Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes

I often bake potatoes, just to have around. I stuff them, pop them into salads, smother them in chilli...I pretty much think they are the most delicious vegetable and would eat them at every meal, if I could!  Earlier this week I prepared them, with the assistance of my nephew as Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes. While we were busy in the kitchen, we popped some foil wrapped potatoes into the oven at 350F.  I left them in there for about an hour. When I felt they were done...or let's be honest, when I finally remembered to check on them, I removed them from the oven and hollowed them out. 

 

I removed the potato innards and set aside in a mixing bowl. 

 

To the potato innards, I added a splash of milk, one heaping tablespoon of butter and some sea salt and pepper. I then mashed the mixture and set aside. 

While my potatoes were in the oven; I got started on the filling for my potatoes. I added a splash of olive oil to my pan and heated over medium heat. When my oil had warmed, I sauteed 2 cloves of garlic and a chopped onion. As my onion began sizzling, I added 1/2 a chopped zucchini, 2 chopped cremini mushrooms and 2 chopped carrots. When my onion appeared translucent and my veggies had softened, I added 500 grams of ground lamb. 

 

To this mixture, I added 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, 1 tsp of sage, 2 small bay leaves, sea salt and pepper. When the meat had browned, I drained off some of the excess fat. 

In a Mason jar, I shook 2 tbsps of flour with 1 tsp of knorr instant beef stock and 1 cup of hot water. I added this mixture to the meat to form a gravy, once the mix had fully combined, I removed the pan from the stove. 

I then, packed each potato full of the meat and gravy mixture and I topped them with a generous helping of mashed potatoes. After which, I placed the potatoes into the oven; preheated to 400 F.   I left them in the oven, browning for 25 minutes.  Once done, I allowed them to cool for 10 minutes, while I threw together some sautéed kale and veggies, to be served on a bed of lettuce. These were a big hit at my dinner table! Even my 10 year old son tolerated the veggies being mixed up with his meat! Tolerated...that's it.  He tried his best with no real whining or complaining.  He later chowed down on a roast chicken as I pulled it from the oven for this week's school lunches. I'm calling it a win!

 

The possibilities for this dish are limitless! Taco Stuffed Potatoes, Greek Chicken Stuffed Potatoes....the wheels are turning!  They're fantastic in a lunch box!

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, concerns or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below!

Cooking with Kids. Low Dairy Cream of Mushroom Soup

 

I love to have company in the kitchen. Today, I'm watching my nephew, for the afternoon. I have a busy week planned with my kids, so I felt that this was the perfect opportunity to get some food prep done for the week ahead.  What a helper my little nephew is!!  Only 3 years old and a total busy body!  Today we prepped Cream of Mushroom Soup for my lunches and baked potatoes for another family recipe. 

 

My nephew had no interest in consuming my soup but he was happy to help out. Let's face it, the kitchen is fun! Experimenting with cooking teaches kids so many valuable lessons. Cooking is a life skill; kids learn about different ingredients, health benefits, become more adventurous with food and they create quality memories with their parents, their grandparents, or in this case, their Aunt Mel. 

Years ago, I purchased this egg slicer from Pampered Chef. I don't think I have ever used it for eggs. Mushrooms, strawberries but never eggs. It's perfect for kid cooking. It slices soft fruits or veggies with a series of metal wires. My nephew loved quickly slicing mushrooms with his impressive physical strength. I roughly chopped the sliced mushrooms and prepped the shallot and garlic while he gabbed and prepped.  

I'm lactose intolerant. Butter has never been an issue for me, but milk and cream are absolutely unwelcome in my digestive tract. As a result, I have developed this "compromise of a recipe" so I can continue to enjoy one of my favourites....Cream of Mushroom Soup. 

Low Dairy Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 pack of Cremini Mushrooms, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 Shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup of butter

1/4 cup of flour 

2 cups of mushroom broth

1 cup of coconut milk 

1 tbsp of herbs de provence 

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt a 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat. Once melted; add mushrooms, shallot and garlic to the pan.  Add seasoning to the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms are nicely browned. Once browned, add 1/4 cup of flour to the mix. A paste, or a roux will form. Add coconut milk a 1/2 cup at a time.  Evenly mixing the roux in with the liquid, after each addition. After the coconut milk has been added; do the same with the mushroom broth; 1/2 cup at a time. 

 

Does this look like a kid that isn't enjoying himself? He even tried the soup. Which he didn't like...then later told me it was kind of good. Regardless, we had a fun afternoon. My nephew and I made some memories and some soup. 

 

Now to clean the kitchen!  Kid help is fun, but even the floors needed to be washed down after the soup! Totally worth the chaos. We had a great afternoon. 

 

If you have any questions, concerns or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below.  Thanks for reading! 

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

 

I have good kids. Really good kids. During their las holiday from school, I assigned them the task of prepping a meal that could be frozen and thawed for their lunch boxes. I was in the midst of making a homemade chicken broth and had cooked chicken and mini tart shells on hand so chicken pot pies it was!!  

 

Find my chicken broth recipe here:

http://melsbigideas.blogspot.ca/2017/02/waste-not-want-not-making-beautiful.html?m=0 

At first my son was upset about the idea of chicken pot pie. He absolutely despises peas and doesn't enjoy carrots with gravy. My daughter, on the other hand was thrilled. We opted to make a simple thick gravy, I then gave them free reign with flavours. They were in charge. This was their cooking experience. 

We started with a roux, which is simply a mixture of melted butter and flour.  In a frying pan we melted down 1/3 of a cup of butter (I added a finely chopped shallot to the butter) and then added 1/4 of a cup of flour. When these ingredients were well blended, we added 2 cups of chicken broth to the mix, 1/2 tsp of sea salt and 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning. We whisked the ingredients together over medium heat. My son liked the gravy at this point, so we transferred half of the gravy into another pot. My daughter opted to add 1/2 tsp of Herbs de Provence and a sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper. 

My son added 2-3 chunked chicken thighs to his gravy. My daughter added the same amount of chicken plus 1/4 cup of frozen peas and 1/4 cup of cooked carrots. 

We had thawed our tart shells on the counter, while we cooked the chicken pot pie filling.  For each chicken pot pie, we required 2 shells. My daughter made 8 pies and my son, 7. We filled the bottom shell with 2-3 tablespoons of pie filling and then laid a thawed pie shell over the filled bottom shell. The kids then pinched and fork printed the edges of the pie shells. 

We preheated our oven to 425 F. While the oven was heating, I cut slits into the tops of the pies. As a pie needs a way for steam to escape, while it bakes. My kids had made two different flavoured pot pies; this seemed like the perfect opportunity to label their lunchtime snacks. My son's pies were labeled with a "D" and my daughter's, with an "M". We then baked the pies in our preheated oven for 30 minutes. 

 

After the pies cooked and the kids gobbled a few up for lunch, they were packed for the freezer. 

 

When packing lunches, the kids thaw a pie or two over night in the fridge. We warm them in the morning and place them into a thermos, if they opt to not complete this morning task, they happily eat them at room temperature at lunchtime. 

This kitchen project has worked out extremely well for my family!!  My kids are pleased that they created something wonderful in the kitchen and I'm satisfied that they are filling their bellies with a healthy and satiating lunch. 

 

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or concerns, or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below.