Honest Ade Pomegranate Blue Tea - Product Review

Did you know today is Honesty Day?  I didn't know there was such a thing, but okay.

I was asked to do a product review on Honest Ade Pomegranate Blue Tea.  Honest Ade products are all natural and organic.  My daughter, Kaitlin was kind enough to help out with the taste testing since she's a huge fan of anything Pomegranate.

Kaitlin flat out didn't like the tea.  She didn't spit it across the room, she did take two sips and said, "Mom, I don't like it."  I asked her why and what about it didn't she like.  Kaitlin shrugged her shoulders and said she just didn't like it and finished texting her friend.

My findings...the beverage had a Pomegranate flavor, not like Pomegranate juice, but like something "flavored" with Pomegranate.  There was no "tea" taste to be found.

The Honest Ade doesn't taste bad, it just taste like flavored water. 

That's my honest opinion....have a great Honesty Day!

Four Cheese Fatty Mac-N-Cheese!

Cheesy, warm goodness and all is right with the world.  No matter how old the kid in me becomes, I light up at the thought, sight, smell, and taste of this, the ultimate comfort food.

You can play around with the cheeses pick four you like, four you're in the mood for that particular day and enjoy!

1 stick of butter 
1 shallot,  minced
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups half-n-half
1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning - (recommended: Zatarains or Emeril's Essence)
Dash of Hot Sauce - (recommended Louisiana Hot Sauce or Frank's Red Hot Sauce)
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 cup grated Cheddar
4 ounces Gruyere cheese
4 ounces Asiago cheese
1 (16-ounce) box elbow macaroni
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an oven-safe casserole dish.

Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions or until just al dente.

While macaroni is cooking, melt 4 tablespoons of  butter in a 1 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add minced shallots and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the flour to make a roux. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes to cook the flour. Slowly, whisk in the half-n-half. When half-n-half incorporated into the roux, bring up to a low bubble and simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.  You're making a bechemel sauce. Remove saucepan from heat, stir in hot sauce and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Stir until cheese is completely melted and set aside.

Once macaroni is cooked, drain and return macaroni to the pot.  Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the crushed garlic to the macaroni.  Toss the macaroni in the pot until the butter is completely melted.

Combine the remaing cheeses - all but 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, in a bowl.  In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs and the Cajun seasoning.  Set both bowls aside.

Stir cheese mixture into cooked macaroni and thoroughly combined.  Place half of the macaroni in the casserole dish and top with half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with the remaining macaroni and cheese mixture.
Sprinkle bread crumb and Cajun seasoning mixture over the top of the macaroni, then sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the bread crumb mixture.  Optional, you can place small pats of butter over the top of the Parmesan cheese.
Place in preheated 350 degree F oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

5 minutes seems like a life time, sigh!

Smoked Cornish Hens with Citrus Glaze

Remember way back when...you remember when we learned how to use the smoker?  Well, I still like to smoke...pork, chicken and beef.  Although pork is my all time favorite for grilling, barbecuing and smoking, I decided to stray off the beaten ham or pork path for Easter and smoke Cornish hens.  Once I saw this on Down Home with the Neely's, I just knew I had to give this a try.

http://www.skinnyscoop.com/

Cornish hens are cute, and when roasted or smoked, just right so juicy and amazing.  One of the caveats here, is they can be fully cooked in approximately 1-1/2 hours.  That's right boys and girls, you can rip the juveniles away from the chocolate and sugar and get some good smoked protein in them in a snap!

Here's what you need:

1 tablespoon of your favorite grilling dry rub.  Mine is :

             1/2 cups brown sugar
             2 tablespoons
             1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
             1 teaspoon smoked paprika
             1 teaspoon garlic powder
             1 teasspoon onion powder
             1 teaspoon salt
             1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
4 (1 1/2 to 2 pounds) Cornish game hens, washed and dried well
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 teaspoon crush red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon (depending on your taste)

Whisk together the dry rub, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Season the washed and dried game hens with the rub and arrange on a platter or sheet tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Get your smoker and coals ready.  You want to keep the heat at a constant 275 degrees.  Our Easter was fairly windy and I may have over compensated a bit.  (NOTE: I placed my oven thermometer on the grill to get an accurate reading of the cooking temperature.  It was pretty steady at 275 F, but I did manage to get it to 300 F.  The brief increase in temperature didn't seem to affect the cooking time, flavor or outcome of the hens.)

