1. Either prepare your Risotto or use leftover Risotto (if there is such a thing) and add 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and combine. If the recipe isn’t sticky enough, add another 1/2 cup parmesan cheese as an additional binder. NOTE: if you are preparing your Risotto fresh, make sure you let it cool down before adding the cheddar cheese so it does not melt into the mixture. The goal is to melt that oooeeeyyy gooooeeeyyy goodness while bathing in the vegetable oil.

   

   

2. Every time I do this next step I get all warm and cozy inside.  😀 Turn on your deep fryer and set the temp to 375 degrees. My deep fryer happens to be my favorite gift of all time! If you do not have one, no prob! Simply fill a deep pot about halfway full with vegetable oil, just enough to cover your Risotto Balls when frying. Turn your heat to medium(ish) and test your oil to see if the temp is high enough by adding a few breadcrumbs, if they start to sizzle and float on top you are good to go.

   

3. On a shallow plate, I use the lid of an old storage container, combine 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, garlic powder to taste, pepper to taste and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese to make the coating for the Risotto Balls.

   

4. Take a handy dandy ice cream scoop (so versatile) and scoop up your first Risotto Ball and form it into a perfect delicious ball.

   

   

5. Roll, roll, roll your ball gently down…oh wait, gently in the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Place aside on a plate and repeat.

   

   

6. Ever so gingerly place your Risotto Balls into the nice hot vegetable bath and fry until desired crispiness about 5 minutes.

   

   

7. Remove your Risotto Balls after their vegetable oil bath onto a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle them with a little salt while they are nice and warm. Place them Lovingly on some warm marinara sauce and sprinkle with a little more parmesan cheese to taste and ENJOY!!!  😛

   

   

   

   ---

   I encourage you to leave a comment or a success experience you have had!! The Leave a Reply fields are optional, if you want to remain anonymous just fill in the comment section and hit post! Thank you for sharing your experiences and remember “no [wo]man is an island.”

    

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta of your choice according to package directions. I always add a palm full of kosher salt to the boiling water I do believe it adds taste and if I need the pasta water to loosen up the sauce at times it is already pre-seasoned.

   

2. Chop up your onions and shred your cheese.

   

3. Now we can get this party started! In a nice big cast iron pot or whatever oven safe pot you got, melt 4 tablespoons of the whipped butter on medium heat. Add the flour, one tablespoon at a time, whisking with each addition to combine the flour and butter to make a roux (sauce thickener). Now add the milk one cup at a time as well, whisking again with each addition. Now the arm workout comes in. We want a smooth sauce so keep on whisking until you achieve a no lump sauce. When you are lump free, add the mustard powder, cinnamon, bay leaf and onion. Stir those ingredients together, turn the heat up a smidge and boil for about 2-3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. After you have boiled the sauce to thicken it, lower the heat to medium-low and add that glorious cheese, stir to melt and simmer for about 5 more minutes.

   

   

   

4. In the meantime, melt the remaining whipped butter in a pan and add the breadcrumbs. Coat all of the breadcrumbs.
5. Remove the bay leaf from your sauce. Take your drained macaroni and add it to the beautiful bechamel cheese sauce and combine them together coating all of your macaroni. Sprinkle the breadcrumb and whipped butter mixture evenly over your macaroni and sauce and do the same with the parmesan cheese. Bake in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Turn the oven off and set your broiler to high, broil the topping for about 2-3 minutes until it is nice and golden brown.

   

   

   

6. Remove from the oven and let your bubbly, delish goodness rest for about 5 minutes (if you can restrain yourself  😉 ) Plate and Enjoy!!  😀

   

   ---

   I encourage you to leave a comment or a success experience you have had!! The Leave a Reply fields are optional, if you want to remain anonymous just fill in the comment section and hit post! Thank you for sharing your experiences and remember “no [wo]man is an island.”

