much more)

the juice of one lime

Seasoned salt

chili powder

cumin

paprika

garlic powder

• Cook chicken and shred. (We cooked it mamma dean style in the pressure cooker. It's also really good cooked in the slow cooker with the tomatoes for 4-6 hours.)
  
• Place shredded chicken in saucepan with beans, onions, lime juice and tomatoes. Begin adding spices to taste. About 2 Tbsp Chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, a couple pinches salt.
  
• Pour about 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of the pan.
• Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and a few pinches of cheese. Roll up  and place seam side down in the sauce. 
• Cover with sauce and sprinkle cheese (liberally if you're a true Dean)
• Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Enjoy!