Place hens on the grill and cover. If you've soaked your hickory chips in water for about an hour like I did, throw a generous handful on top of the coals.  Smoke the hens for about 40 minutes.

While the hens are smoking, make the glaze.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter to melt, add the shallots and saute for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the chicken broth and orange juice. Bring to a simmer and let reduce down to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon and be slightly syrupy. Once reduced,  add the apple cider vinegar and hot sauce. Taste for seasoning.

Remove the cover and brush the hens with the glaze, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Cover the grill and smoke for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the hens from the grill, to a serving platter and let rest, covered with foil for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with some potato salad, Macaroni with FOUR Cheeses (later this week), baked beans, sour dough French Bread (next week) and Coconut Cream Cake (soon), no one will even remember the Easter Bunny!

Creole Dijon Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Once you start thinking about preparing a dish flavored with mustard and the bold taste it brings; you realize mustard fills that void for that savory flavor you are craving.  There are so many varieties of mustards to suit a wide array of palates, you can't go wrong.  

Pork tenderloin lends itself to so many types of sauces and flavors.  It's economical, lean, juicy, tender, easy and quick to prepare.

Always trim the "silver skin" from the pork tenderloin prior to cooking or your tenderloin will be one tough piece of meat.

1 (2 to 3 lb.) boneless pork tenderloin

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons Creole mustard or brown grain deli mustard

2 tablespoons Green label Lea & Perrins

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped scallions

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable or Canola oil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

This is my favorite mustard of all time.  It makes great sauces and salad dressings!  If you can't find this in your area, a brown grain deli mustard will work just fine. 

Make this a pantry staple.  It's usually right next to the regular Lea & Perrins.  It's an amazing basting sauce for chicken and pork.  It brings big taste!

 

In a small bowl, mix the mustards, Lea & Perrins, lemon juice, and scallions together.  Add in the fennel seeds.

Add in the ground cinnamon.  Set the sauce aside.  Season the pork loin with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.  Sear the pork loin on all sides, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Brush the mustard sauce on the tenderloin.  Be generous, this is big flavor baby!! 

Roast the tenderloin in the pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  Ok, I went over just a bit, my bad.

Remove from the oven, tent with foil and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Low fat, big flavor, not a heavy meal; perfect for Spring.

I wish all of you a joyous and happy Easter!  I will do my best to get around commenting and appreciate all of your visits and comments.

 

Minestrone di Cipolline (Country Onion Soup)

Sometimes Spring likes to tease us.  We think, "Yay, warm weather; no more bulky coats!".  Then a cold front blows through behind a terrible storm and it's cold, gray and windy outside.

The upside, yes, there is an upside; is you get to make and eat some delicious soup!

I found this amazing soup recipe in Ciao Tuscany by Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola, the owner and head chef, respectively of Carrabba's Restuarant.


This was a very simple soup to prepare and I loved the Italian version of an onion soup (and pasta) and its  departure from a typical minestrone.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomator puree'
6 cups beef broth (vegetable broth can be substituted)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
8 ounces spaghetti, vermicelli or angel hair pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

In a large pot or Dutch oven, saute the onions over medium-high heat in the olive oil until they start to carmelize, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook one more minute.  Stir in the tomato puree' and cook for about 5 minutes.  Slowly add in the broth, stirring to thoroughly blend.  Bring soup up to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the soup is simmering,  break the pasta in half and reserve.  Once the soup has simmered for 30 minutes, uncover and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the sugar 1 teaspoon at time and taste.  The sugar will neutralize the acid taste of the tomato puree'.  It's important to taste in between so you don't change to flavor of the soup.

Bring soup back up to a boil and stir in the pasta. Cook until al dente.  Add more broth if necessary to achieve desired consistancy.

Serve with some crusty bread and have plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano to pass around.

Grilled Artichoke Salad with Ricotta and Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Did you think I would actually show up here on a Monday and not have something out of this world crazy good and a little more health conscious?  Since the weather is warming up and we're getting outside again and getting ourselves bikini ready, I thought I throw this salad out there to see what you think.

