Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie

Part 2 of the 2 Dish Dinner

 

 

Crumble the reserved savory meatloaf into a 2 quart casserole dish.  Top with the reserved gravy.  Layer on 1 drained can of corn on top.  Spread 1 Cup of mashed potatoes on the top.  Sprinkle with 1 Cup of cheese.  Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Makes 4 servings.

 

 

 

Savory Meat Loaf

Savory Meat Loaf

Part 1 of a 2 Dish Dinner

 

 

I don't think this picture really does this meatloaf justice.  It doesn't really look delicious in the picture, but it is delicious when you eat it.  This recipe came from a Gooseberry Christmas recipe book I have.  It is supposed to be a part of a 2 dish dinner where you eat half of the meatloaf and then reserve the other half for a Shepherd's Pie.  I've found that if I want to make a 2 dish dinner out of this for my family then I need to double the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

1 Kilo ground beef

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 Cup breadcrumbs

1 egg beaten.

1 1/2 Cups brown gravy (I use 1 batch of this brown gravy)

 

 

Mix all ingredients except the gravy together in a medium sized bowl.  Pour the meat mixture into a loaf pan.  Reserve half the gravy for the Shepherd's pie.  Pour the other half of the gravy over the meatloaf.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Eat half of the meatloaf and save the other half for the Shepherd's Pie.

 

 

 

 

 

Brown Gravy

Brown Gravy

 

Rub a sauce pan with 1 clove of garlic.  Melt 4 Tablespoons of butter.  Stir in 4 Tablespoons of flour.  Stir in 2 Cups of water and 1 1/2 beef bouillon cubes.  Add 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. 

 

This gravy is good on meatloaf , mashed potatoes, etc. 

 

Banana Cake

Banana Cake

 

Ingredients:

 

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 1/2 Cups mashed bananas

3 Cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (high altitude - 3/4 teaspoon baking soda)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 Cup Softened Butter

2 1/8 Cups White Sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk (or 1 1/2 Cups Milk mixed with 1 1/2 Tablespoons of vinegar)

 

 

Icing:

1/2 cup of butter softened

1 box of cow cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

 

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com .  It takes a bit of time to prepare this cake, but it is well worth the time!  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish.  In a small bowl, mix the mashed bananas with lemon juice and set aside.  In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside. 

 

In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup of butter and 2 1/8 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons of vanilla.  Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Stir in the banana mixture.  Pour batter into the pan & bake for 1 hour (mine took about 1 hour and 20 minutes) until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove the pan and place in the freezer for 45 minutes.  This will make the cake moist.  If you don't have freezer space, you can let it cool on the counter.

 

This is the cake just after it came out of the oven:

 

 

Mix the frosting in a large bowl.  Cream 1/2 Cup of butter and the cow cheese until it is smooth. This is what we call cow cheese.  You will use the entire box of cow cheese in this recipe.

 

 

 Beat in 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until it is combined & then high speed until the frosting is smooth.  Spread on the cooled cake.

 

 

Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

 

 

Hot Chocolate !!  This is one of my favorite parts of rainy season.  Cool nights, sitting around in the evening drinking a cup of hot chocolate.  I love this recipe! It is an Alton Brown recipe from Good Eats.  You can make a big batch of dry hot chocolate and then use it whenever you want. 

 

2 Cups of Powdered Sugar

1 Cup Cocoa

2 1/2 Cups Powdered Milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

 

Mix together real well and then store in an air tight container.

 

Fill a coffee mug half full with the mix and then add boiling water.  Enjoy!!