Christmas Shepherd Pie

I'm cooking dinner for my family on Christmas Eve and I've been searching and searching for the perfect Christmas Eve dinner to prepare. I think I've gone to http://www.foodnetwork.com/ and http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/ about a million times over the past week or so! I finally came across Paula Deen's Christmas Shepherd Pie recipe and decided that was the golden ticket.

I tried the recipe out this weekend with my best friend Megan. Let me tell ya...it's so much fun cooking in the kitchen with a friend. I highly recommend you doing it at least once in your life if not more!

We got home from Christmas shopping and poor Jared was famished from not eating all day since he was looking forward to this meal.

This is a pretty quick meal to put together, however, keep in mind it does take a little over an hour to get everything ready.

You can find the recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/christmas-shepherds-pie-recipe/index.html

This isn't the greatest picture but it gives you an idea of what it looks like in a casserole dish.

I did make individual ramekins for Megan, Jared and myself and will do the same on Christmas Eve. This recipe makes a TON of food...I'll just throw that out there.

For Christmas Eve I will be making it with ground turkey instead of ground beef, I'm sure it'll be just as delicious.

If you want a good home cooked, southern feel, fills your stomach to the brim meal, then give this recipe a try.

Let me know what you think!

Enjoy!
-AKL

Zesty Spaghetti a la Puttanesca

This weekend I went out on a limb and tried Nadia G.'s (chef from Bitchin' Kitchen) recipe, Zesty Spaghetti a la Puttanesca. The reason I say I went out on a limb is because this recipe calls for anchovy fillets. I for one have never cooked with anchovies. Really...who likes fish that come in a can? Maybe I'm wrong, but it's been a turn off for me. I've watched plenty of cooking shows where they cook with anchovies, but I've stayed away from those recipes...until now!

I've been blessed with a husband that is willing to try all of my dinner creations. Well I guess I shouldn't say all because he will not try Edamame! He politely refers to Edamame as "Hairy Bean Pods". It's easy for me to read Jared when he tries something I make. It's all in his face...and when he doesn't like it he can't cover up the sour look that comes over him. I was apprehensive about this meal to be honest. When I watched Nadia cook the meal on her show it looked delicious and I wanted to give it a try, but like I said, I've never cooked with anchovies or capers. A very traditional Italian spaghetti meal but totally different than anything I've cooked before.

My guinea pigs for the night were Jared and one of my best friends, Megan. They both watched over my shoulder as I pulled the anchovy fillets out of the can and began to shred them with a fork. Not my favorite part of the meal, but it went without incident. I carefully followed Nadia's directions and all in all it was a an easy meal to throw together. It smelled amazing (no the anchovies don't make your house smell fishy) and looked delicious when it was all said and done. But wouldn't you know...I didn't take a photo! The photo above is courtesy of: Cooking Channel, Nadia G and Bitchin' Kitchen.

Now, when we sat down to eat I wouldn't let Jared or Megan try a bite before I did. Call me crazy, but I really didn't want to see either of them run to the bathroom because it didn't taste as good as it looked. I took the first bite and didn't really know how to describe it. It was a different taste to me since I'm used to your "all American drown your noodles in tomato and meat sauce and call it a day" taste. We had an interesting conversation of what flavors stuck out and the fact that you really don't taste the anchovies. It was a successful meal and one that I will certainly try again with some modifications, for Jared....i.e. chicken needs to be added to make it a "man" meal.

If you're interested in the recipe you can find it here: www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/zesty-spaghetti-a-la-puttanesca-recipe/index.html

Let me know if you try it and what you think of it!

Enjoy!
-AKL