Artichokes say spring to me.  Usually I'm stuffing them, but today I'm grilling them and man oh man, you HAVE to try this.

Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons Pepper Jelly
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the Pepper Jelly in a microwave safe container.  Place in the microwave for 10 seconds to loosen the jelly.  Whisk in apple cider vinegar.  Whisking continuously, slowly and evenly stream in olive oil (you want the emulsify the olive oil with the vinegar and jelly).  Season to taste with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Drain one can of quartered artichoke hearts, toss them in 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper to taste.You just want to coat the artichoke hearts and not have them swimming in liquid.

Not a pretty picture, but then who says only pretty is good?  Place a grill pan with holes on your grill and cook the artichoke hearts over moderate heat.  Leave the lid open, but this won't take long.

Flip the artichoke hearts every couple of minutes and once they are nicely browned, remove and set aside.

To assemble the salad, use whatever greens you like; I added chopped cucumber, celery and red onion to mine.  Add a few dollips of low-fat ricotta cheese and then place the hot artichoke hearts on top to melt the ricotta a little bit.  Drizzle with Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette and you have a meal that will make you feel so satisfied.

 

Boston Cream Pie

You came here because you and I are so health conscious and we're all watching our calories and cholesterol...yeah, right. 

Boston Cream Pie is one of those decadent, guilty pleasures.  You either enjoy it at a restaurant or when you pick one up in the freezer section or bakery counter at your grocery store.  How many times have you thought about going into the kitchen and whipping up this beast?

Thanks to Bobby Flay's Throwdown, I have done it exactly once, so far...

One thing I learned while watching my husband and children devour this crazy looking cake, it's all about the cream and the chocolate.  The cake, well the cake is just a vessel. 
After deciding to attempt to make this dessert, knowing the cake part wasn't what it was all about, I opted for the convenience of a yellow cake mix waiting in the pantry. 

Watching the assembly portion of the cake really got my attention.  The actual baking, pastry cream and ganache methods, I put together from various recipes I have used in the past.  Give this a try sometime, just be careful, it's addictive.

Boston Cream Pie:


For the cake:

Prepare your favorite white or yellow cake per package or recipe directions in two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.  Allow cake to cool, remove from pans, place on cake rounds or plates.

While the cake is baking, prepare the pastry cream.

Pastry cream:

2 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter

In a saucepan, whisk 2 cups of the milk and sugar together. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the liquid up to a simmer, in a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Temper the hot milk into the egg yolks about two tablespoons at a time. Whisk the egg mixture into the hot milk mixture. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining milk, making a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the hot milk mixture. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the filling is thick, about 4 to 6 minutes. Fold in the vanilla, and butter. Mix well.

Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate

Place the ingredients into a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Whisk until melted and smooth.

Assembly

Place the cooled cakes on top of each other (bottoms - flat sides together) and place on a cake round. Using a serrated knife, hollow out the middle of the cake about 1 to 1-1/2 inch deep leaving about a 3/4 inch border around the edge of the cake.  Place the cut out on a plate and cut into big chunks and set aside.  Fill the cavity with the pastry cream and create a small mound in the middle. Pile the cake pieces on top of the pastry cream. Pour warm ganache over the entire surface until covered. Let the cake rest for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Monday we will eat lighter!

Cook Book Winners and Roasted Potato Salad

First, the winners of Jennifer Chandler's Cookbook, Simply Suppers!!!

Larry from Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings

Lynn from What's Cooking on the Mommy Porch

April from Polka Dot 'n Pinky Swears 

Congratulations Larry, Lynn, and April.  Email your addresses to me and we'll get the books right out to you.

Thank all of you for participating.  This was a fantastic and fun cookbook to review.

 I came across this recipe from Paula Deen.  She originally did it with a blue cheese sauce and since I can't stand blue cheese in any way shape or form, I substituted goat cheese.  Don't judge!  I also think crumbled Feta cheese would be great in this sauce also.

The major pluses are NO PEELING and NO BOILING.  Does potato salad get any better?  Oh yes it does.  Once you taste this, it will become part of your family favorites.

