Tag: peas

Buttered Peas and Carrots

Posted on by M.

Here is another recipe for those days when we don’t need help cooking, we just needed to remember that carrots and peas exist and that putting them in a pan with some butter is an acceptable decision.

Melt:

3 T. Salted Butter

2 t. Garlic Salt / Lawry’s Salt / Anything with Salt in it

Add and Saute until tender:

6 Carrots, sliced into rounds

Add and simmer until plump and tasty:

1 Small Bag Frozen Peas

1/4 c. Water

Today has been…a day. The fact that I managed to make a meal at all is a miracle. Some days are like that. If today is yours, remember, hold onto the memories. Even on days like today, there is at least one moment that was sweet. Like the first time your child laughed hysterically at the word ‘uh-oh’.

We’re in this together. Have some peas and carrots and don’t be afraid of the butter. Just for today.

Quick & Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Posted on by M.

Traditionally, shepherd’s pie is made with lamb.

But the whole purpose of these cottage-type recipes is to do with what you have and make a delicious meal. So remember, my recipes will always be predicated on the idea that you should use what you have, season the heck out of it and it will be a success!

This page may contain affiliate links, which means I receive commissions for purchases made through those links, at no cost to you. 

melted cheese on top of mashed potatoes, vegetables and ground meat for shepherd's pie

Simple Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

  • 1/2 – 1 lb. Ground Meat Stuffs (use anything you like, even plant-based)
  • 4 – 5 Potatoes (I peeled mine just because they had super tough skins this time.)
  • 4 Carrots, peeled or 1 small bag Mixed Vegetables
  • Handful chopped Celery
  • 1 Small Bag or 1 Can Peas or Peas and Carrots (even if you have nothing else, some peas or corn make the difference)
  • 1 Small Bag or 1 Can Sweet Corn
  • 1/2 Onion
  • 2 – 3 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning
  • 3 T. Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/4 c. Butter (any kind)
  • 1 – 2 t. Salt/Garlic Salt/Lawry’s Salt
  • 1/4 c. Milk (any kind)
  • 1/4 c. Sour Cream (optional, but makes a difference!)
  • 4 oz. Cheese Block (or use grated cheese or sliced cheese…there are no rules here.)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350*.
  2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat or 'meat'.
  3. Place a large pot of water on the stove at high heat.
  4. Add a couple dashes of salt.
  5. Throw in your potatoes, peeled or not, according to your preference.
  6. Boil the potatoes until they are very soft.
  7. Meanwhile, chop your chosen vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
  8. Dice and saute the onion and garlic in a large skillet. (I like to use iron or stainless steel so that I can shove the whole thing in the oven to finish it off.)
  9. Add the chopped vegetables to the onions.
  10. Stir the cooked meat into the vegetables.
  11. Generously season the whole mixture with the steak seasoning and Worcestershire sauce.
  12. Save 1/4 c. of water from the potato pot.
  13. Drain the rest of the water from the potatoes.
  14. Add butter, salt, milk and sour cream to potatoes and mash vigorously.
  15. Spread the mashed potatoes over the meat and vegetable concoction.
  16. Grate the cheese and sprinkle liberally over the whole pan.
  17. Bake in the oven just until the cheese is melted!
© A Kitchen of Herbs
Category: Dinner

This is one of my favorite dishes to throw together at the last minute because even if you don’t have time to thaw the ground meat, it will cook just fine from frozen. Just throw it in the pan and cover it with a lid. Dinner doesn’t have to wait just because you didn’t remember to pull the meat out of the freezer or simply couldn’t decide what to make until just now.

If you have a mixer, I like to let it do the work with a whip attachment. If you don’t even have a potato masher, like I apparently don’t, a sturdy wire whisk is an effective tool as well!