Just Another Manic Monday.....

I must say, I left Gene some pretty sketchy instructions for tonight's dinner, Turkey Shepherd's Pie, because I was in a hurry and had to leave the house earlier than I thought, but he did an excellent job, nonetheless. The original recipe is a Rachael Ray one, but I did not have all of the ingredients that she used so I quickly wrote up my own version for Gene to make tonight since I was not home in time to cook dinner.

After I ate my dinner, I whipped up a few batches of different types of cookie dough to freeze. I love to bake Christmas cookies but just do not have the time like I used to, so I decided to make the dough a head of time and bake the cookies as needed. I've never done this before..so I do hope it works out. Wish me luck!

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

2 TBS olive oil
2 pounds ground turkey
2 tsp poultry seasoning (we did not have that so Gene used Season All)
salt & pepper
instant mashed potatoes (make according to package directions for 6 servings)
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped (I only had frozen carrots..about 2 cups)
4 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
2 cups turkey or chicken stock/broth
a few dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 box frozen peas
a few dashes of hot sauce
2 cups sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425. In an oven safe, dutch oven, heat the olive oil over med. high heat. Add the ground turkey, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Season w/ salt, pepper and poultry seasoning (or season all).

Add onions and carrots to turkey. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes.

While veggies are cooking, heat 2 TBS butter in small pan over med. heat. Add flour to melted butter and whisk for 1 minute. Whisk in stock/broth and season w/ salt, pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Turn heat to low and let thicken for a few minutes; whisking to avoid lumps.

Stir peas into meat and veggie mixture. Cook 1 minute then turn heat off.

Top meat mixture with the potatoes. Cover the potatoes with the cheese and set in the oven. Bake for about 5 minutes, just until the cheese is melted.


Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies (This is one of the recipes I made this evening. It is a Paula Dean recipe. I've never made the cookies before and am hoping that once I do bake the dough...they will be yummy!)

1 pk cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 (18 oz) box moist chocolate cake mix
Confectioner's sugar

Pre heat oven to 350. In a large bowl beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Then beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Once chilled and firm, roll into tablespoon sized balls and then roll in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioner's sugar if desired.