 

2-1/2 lbs.pounds russet or red potatoes (I figure one potato per person and then an extra potato or two for leftovers)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Goat Cheese Sauce recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large shallow roasting pan with nonstick aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, tossing gently to coat. Arrange the potatoes, in a single layer, on the prepared pan. Bake until potatoes are tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally, for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions; cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and add the vinegar. Stir until the vinegar evaporates, about 5 minutes.

In a large serving bowl, combine the potatoes, onions, remaining salt and pepper and Goat Cheese Sauce. Serve or cover and refrigerate to serve later. It’s better to bring to room temperature before serving.

Goat Cheese Sauce

3/4 cup mayonnaise
4 to 5 ounces crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a small bowl, slightly whisk or stir to combine the mayonnaise, goat cheese, sour cream, horseradish, and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Just in time for Easter!

Crawfish Pie - Gonna Have Big Fun on the Bayou!

Down in Cajun country, folks are serious about where they get their crawfish.  My husband for instance, thinks the best crawfish come from Belle River.  Belle River runs through Assumption Parish in south central Louisiana. 

When we order crawfish for a boil, he will only buy Belle River crawfish; A.J. says the water is cleaner and therefore the crawfish are cleaner.  A.J. can look at the crawfish and pretty much tell where they are from.  To me, a crawfish is a crawfish is a crawfish.  A.J. definitely boils crawfish like a hoss and likes nothing better than to boil seafood in the backyard, drink a few beers and hang out with friends.

You know I couldn't let Lent go by without a crawfish recipe! This definitely rocks!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
4 tablespoons flour
1 onion, diced
¼ cup brandy
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ green bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1-1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 bay leaf
½ cup seafood stock or bottled clam juice
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 lb. peeled crawfish tails in fat
2 dashes of hot sauce (Louisiana Hot Sauce, Crystal Hot Sauce or Franks)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 9-inch pie dough or prepared pie shell

Make a roux by heating the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour until it is thoroughly combined, Cook the roux by stirring constantly until the roux is lightly brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the onions and cook until the onions begin to soften and the roux turns a golden brown. Add the brandy and cook until evaporated, about one minute.

Add the bell pepper, celery, salt, cayenne, black pepper tomatoes and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and allow to simmer another 3 to minutes.

Stirring constantly, slowly add the seafood stock/clam juice and cream. Allow to simmer and reduce the the sauce by half.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the crawfish, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce, thoroughly blend. Allow filling to cool momentarily. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Liberally butter a 9-inch pie baking dish. Gently fit pie dough into prepared pie dish. Place pie dish on a baking sheet. Fill the

Pssssstt, here's a napkin, wipe your chin and the keyboard!

Chicken Tetrazzini

This the the last in the series of recipes I am posting on my review of Simply Suppers by Jennifer Chandler.  There are quite a few other recipes in this cookbook I can't wait to try and I will post them. 

Also, don't forget to comment for a chance to win one of three of Jennifer Chandler's cookbook, Simply Suppers that Smoky Mountain Cafe is giving away.  Drawing is April 12, 2011, winner will be announced no later than noon, April 13, 2011.

This Chicken Tetrazzini recipe is without a doubt the best one I have tasted so far.  Timing is the most important factor with this recipe.  Read the recipe over carefully before you start and plan to get everything timed just right. 

It is also the most labor intensive Chicken Tetrazzini recipe I have made.  A two-hour commitment on my part was kind of tough on a weeknight, especially after working all day and coming home and feeding the dog, doing laundry my children didn't get to and trying to DVR "The Kennedys" mini-series and along with  watching the results on "American Idol".

Another plus, this is an economical dish and can make one pack of chicken breast tenders or boneless, skinless chicken thighs go a long way.  A meal that feeds a crowd!  If you decide to make Chicken Tetrazzini for entertaining, your guests will sing your praises for a long, long time.

Does this picture get your attention?  Oh, yes we have leftovers and I dreaming of another plate of this cheesy, goooey, chicken goodness!

4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided, plus extra for the casserole dish and topping.  (I used salted butter, it's what I had on hand, plus I like the extra slightly salt taste.)

