Friends, I can’t believe what I’m about to tell you.  Yesterday Addison knowingly consumed spinach without gagging, choking or pitching a fit.  I’m not exactly sure how this happened and I’m still wondering if I dreamed it but the fact remains that I saw him eat spinach.  Oh my gosh, I’m still reeling.

I think that this revelation may have something to do with me explaining the benefits of veggies in his diet and that he needs more than just fruit and carrots.  He was griping that I fix veggies every night (what a horrible mom) and why couldn’t we just eat nuggets and pasta and stuff like that.  I wish.  Anyway, I mentioned that spinach has iron in it and that you need iron in your blood.  His mind started working and I the idea of being made out of metal was pretty awesome.  The prospect of spinach turning him into a robot made out of iron may or may not have contributed to our dinner time success.

1/2 package cooked italian style meatballs
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can chicken broth
1 can water
8 oz. orzo pasta
1 italian zucchini squash, chopped
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
3-4 cups fresh spinach
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste
dried herb mix to taste
olive oil

Boil chicken broth and water.  Add orzo and cook until al dente.

Heat olive oil in a skillet, add shallot, garlic and meatballs.  Saute until shallot is translucent, about 3-5 minutes.  Add diced tomatoes, salt and pepper and combine.  Add zucchini, parsley and sprinkle with dried herb mix.  Add about 1/4 cup of liquid from orzo and combine until liquid is simmering.

Drain orzo, reserving liquid.  Add a tablespoon of butter to orzo to keep it from sticking together.

Add spinach to the top of the meatball mixture, pour reserved liquid on top and cover.  Simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes then add the orzo and stir it all together.

Iron man here we come.

I don’t know what the exact definition of Shepherd’s Pie is other than meat and veggie mixture topped with mashed potatoes and baked in the oven.  Well, this is sorta like that and I didn’t know what else to call it so Shepherd’s Pie it is.

Turns out this was really yummy and because I used chicken sausage instead of ground beef and sweet potatoes instead of russet it made me feel semi healthy.  I’m not sure how much better this is for you than traditional Shepherd’s Pie but I’ll say it’s “lots” healthier.  See, you feel better about it all ready, right?

Here’s how it went

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 yukon gold potato, chopped
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 package Hillshire Farm Chicken Apple Sausage, chopped
1 apple, chopped
1 package frozen veggie mix (peas, carrots, green beans)
1-2 Tbs. Worcestershire
1 package Lipton Vegetable Soup & Dip mix
salt & pepper to taste
4 Tbs. butter
zest from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. garam masala
1 heaping Tbs. brown sugar
1 cup water (reserved from boiling potatoes)
1/4 cup milk
salt to taste

1)  Boil potatoes in a large pot until they are tender when pierced with a fork.

2)  While potatoes are boiling, heat olive oil in a heavy (oven safe) skillet.  Saute shallot and garlic for 2-3 minutes.  Add chicken sausage and cook until browned.  Add apple, frozen veggies, soup mix, Worcestershire and season with salt & pepper.  Combine and cook on medium until veggies are heated through, about 10 minutes.

3)  Set the sausage mixture aside.  Reserve about 1 cup of water from potatoes and set aside.  Drain potatoes and return about 1/4 cup of water to pot.  Add milk, butter and mash until smooth.  Add lemon zest, brown sugar, garam masala, salt to taste and stir to combine.  Add more water if the potatoes seem dry.

4)  Cover the sausage and veggies with the mashed potatoes.  Dot butter on top of potatoes (about 2 Tbs.) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Now pour yourself a lager and pretend you’re in an English pub.  Shepherd’s Pie with sweet potato mash comin’ right up, love.

It’s here…BCS bowl season.  A few days where the college football lovers can sit back and watch to their hearts desire.  So many games, so many channels, so many teams, so many fans…so much Sports Center.  It’s enough to make the head spin.

Here’s something that will keep your college football fan happy and well fed.  Thanks to Kanakuk Kamp I have another kamp favorite that is perfect for game day.  Frito Love.  This is basically a Frito pie but when you add the nostalgia of camp food it becomes something a little more special. (more…)

Monday I was a guest on The Diane Rehm show along with Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen.  And by guest I mean I called in and they took my call.  Diane Rehm had a blogger on her show, how could I not call in?!  I sat in the Target parking lot waiting to see if she would take my call.  The next thing I knew I heard Diane say “let’s go to Norman, Oklahoma.  Stephanie, you’re on the air.”  I’m not exactly sure anything I said made one bit of sense but I made sure to say that I was a blogger and did she have any advice?  I was really hoping that Diane would be charmed in the 8 seconds I was on the air, ask the name of my blog, become and fan and next thing you know she has booked me as a real guest, not just a call-in listener.  That has not yet happened. humph.

If you want to listen to the entire segment you can check out The Diane Rehm show website.  There is a “Listen” button near the top left.  Jump to the 35:28 mark for my call.  Not that I’m over analyzing it or anything.

Anyhoo, I left the radio show with a renewed spirit to cook real food for my family.  Here’s what I came up with.  (Food snobs might want to close your eyes at the second ingredient.  You may not consider canned biscuits “real food” but I call them manna from heaven.)

1-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 canned biscuits
3 carrots, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 yukon gold potatoes, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 can chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup milk or half and half
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven.  Pat chicken dry and season with s&p.  Brown in skillet in batches, set aside.

Add butter to skillet, saute onion, carrots, celery and potatoes until onions are soft.  About 3 minutes.

Add vegetable broth and half & half, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Add peas and corn.  Return chicken to skillet, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Cook biscuits according to package.  Just before serving, stir in corn starch to thicken sauce.

Serve chicken and veggies over biscuits.

Now that you’re ready to make this I’m going to share a secret with you.  This was seriously delicious…and my 8 year old hated it.  Well, he liked the chicken but had to choke down the rest.  Even the biscuit.  THE BISCUIT.  He spent the entire time at the dinner table hemming, hawing, groaning and moaning.  I told him that if I heard one more big sigh he was going to his room.  I was so annoyed that I almost pulled a Real Housewives of NJ move and over turned the table.  I refrained.