Good tidings to all my Juniper Berry Friends and Family out there! Unbelievably,
summer is winding down and fall is upon us. Nothing invites the cool brisk weather and falling leaves better than sitting down around the table enjoying some hearty and delicious comfort food. As we approach the holidays and winter months, I do hope you enjoy these great recipes with you and yours! Happy eating and all the best my friends!
Shepherd’s Pie
What you will need:
• 2 Pounds of Ground Lamb or Beef if you prefer
• 4-5 Idaho Russet Potatoes (Peel, boil and mash the potatoes with salt, pepper, butter, splash of milk.)
• 3 Carrots, 1 Large Yellow Onion, 2 Stalks Celery
(Dice All Vegetables)
• 1 Cup of Frozen Peas
• 1/2 Pound Edam Cheese, grated
• 1 Cup Beef Broth
To prepare, start by sautéing your onion, carrots, celery and peas in a large frying pan until the vegetables begin to caramelize. Remove the vegetables. Add the ground beef to the sauté pan and begin to cook the ground beef.
Once the beef is half cooked add your beef broth and finish cooking. Next add a ½ cup of ketchup, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce to the beef, and then add your vegetables back into the cooked ground beef. Make your mashed potatoes and once they are done add your grated edam cheese. In a loaf pan or Pyrex baking pan put your ground beef in and top with a very thick layer of your mashed potatoes. Bake on 450 for 20–25 minutes, let cool slightly, and serve.
Quick, Easy Savory Hand Pocket Pies
This is a great idea to help you enjoy all the Thanksgiving leftovers in a fun and tasty way. All you need to do is take your leftover Turkey, Ham, Roast Beef, or Lamb Roast and chop it up. Next you want to add, depending on the meat you’re using, different spices. For turkey you can saute some diced carrots, celery, and onion, add the turkey and some Swiss or cheddar cheese. For leftover ham, I like to keep simple; ham and cheddar make a perfect match for instance. If you have roast beef, I would recommend some caramelized onions, cheese of your liking, and some horse radish.
To simplify things simply get some store-bought pie crusts and cut into about 3” rounds. Moisten the perimeter with egg wash, add a scoop of your mixture in the dead center and fold over the crust forming a pocket. Egg wash the hand pies and you can either bake, air fry, or deep fry. You can make as many as you like and freeze them for later enjoyment or serve them up piping hot to your guests. These are guaranteed to be a huge hit with you and yours! Enjoy!
Sweet Potato Pie
(This is a super simple recipe and it is a huge family favorite especially at Thanksgiving!)
What you will need:
• 5-6 Sweet Potatoes (Peeled cut into 2” x 2” cubes, boiled and strained)
• ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1 TBSP Cinnamon
• 1 TSP Nutmeg
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• ¼ LB Salted Butter
• 1 Bag Large Marshmallows
Once you boil and drain your potatoes, add the stick of butter, sugar, and spices, and begin to mash the potatoes until smooth. In a deep baking dish grease with butter and add your mashed sweet potatoes. Top with some small pats of butter and dust with a mix of light and dark brown sugar. Add a thick layer of marshmallows and dust those with a little more of your sugar mixture. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until your marshmallows are melted down forming a nice crust. Let cool for 20 minutes and serve. Goes great with turkey, spiral ham, or any savory roast.