My Mom was one of the most talented Home Cooks I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She could take any ingredients and make it into something SPECTACULAR! One of my biggest regrets is not asking her for her recipes, though I surmise that kind of cooking magic was only for her hands and in some fashion with me now trying to recreate her recipes it keeps her alive in my hands, as well as my heart. So here is my hybrid attempt at another version of her Shepherd’s Pie utilizing the slow cooker to do the bulk of the work. I hope you would be proud Mom! ♥

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, about 2 tablespoons. Add the chopped mushroom stems (chop them pretty small) and saute for about 5 minutes until they are tender.

   

   

2. Add the chopped garlic, then the breadcrumbs. Mix together. Turn off the heat and add the cheese and mix through. The residual heat will melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from the heat and set aside.

   

   

   

   

3. Butterfly your chicken breasts (cut them in half, without cutting all the way through). Cover your surface with plastic wrap and place a piece of plastic wrap on top of your butterflied chicken. Take the spiked side of your mallet and pound and simultaneously gently pull the chicken out to the side to flatten and create a bigger surface. Flip them skin side down (yes I know they are skinless, pretend there is skin) and put your stuffing on top a little away from the edge. Now roll the chicken, starting from the edge and tucking the stuffing in as you go. The rollups will be a little uneven but we will take care of that in step 4.

   

   

   

   

4. Take a piece of plastic wrap about 12′ by 12′ and lay it flat on your counter surface. Put your rollup on the edge, centered on the plastic wrap edge and roll it tight as you go in the plastic wrap. When your chicken is all rolled up. Twist the sides of the plastic wrap in opposite directions tightly. This will result in a uniformed size rollup. Tie off the ends. Put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more to continue forming.

   

   

5. When ready to cook, remove rollups from the fridge and let set on the counter for about 5 minutes. Unwrap and salt and pepper rollups. In an oven safe fry pan add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of whipped butter, melt over medium heat. When butter is melted brown your chicken rollups on all sides. About 1 minute per side. Baste chicken with butter sauce as you turn. Finish cooking in the oven for about 20 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Remove from the oven, and put them on a plate and set aside to rest.

   

6. Put your fry pan back on the stove, be careful as the handle will still be really hot! Over medium heat, add two more tablespoons of whipped butter, the sherry, chicken stock and the mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the mushrooms are to your desired texture and the sauce has reduced about half.

   

7. Slice your chicken rollups on a biased (diagonal) and feather them out on your plate. Pour a nice amount of reduction on top and serve with your favorite vegetable. Enjoy!!!  🙂

   

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1. Brown your ground beef, chopped onion and minced garlic all together. This method really enhances the flavor of the ground beef. Season with a little salt and pepper. Do not drain the fat. You won’t hear me say this often but fat in this dish truly adds flavor and moisture.

   

2. Add the flour to the beef mixture and combine. Then add the beef stock and bring to a boil for 5-7 minutes to thicken the sauce.

   

   

3. Once the stock has thickened to your desired consistency add in the sweet peas and stir all together. Add some more salt and pepper to season to taste. Layer on the bottom of an oven safe baking dish. Set aside and shred your potatoes.

   

4. Layer the seasoned (with a little salt and pepper) shredded potatoes over the beef mixture, covering every nook and cranny. Pour the melted butter over the top. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. I assure you the meat underneath will not dry out, remember from the step above, fat is flavor and moisture. Remove from the oven and turn your oven to broil on high. Spread the cheddar cheese all over the top and place the dish under the broiler until the cheese melts. WATCH it closely during this step.

