Shepard's Pie

We made leg of lamb using this recipe (you MUST make this, it's wonderful!!) for my parent's last meal here. It was over 5 pounds, so there were plenty of leftovers. Leftover lamb just isn't good, it's gamey, chewy and, well, just not good. Trust me here. We also had asperagus and mashed potatoes. So, what do you do with leftover asperagus, lamb and mashed potatoes???

It's screaming Shepard's Pie!

I started off by taking the juice (jus?) from the roast and bringing it to boil in a sauté pan.
Warning: the following pictures may not be pretty, but the end result is tasty!

Scoop out a couple ladles full of broth into a container (I used a measuring cup, but you could use anything). Spoon in a couple tablespoons of flour. Mix very well, till there are no chunks whatsoever. Use a fork or whisk to mix. If you don't get the lumps out now, you will have lumpy gravy!

Pour flour mixture back into boiling broth, whisking constantly. Whisk until smooth and thickened.

Like I said, it's not pretty. Be sure to taste your gravy for seasonings. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Dump meat and veggies into an oven-proof container, the amount is to your liking. You could use a regular baking dish, but I'm always looking for ways to use this pretty dish. Mix in the gravy.

Layer the top with the mashed potatoes. I used my hands to get it all over the top. Of course I don't have a shot of what it looked like after all the potatoes on the top, but you can use your imagination, I'm sure.

Bake, uncovered, at 400 or 425 for about 30 minutes.

Again, not pretty, but so, so tasty!! If you use the crockpot lamb and use plenty of seasonings like Stephanie says, you're golden.

Apple Crisp

Early into our first summer in Korea, we received a flat of peaches from our company. These things were huge, hard and very unripe. I let them ripen forever, it seemed, but they were still hard as a rock and not very sweet. I finally realized there would be no fresh peaches and ice cream for us, so I made peach crisp. I made it again later in the year using apples, which is what I used for this particular recipe. Both are great!

This recipe is hardly baking, as there's no actual pastry so measurements don't need to be exact. It would be perfect for your kid-cook!

For an 8" pan, start with 3 apples (or peaches, if you prefer), peel, core and slice these babies as thin as you can make them. You could use more than 3 if you prefer more fruit, but I prefer more crisp, so I make my fruit layer fairly thin.
Don't tell my tummy.


I sliced them right into the pan.


Measure 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, pinch of salt, and 3/4 tsp. cinnamon into bowl (pretend there's cinnamon in this picture). Slice butter directly into bowl.


You could use a pastry blender, or the two-knife trick, but those take so much more time and it just annoys me. I just stick my fingers right in there and start pinching the ingredients together till it looks like fine sand (that's not really the word I want, but I can't think of what it really looks like).


Please forgive the picture quality.
Pour the flour mixture evenly over the sliced apples. It's going to look like too much, but believe me, you want it all!

Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees (or whatever your supper is cooking at, it doesn't really matter, mine happened to be closer to 400 degrees), and bake about 30-40 minutes until the top is slightly golden.

You can serve this with ice cream or Cool Whip (yuck), OR.....


Hello!
Homemade whipped cream--yum!!
Whip 1 cup heavy cream till peaked, mix in 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla and whip till peaks form.
Your family will thank you.
Even if your tummy doesn't. Just don't tell your tummy!


Dish it up!

What you need

3 peaches or apples, peeled, cored and sliced as thin as you can make them
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
5-6 Tbs butter, chilled (use more or less depending on your preference)

Place sliced apples/peaches in 8" round baking dish. In bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Slice butter into small chunks. Mix well. Pour over fruit. Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes till light golden.