Lasagna ? I hardly know ya!

Lasagna is something most people enjoy or make on a regular basis. The basics are layers of pasta, sauce and fillers. There are a million different types: white sauce, traditional with tomato sauce, meat, spinach, veggie, fancy or simple, you name it. I made one recently with no-bake noodles (a time and sanity saver), plain old tomato sauce, mushrooms, spinach, beef and green peppers. It was simple and delsih. I did use cheese (because I'm a cheese addict) and alternated between mozza and ricotta. I love ricotta in lasagna and tend to use it whenever I make the dish.

The thing I really love about lasagna, no matter the variety, is that it's great for so many occasions. You can bring it to a pot-luck, have it at a dinner party, leftovers are great, and you can make a big batch and freeze portions for use at another time. I made two lasagnas this time around: one for now and one for freezing for work lunches. It's an easy and economical solution to the morning rush! Just grab a container out of the fridge and away you go.
ps. I just want to mention I love the lighting in my new kitchen. It's helping me make great strides in my food photography!

A carnivore's dream

I'm notoriously not a steak person, and could leave red meat alone most times, but every now and then I crave meat. Pure, beefy goodness. All jokes aside, the other night I found some lovely grilling steak at my local supermarket and decided to have a go at it to see what I could create. No recipe. Just a girl, her knife and a frying pan. The result? Spicy beef with peppers, onions and rice. Yum.

A carnivore's dream complete with Worcestershire sauce, spicy chili, ginger and simple rice.

And yea, you've got to have this with a Guinness!

Shepherd's Pie

Given a copious amount of ground beef and some cold weather, a girl needs to think quick to make use of the situation. There are only has so many options for a filling, cozy, easy, tasty dinner. Shepherd's Pie is one of my go-to recipes for such an occasion. It even gets bonus points because it tastes awesome as leftovers and freezes well. It's not so much a recipe as it is a process. You can adjust amounts to your hearts desire, to fit your serving dish, or to fit your appetite or palate. Here's what to do:

Chop up an onion, two carrots and throw in some frozen peas and corn. Sweat all that in a frying pan until the onions are translucent. Then take add some salt and pepper, some chili flakes and whatever other seasonings you want really. This time around I added turmeric and some parsley.

Take your ground beef (or a mix of beef and/or pork and/or turkey works well too) and cook it with the veggies until the meat is browned.

You will also need boiled potatoes, either leftover or newly made. Mash up the potatoes with some butter and milk until they're creamy. Then it's time to assemble. Take a pan like a casserole dish or a lasagna pan and spread the meat mixture on the bottom.

Then spread the potatoes on top. You cover all that with a bit of shredded cheese.

Bake in the oven about 15 mins (everything is cooked already) and then broil for about 10 more until the top of the pie is golden.Voila! You have a hearty and delsih meal that will feed many and keep for a while. The above technique is my way of doing it but please experiment with your own variations. A layer of corn is a great thing - as is more cheese. More cheese is always good!

Sunday roast on Monday

The weather was crap today and I had just digested the America's Test Kitchen's Cook's Country episode on roast and gravy. Cool weather always brings out the carnivore in me. After a long day at work I went straight out and bought beef top sirloin roast. It was relaxing to methodically peel potatoes, boil vegetables, sear the roast and thicken gravy with a flour slurry. I cooked by ear, by feel, and without a recipe. Large cuts of beef are easier than roasting a chicken or turkey. No matter if it ends up medium-rare, medium-well, or well done you can pretend you meant it to come out that way. And the more I cook cuts of meat like this the better I'm getting at knowing what stage the meat is at by touch and feel alone. A meat thermometer would make the process even easier.

And I've finished the large process of cooking a Sunday dinner, no matter the actual day, without the reward of compliments and rave reviews. I just know everyone likes a home cooked meal. And besides, my friend went back for seconds which was the best compliment of all.