Lighter Sheperd's Pie

1 lb ground turkey
1 onion
3 tablespoon butter
3 carrots cubed
1/2 lb fresh peas
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcester sauce
1 cup beef stock
1 1/4 tablespoons flour
4-6 potatoes (depends on size)
1 gal Ziploc bag or a pastry bag

Spray a fraying pan with Pam.
Chop carrots and onions into cubes.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in pan and add onions and carrots until they are caramelized.
Then add the turkey, and brown it up.
While thats cooking microwave the potatoes on the potato setting about 6 min then remove from microwave.
When the turkey is brown, add the peas stirring them through the meat.
Then add the Worcester sauce, mixing it throughout.
Pour in the beef stock.
Sprinkle the flour in and mix well.
Remove the meat from heat.
Cut a hole on the top of your potatoes and scoop out the insides. *Leaving the walls stable so that we can refill it.
Place potato innards and remaining butter in a bowl and mash with a fork.
Preheat oven to 450°
Scoop the meat into the empty potato.
Place mashed potatoes in pastry bag or a Ziploc bag with a corner snipped off.
Squeeze potatoes on top of the filled potato.
Place potato pies on a non-stick pan and place in oven for 7-10 min or until tops are lightly browned.
Sever with a side salad.

P.S.

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Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Cookie Dip /Filling

1 (8oz) box cream cheese
1 cup of peanut butter
3/4 cup powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag leftover Trader Joe's Vanilla Wafers

Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature.
Beat together the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy.
Place into a filling into a Ziploc bag and snip off one of the tips.
Pipe a small amount on the middle of your wafer.
Then top with another cookie.
Or you can place the filling in a bowl and spread the cookies around the bowl and use it as a dip.

P.S.

I would love to meet you on Facebook or on Twitter! 

50/50 Bar Smothies

1 can frozen orange juice
2 to *2 ½ cups milk
2 ½ cups ice
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons agave

Place milk, vanilla, and agave in blender.
Then add frozen orange juice and ice in blender, blend until smooth.
If it's still too thick add 1/2 a cup more milk. (This can happen because the thickness of frozen orange juice is different from brand to brand.)
This makes about 4 large drinks.

P.S.

I would love to meet you on Facebook or on Twitter! 

Breakfast Quesadillas

12 eggs

¼ cup butter plus 2 tablespoons butter for griddle

1 ½ teaspoons salt & pepper

1 ¼ cup milk

6 soft shell taco size tortillas

Shredded Cheese (of your choice) I used Colby Jack on some and Mexican on others.

Precooked meat (your choice) I used cubed ham on some and sliced turkey on others.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Pour melted butter into a glass 9x9 inch baking dish. 

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, salt and pepper until well blended. 

Gradually whisk in milk. 

Pour egg mixture into the baking dish. 

Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. 

Stir, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until eggs are set.

Preheat griddle to 350°. 

When heated, butter the griddle with the 2 Tbls butter. 

Place the tortilla on the griddle and sprinkle with cheese. 

Scoop about a cup worth of eggs and place them onto the tortilla only covering half the tortilla with eggs and spread the eggs out.

Add your choice of meat on top of the eggs. 

Then fold your tortilla in half.

Make sure your quesadilla is browned on both sides, then remove from heat. 

Serve immediately or let cool and they can be stored in the fridge for a week and reheated or frozen. 

Great dip ideas would be; salsa, guacamole, sour cream, or even chive cream cheese. 

P.S.

I would love to meet you on Facebook or on Twitter! 

Maple Bacon Cream Cheese Fudge

6 oz Ghirardelli white chocolate chips
(1) 4 oz block cream cheese (softened)
2 cups powder sugar
1/4 cup butter
4 drops maple extract
3 pieces bacon (precooked, cooled and crumbled)
Wax paper

Line a 4x4 pan with wax paper.
Mix the butter, cream cheese, sugar, maple and butter with electric mixer.
Melt chocolate chips in microwave, 30 sec intervals then stirring.
Mix all together.
Pour into prepared pan.
Sprinkle the bacon on top and pat into fudge.
Place in fridge and let cool 2 hours.
Remove from fridge, turn over onto a cutting board and peal wax paper off.
Then cut fudge into squares.
Turn them right side up, place on a plate and serve.

Pistachio Rocky Road Cookies

1 box chocolate chip Jiffy muffin mix
1 box pistachio instant pudding
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1 egg
1/2 cup butter room temperature
3/4 cup mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix muffin mix, pudding, egg, and butter with electric mixer till well mixed.
Fold in nuts.
Using a tablespoon size spoon drop cookies about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 5 min then add 2-4 marshmallows per cookie.
Place bake in the oven to cook about 2-3 more minutes.

Homemade Top Ramen

4 stocks of celery chopped
4 carrots chopped
1 large breast of chicken cooked and chopped
1 teaspoon garlic (optional)
1 tablespoon onion minced
1 cube chicken bouillon
2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 lb angel hair pasta (cooked per package instruction and set a side)

In a larger skillet place the carrots, celery, garlic, onion's and butter till the veggies are slightly tender.
Add the water, chicken bouillon cube and chicken to the pan bring to a boil.
Lower the heat to medium low and add the precooked noodles.
Let them simmer about 3-5 min.
Then server in a bowl.
Makes enough for 5 servings.

One Pot Shell Lasgna

1 lb box shell pasta
1 lb hamburger
2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
4 cloves roasted garlic, pressed
2 scallions chopped
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil pasta per package, drain and set aside in strainer.
Using the same pot, spray with Pam then brown hamburger with scallions, Italian seasoning, and garlic.
When the hamburger is brown add the marinara let simmer 4-5 minutes.
Turn heat off and add the pasta mixing thoroughly.
Then add all cheeses, making sure to mix them through-out the dish.
Cover with lid and let sit for 5 minutes
Serve with a side salad.

Spring Back Into Gardening

Before you start anything take stock of your tools, and what you already have for garden. Then, you'll first want to clear any fallen leaves, branches, dead plants, and other compost debris from the gardens surface, then weed thoroughly. If you only have a few weeds pushing up, pull them out. If your garden has been fully invaded by weeds, break out the rototiller, or hoe, and turn the top layer soil over, and sift out the plant matter. Rotating the soil will also churn up a number of hibernating pests so you might as well get rid them now. Check any plants for slugs, snails, or aphids, treating any infestations you find. Your local gardening store will have an aisle of commercial insecticides, find what you need, but there are plenty of natural remedies like my Garlic Fire that are nearly as effective.

If last year's crop has drained your soil's nutrients, you'll need to change it before planting again. The process of changing soil includes adding materials in order to increase or modify the soil's physical characteristics. Get a soil test kit from your local center to determine the gardens pH balance. This, in addition to the type of soil you have, determines the type of changes you'll need. I bring a bag of soil with me when I go to buy the kit and save myself a return trip. Once you do have all the changes you need, it's just a matter of digging up the top 6 to 12 inches of soil, thoroughly mixing the materials in, and then raking them level. Give it a week for the pH to level out and then start planting.

P.S.

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