Shepard's Pie

Ingredients:

for potatoes
  • 2.5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
  • .5 cup sour cream
  • 1 stick butter
  • 6 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/3 - 1/5 cup half n half
  • lemon pepper to taste
  • salt & pepper to taste

for the meat filling
  • oil
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 TB flour (leave out for those GF folks)
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
  • 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
  • 3 carrots
  • 1/2 bag frozen peas
  • 1/2 bag frozen corn
  • salt & pepper to taste

Cut the potatoes into ~1/2 in slices — (don't bother peeling if they're yukon gold - do peel if you use russets). Boil 'til they're easy to pierce with a fork, but not falling apart (10-15 min). In the meantime, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook until the sharpness has mellowed (1-2 minutes).

Once the potatoes are done, drain all of the water, then add the butter & garlic mixture, sour cream, and mash the shit out of 'em. Add salt & pepper to taste. Add half and half until you have a smoothy, creamy texture. 

Preheat the oven to 400.

While potatoes are cooking prep the meat. Saute onion & carrots over medium heat until they start to soften, 3-4 min. Add garlic. Add the meat, salt, and pepper and cook until browned. Sprinkle meat with the flour and toss to coat. Continue cooking another minute, then tomato paste, broth, worcestershire, herbs, and stir. Bring the mix to a boil, the reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the sauce has thickened a little and some of the liquid has been cooked off.

Mix in the corn and peas, then spoon the mixture into a lasagna pan. Top it all with mashed potatoes, creating a seal around the edges so the mixture doesn't bubble up and over. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes start to brown. Let it all cool for 15 min before serving.


The World's Best Cookie™

This is the recipe as it was passed down to me by Guntis. It's too adorable to clean up.

-----

Hahaha Hello,

I am beginning to think that maybe I should keep the recipe a secret, but truth be told I got it off a piece of junk mail about 10 years ago, and I have to agree they are the best damned cookies :^D Plus I have already given out the recipe to some other friends, my salsa recipe on the other hand is my own original and off limits - you can ask Robert about it ;^) In any case, with no further ado... (or is it adue?)

you will need:
  • 1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs. Can buy these in a box already crumbed, don't have to make them yourself - usually either in the baking aisle or in the aisle where the jello is.
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour.
  • 2 teaspoons baking "powder" [not baking "soda"
  • 1 - 14oz can "sweetened condensed" milk [not "evaporated" milk]
  • 1/2 cup [1-stick] butter
  • 1 cup flaked coconut (or just a good handful)
  • 1 - 12oz [standard size] bag semi-sweet choc-chips-
  • 1 cup nuts (walnut, pecan, macadamia etc)whatever you like best, I prefer pecans or macadami's myself or both hehe.
  • (seriously) sturdy wooden spoon and strong forearm
  • (10) Reynolds "RELEASE" aluminum foil (see notes below)
  • (11) Glass of milk (maybe 2 or 3)

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour and baking powder in large bowl - mix well with whisk or fork, try to get out any large flour lumps (don't worry about the smaller ones)

Melt the butter in the microwave approx 45-60 seconds until liquid. Add the condensed milk to the butter and stir them together. Combine the butter/milk mixture with the flour mix until well coated then add in the nuts and coconut mix a few times then add the choc chips in last - will be thick use sturdy wooden spoon with strong forearm. You want to add the choc chips last so the melted butter doesn't start to make the chips melt.

Spoon onto cookie sheet about 1/2 to 2/3 the size of a golf ball - I highly recommend using a peice of Reynolds "RELEASE" non- stick foil to cover the cookie sheet with, then the cookies come off easily. I also recommend baking one cookie at a time until you get the time/temp range just right. The recipe calls for 375 degrees for 9-10 min, this is probably for a standard full size oven, as that I have a smaller oven its 325 degrees for 9 mins. They should still be just a little bit wet in the middle when you pull them, they will continue to cook as they cool and this will keep the bottoms from burning.

Try to let cool at least 10 mins or they will fall apart on you. (I pop a plateful in the freezer)

Makes approx 24-30 cookies. Will make 3 dozen if you make them a bit smaller, but who wants to do that? >8^D

Enjoy with glass of milk.

Junko’s Russian Tea Cookies

Junko’s Russian Tea Cookies

If doubling, throw in 2 egg yolks (or 1 whole egg)

Ingredients:
½ cup butter
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 egg yolk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cup flour
½ cup chopped nuts (very finely chopped)

Directions:
Mix everything with hands. Add chopped nuts (optional), mix.
Roll into tiny balls. ~¾” diameter

Bake at 350˚ for ~15 minutes

Cool for a little while, then toss in a container of powdered sugar until well coated — yum!

Duck, according to Sonya

You have the duck breast, and you score the side with the fat on it
and then season — I usually use salt and pepper and rosemary, or salt and pepper and thyme, or whatever

Then you cook it fat-side down over pretty low heat
You can use oil but I used butter, cuz yum. And basically wait til the fat gets pretty melty — like maybe 15-20 mins. Longer than a steak, but also pretty low heat.
Then flip it and do like 6 mins

Ta da!

Then once you make the duck you have a bunch of fat to roast other stuff in
I poured it over some carrots and roasted them in the oven

Potatoes are better than carrots, but what can you do