   

5. And finally oh finally, serve your family a heaping plate of that Pie and Enjoy!  😀

   

Not My Mum's Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

• 1 1/2lbs Ground Beef
• 1large Onion
• 3cloves garlic
• 2cups Beef Stock
• 4tbsp All Purpose Flour
• 1bag Frozen Sweet Young Peas
• 4large Idaho Potatoes-Or whatever Potatoes you like
• 1cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2cup Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/2cup Melted Butter

Instructions

1. Brown your ground beef, chopped onion and minced garlic all together. This method really enhances the flavor of the ground beef. Season with a little salt and pepper. Do not drain the fat. You won't hear me say this often but fat in this dish truly adds flavor and moisture.
2. Add the flour to the beef mixture and combine. Then add the beef stock and bring to a boil for 5-7 minutes to thicken the sauce.
3. Once the stock has thickened to your desired consistency add in the sweet peas and stir all together. Add some more salt and pepper to season to taste. Layer on the bottom of an oven safe baking dish. Set aside and shred your potatoes.
4. Layer the seasoned (with a little salt and pepper) shredded potatoes over the beef mixture, covering every nook and cranny. Pour the melted butter over the top. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. I assure you the meat underneath will not dry out, remember from the step above, fat is flavor and moisture. Remove from the oven and turn your oven to broil on high. Spread the cheddar cheese all over the top and place the dish under the broiler until the cheese melts. WATCH it closely during this step.
5. And finally oh finally, serve your family a heaping plate of that Pie and Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I have to admit the texture of the potatoes was not at all what I was used to and threw me off a bit. But then after the second or third helping I got used to it! However, here is My Mum's Shepherd's Pie, just substitute with the Mashed Potatoes. Two options with one recipe—Win-Win!

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Your potatoes are the longest part of this meal so get them on right away. Put your potatoes in a pot and cover with enough water to give them good coverage but not too much your water spills over your pot when boiling. Set your heat to high, bring your potatoes to a nice boil and let them go for 45-50 minutes until fork tender.

   

2. Time to make the glaze! I totally wanted to style up my tenderloin for this particular meal so I went to the fridge to see what I had on hand to make a tasty glaze. This is what I came up with. In a bowl, add your mustard, horseradish, Garlic & Herb Seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk all together and BAM you have a nice, flavor balanced glaze. REMINDER—Start with a little less of each ingredient and taste. Add more as desired. You can always add but can not take away. Pour your glaze over your pork tenderloin on a foil lined baking dish and evenly coat all sides and every crevice. Bake according to package directions which on mine is 15-20 minutes per pound. Oven temps vary drastically so I like to go to the latter of the cooking times. When your tenderloin is done to your internal temperature satisfaction, remove it from the oven and tent it with some aluminum foil and let it rest, while you prep the tates. It will continue to cook a little as well so give it a little peak every now and then so not to overcook.

   

   

   

3. This step goes with step 2 above as I cook them together in the oven. Lay out your center cut bacon on a foil lined baking sheet. Place in the oven at the same time as your pork tenderloin and bake for 20 minutes. Set your timer and at the 10 minute mark turn those babies over to evenly cook on both sides. When done, remove from the oven and place on papertowels to drain the excess fat. When cooled, crumble, and eat a few pieces if you wish and continue to step 4.

   

   

   

4. When potatoes are fork tender, drain in a colander and let them cool for a few minutes until not so hot to handle. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet and smash ever so gently with a potato masher that is sprayed lightly with a little cooking spray so the potatoes don’t stick. Sprinkle or pour with reckless abandon the cheese and crumpled bacon on top of your smashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place those babies in the already preheated oven for about 5 minutes to melt that oeeeyyy goooeeey cheese.

   

   

   

   

   

5. Time to assemble. Cut your pork tenderloin on a slight bias (angle). I could be totally making this up in my mind but I think it keeps the meat a little more juicier. Besides it looks pretty.  😉 Place your tenderloin on a pretty plate and add an all dolled up smashed potato. I left the butter and sour cream quantities blank on purpose because some days you just might want a little bit more or a little less. Add a vege of your choice and there you have it, a great, easy and elegant weeknight or weekend night meal. Enjoy!  😀

   

   

   ---

   I encourage you to leave a comment or a success experience you have had!! The Leave a Reply fields are optional, if you want to remain anonymous just fill in the comment section and hit post! Thank you for sharing your experiences and remember “no [wo]man is an island.”