Easy Shepherds Pie

This is one of those easy meals that can be made with a lot of variety and little fuss.

Easy Shepherds Pie

Choose what kind of meat you want to use.  If it is uncooked, you will need cook it until almost done,  With chicken, you will want to cut into smaller pieces and if it is ground beef, just chop it up as you brown it. If you use stew meat, cook it until it is almost done.  Season your meat with salt and pepper.  You can even used canned meat, including ham.

Next, add vegetables.  If you are browning or cooking meat, you can add celery or onions with the meat when it is almost done.  Add either canned or frozen vegetables after they are mostly cooked and heat through.  You can also add different spices such as: basil, garlic, parsley, season all, cumin, sage or any others that you want to try.  Add a can of cream of mushroom soup or make a white gravy using the following recipe:

       White Gravy
        1/4 cup flour
        1 Tablespoon Butter
        1 cup milk
       In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Sprinkle the flour over the top and quickly stir with a fork or a whisk. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly, until it is well blended.  Heat until bubbly.  Add a little more milk or water if it is too thick.

After you have stirred the meat, vegetables and sauce together, put in the bottom of a pan that can go in the oven.

You can make the topping by either putting refrigerated crescent rolls, biscuits or make your homemade biscuits.

        Homemade Biscuits
         1/3 cup shortening or butter, softened
         2 cups flour
         1 Tablespoon baking powder
         1 teaspoon salt
         1 Tablespoon sugar
         About 3/4 cup cold milk

         Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl.  Add the shortening or butter and mix it with a fork or knife, until it is crumbly.  Slowly add most of the milk and mix until it is no longer sticky.  Either add more milk or more flour, a little at a time.  You want it soft, but not sticking to your fingers.  Knead it on a lightly floured surface for a minute or two.  Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Roll out the biscuit dough until it is the shape of the pan you are using.  Don't have it more than 1/2 inch thick or it will not cook when the top is done.  Put on top of the hot meat and vegetable mixture.  Bake in a 350 oven for 12-15 minutes (Until the top is golden).

Yummy Mustard Chicken Thighs

I have been working on ways to prepare chicken without breading it, to keep the calories down.  This one tasted so yummy, I decided to put it on the blog.  I used chicken thighs, but I am sure you could use chicken breasts or tenders and still be good.

Place 4 or 5 boneless chicken thighs in a plastic zip lock bag.

Add to the bag:
        1/2 teaspoon salt
        1/2 teaspoon Seasonal Salt
        1 teaspoon olive oil
        1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
        1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

Mix it around in the bag until all the pieces have been coated well.  Let them sit in the bag for 15-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Dump the chicken and all the sauce in an open baking dish.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Chicken (or Turkey) a la King

As requested, here is an old stand-by of mine for leftover chicken or turkey.

Chicken - You can use either fresh chicken or leftover.  If you use fresh chicken, cut it in bite size pieces and cook in Olive oil, stirring to lightly brown it.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Then add the vegetables and saute for a few minutes until they are the right crispness.

If you are using left over chicken, start by sauteing the vegetables and wait to add the chicken when the vegetables are almost cooked.

Vegetables = You can use a variety of vegetables.  If you are pressed for time, you can use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and just add them to the cooked fresh chicken or cook in some water and then add to the chicken.

Vegetables I like to use: Celery, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas, carrots, corn, onion.

After you have the chicken and vegetables together, add a can of cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, garlic salt, parsley, (basil is also a good flavor) and salt and pepper to taste.  Heat it all together and serve over noodles or rice.

Dijon Chicken

This is a chicken dish I created for a quick dinner one night.  I was trying to think of a way to prepare chicken without breading and this came into my mind.  After rave reviews, I think it is a keeper!

Dijon Chicken

3 pounds chicken tenders (about that)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons chives
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon McCormick Herb Garden spice mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place the chicken in a bowl.  Mix all the other ingredients with a wire whisk in another small bowl.  Pour this over the chicken and either stir with a spoon or mix with your hands if you don't mind the feel of the raw chicken.  Place it all in a "zip-lock" bag and refrigerate for at least one hour.  Place in a baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350º F.