Throw Together Scalloped Shepard's Pie

(It got dug in to before I could get a photo)

I had taken out hamburger meat and had no idea what I was going to do with it. So I got to looking around, had 1/2 a bag of frozen mixed veggies, beef broth, and scalloped potatoes I had frozen. So I thought, Casserole. 

One thing you will learn about me is some of my best dishes are ones Ive thrown together and just eye the measurements. My husband will agree, he's always saying how great my throw togethers are. 

I browned 1lb hamburger meat with 1/4 of an large onion and 1 clove of garlic. It was petty lean meat so no need to drain. Put in bottom of casserole dish. 

In same pan added 1.5 TBS butter, 1/2 can beef stock and whisked in 2 TBS flour to make a gravy. I then added the frozen veggie mix, salt and pepper to the pan and simmered for a few minutes to thaw and start the cooking of the veggies. 

I placed the thawed, blanched scalloped potatoes in 2 layers on top, poured about 1/4 cup of beef stock on top, topped with a little salt, pepper and Monterey Jack cheese and parsley. 

It turned out to be like Shepard's Pie and my dad, son and self enjoyed it!

Baked 350 for 20 min. Let stand for 8 min. to let sauce thicken and serve. Serves 4 

Easy to make! 

Veggie Tomato Sauce

This is a good one for those picky eaters! My 3 year old LOVES anything with tomato sauce on it so I thought, ill just sneak the veggies in. He ate 2 servings!!! I thought it was really good too! 

How I Made It:

I used jarred tomato sauce. You can use any kind of your choice but I'd pick the most basic one. If I had the time I would of made my own too but this was much faster after a busy day. 

I put olive oil in the bottom of a medium sauce pan, it needed to be a little bigger. 

I roughly chopped 2 carrots, hand full of asparagus, 1 zucchini, 1 large clove of garlic and 2 hands full of baby spinach. And put in pan in that order. Let the carrots cook for about 5 min, asparagus 2 min, garlic and zucchini at same time for about 2 min, then spinach. Sautéed it all for 15-20 min added jarred sauce and blended it all up. Let sauce simmer while I got the water in a pot to a boil and cooked frozen cheese ravioli.

You could use any pasta but the cheese in the ravioli gave it a nice taste. 

Enjoy!

~Mrs. Milly~

Instagram

Check out #cookinwithmrsmilly if you are on Instagram =) I post my food photos on there also and there are a few things from before I started this blog.

Smothered Chicken

This is a recipe I have made a few times and my family really likes!!! It is not so low fat but yummy and pretty easy. I found it on Pinterest and followed to a T.

SMOTHERED CHICKEN

FOR THE CREAMED SPINACH:

1 large bag of spinach leaves

4 ounces cream cheese

1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T onion, minced

2 T olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE SAUTEED MUSHROOMS:

8 ounce package of mushrooms, sliced

1/2 stick butter

2 T olive oil

1/2 C white wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE CHICKEN:

4-5 boneless chicken breasts

8-10 slices Mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/8 inch slices

1 T garlic powder

1 T seasoned salt, like Lawry's

1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Sprinkle the garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper on both sides of the chicken.  Bake for 16 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the creamed spinach.  Over medium-high heat, melt 2 T olive oil in a skillet.  Add in the onions and saute 2-3 minutes.  Add in the spinach and garlic.  It will shrink ridiculously.  When it's cooked through, stir in the cream cheese and parmesan cheese.  Continue cooking and stirring until the cream cheese is melted.  Remove from heat.

For the mushrooms, melt butter and 2 T olive oil in a skillet.  Put the mushrooms in and cook until browned all over.  Don't season with salt until they are browned or they will never brown.  Deglaze the pan with the wine.  Add in the garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until most of the wine is cooked out.

Flip the chicken pieces over.  Divide the spinach and mushrooms over the top of each breast.  Lay two slices of cheese over each piece of chicken.  Cook another 12-14 minutes or until cheese is browned and chicken is done.

Shrimp and Grits

                                                            (sorry not the best photo)

My best friend has been raving about this recipe and I finally got to make it and it is just as good as she made it out to be. Not that I doubted her but I am kind of a shrimp and grits snob, it is one of my favorite foods I've had it at many places. Well this recipe beats most restaurants!!! It was so good and got great feed back of how good it was from my dad, his girlfriend, my 3 year old son even really liked it, even my husband who didn't get to get it fresh but after it had cooled and sat even said it was VERY GOOD!

Here is the link to the recipe I followed but I doubled it:
http://www.realfoodgirlunmodified.com/real-easy-shrimp-n-grits/ 

I did change the cheese to monterey jack, used store bought stock, also used Tony Chathchere's Creole Seasoning on the shrimp and didn't add the garlic because the seasoning had plenty in it.

*One thing I would of done different is take the tails off the shrimp, it looks pretty but a pain when eating it =)

It is a great hearty dish that was a little work but easy and really impressed!

~Mrs. Milly~

Welcome To My Blog!

WELCOME to my first little blog! I have always had a love for food which has grown in to a love for cooking! I love all styles of food from Southern, Italian, and everything in between. With this blog I am going to post recipes and feedback about recipes I cook, good or bad. The recipes will be my own, from friends, family, cookbooks and a verity of online sites. The feedback will be from myself, kids, husband and other family and friends that let me feed them.

Please feel free to ask me to cook something you've been wanting to try or any questions on how to do something in the kitchen or tips and I will do my best! I am not a chef and have not been to culinary school. I am self taught and still learning every time I step in the kitchen. I hope you join me in my cooking journey and learn along with me!

~Mrs. Milly~