This simple shepherd’s pie recipe is very quick and easy to prepare. When I tried it, I used cream of mushroom soup as that is what I had on hand and I really liked it. I halved the recipe as it makes a generous sized dish. I baked it for 25 minutes.
One of our editors, Kaitlyn, mentioned that ‘shepherd’s pie’ is a misnomer in this case, as traditionally shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, while those made with ground beef are really cottage pies. She said it’s a funny linguistic thing that most English speakers have dropped the name cottage pie. I personally can’t eat lamb because I had a lamb, Fluffy, as a pet growing up. However, Kaitlyn said roasting a leg of lamb and shredding it to use in your favourite shepherd’s pie recipe is delicious. This New Year’s Eve she made shepherd’s pie cups with pre-made dough (she used flaky rolls but pie crust or crescent rolls would work). Grease your muffin tin, line each cup with your dough, add your pie filling, top with mashed potatoes, and bake at 375 until the dough is golden brown all around.
I have not yet made the bacon Swiss pork chops, but it sounds like a good way to enjoy pork chops. I always bake my bacon in the oven and then chop it and freeze it so I will simply fry the onions up and then just stir the thawed bacon into them.
I just made the Crockpot chicken today and I used a whole can of crushed pineapple with the juice, so I stirred a half teaspoon of cornstarch into it about an hour before it was done. It thickened it up a bit more as the crushed pineapple created a looser consistency than the chunks would have. The recipe called for chunks, but I didn’t have any. I had it over some brown rice and really liked it. I will definitely make this again. I am going to try it over some cooked chickpea pasta as my friend, Carol, told me about it and I find that it is really tasty. If you use it, cook it less time than regular pasta as it cooks up more quickly.
In continuing our Random Acts of Kindness, I shared some baking with the staff at my doctor’s office this week. Sylvia’s neighbour cleared her sidewalk of snow and ice. A kind man returned Beth’s grocery cart to the store. Let’s continue with our acts of kindness as it not only helps others but makes us feel good, too. Just phone, email, or message me with yours.
Simple Shepherd’s Pie
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 cans condensed cream of potato soup
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas
- 1 ½ cups frozen sliced carrots
- 4 cups mashed potatoes
- Thaw peas and carrots. Preheat oven to 350.
- Cook beef in a skillet until it is no longer pink. Drain grease and add veggies and soup. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
- Put into a greased 11×7-inch baking pan and top with the mashed potatoes.
- Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes until heated through.
Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken
- 2 lb. chicken chunks
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- Cut chicken tenders in pieces and brown.
- Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce; mix well. Stir in chicken pieces, coating well.
- Pour into Crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Bacon Swiss Pork Chops
- 2 strips of bacon
- 1 medium onion
- 4 boneless pork chops
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 slices Swiss cheese, cut in half
Chop the bacon and onion. Coat a skillet with spray and cook the onion and bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the bacon is crispy. Drain on paper towels. Discard the grease.
Sprinkle the pork chops with the spices and put into the skillet. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165.
Top with bacon onion mixture and cheese. Cover and cook over low heat for 2 minutes more until the cheese is melted.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
HINT: After zesting a lemon and/or using a bit of lemon juice, put the rest of it in a freezer bag and store in the freezer.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Life is not a sit-down dinner. It is a magnificent spread of experiences, opportunities, adventures, and connections. So taste everything, have seconds of your favourites, and even have dessert first.