1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced very thin
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I seared 1 package  - 1 1/2 lbs. - of chicken breast tenders - it wound up being a little more than 2 cups)
1 (16 ounce) box linguine, cooked per package directions
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the chicken and set aside.  (I seasoned mine with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil  and heat skillet over medium-high heat.  Sear on each side for approximately 4 to 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  Shred while the veggies are cooking.  I sued the same skillet to cook the veggies.  The veggies cooking along with the chicken bits left in the skillet made for some awesome smalls in the kitchen.)

Preheat the oven to 425-degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan and bread crumbs.  Set aside.

Get the water boiling and cook the linguine.

In a large (high-sided) saucepan over medium-high heat, melt one tablespoon of butter and the oil.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and they become slightly golden, about 10 minutes.  Add the onion, garlic, and thyme.  Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. (This smells incredible.  The recipe didn't call for it, but I HAD to season this with salt and pepper to taste at this point.) Add the wine and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a LARGE bowl.  Add the shredded chicken, cooked linguine, peas, 2 tablespoons of parsley and set aside.

In the same pan used for the mushrooms, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat.  When the butter starts to foam, add the flour and cook whisking until thickened, about one minute.

A couple of notes here; when butter and flour is combined like this, you wind up with a globby hunk of dough.  I'm a purist when it comes to making a roux.  Add a tablespoon of oil and the roux will be much easier to work.   At medium-low, it will take forever for the roux to cook, even in a cast iron skillet.  Make the roux over medium or medium-high heat.  Also, please cook the roux for more than one minute to deepen the flavor which is the whole point in making a roux.  Keep whisking and cook it for at least five minutes to cook off the flour taste and allow the deeper nutty taste to evolve.

While continuing to whisk , gradually add the milk, heavy cream and chicken stock.  Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Pour the sauce over the pasta mixture, and toss until well combined.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley evenly over the pasta.  Top with thinly sliced pats of butter.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  (Place a baking sheet under baking dish when placing in the oven, there's a lot of liquid in the dish and at 425 degrees, it will bubble over in the oven.)

Enjoy and have a fantastic weekend!!!

Cheeseburger Pie from Simply Suppers and Yes, A GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

Okay, to be honest when Kaitlin picked this one, let's just say, it's not one I would have picked but I had to humor the kid.  She saw something I didn't and I was very pleasantly surprised to say the least with this supper from Simply Suppers by Jennifer Chandler.  I did have to make a few "adjustments", just being me.
This is an amazing supper if you have to make dinner on the fly and not cheat your family out of flavor and nutrition and make sure you have plenty of leisure time afterward.

What you need:

1 unbaked pie crust (9-inch), homemade or store-bought
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound lean gorund beef
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly fround black pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup small curd cottage cheese (I substituted 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese)
2 medium tomatoes
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Before we start, I have to confess, I can't stand tomatoes unless they are cooked, roasted or in a sauce.  If they are raw, forget it. 

Slice the tomatoes, drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and two cloves of inced garlic.  Roast them in a 375 degree oven for about 40 to 45 minutes.  Set them aside and allow them to cool.

Ok even though I'm not a tomato fan, these make me drool...talk about make your house smell wonderful also!

Preheat the oven to 395 degrees.

Place pice crust in a deep-dish pie plate.  Flue the edges if you want.  Place the prepared pie crust in the fridge until you're ready to fill.  Margie, you probably need about eight of these .

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil and add the gound beef and onion.  Cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon until all of the meat is cooked through. 

Drain all excess fat, return the meat in the skillet to the stove and stir in the flour and Worchestershore sauce.  Spoon the mixture into the pie crust.



In a small bowl stir together the eggs and cottage cheese (I substituted ricotta cheese and a spinkle of salt and pepper).

Spoon the cheese mixture evenly over the beef.

Arrange the tomatoes over the cheese mixture.

Sprinkle the sharp cheddar cheese evenly over the top.

Bake until set, about 30 minutes.

Serve and watch your family kiss the ground you walk on.

Leave a comment, and if you're a follower, leave two comments.  Okay, I'm a comment junkie...NOT!!!  If you're a Duck that's a pie fiend and talented writer leave three.  I have three, yep, count them three Simply Suppers cookbooks to give away.  Drawing is Tuesaday, April 12th, my oldest baby's 17 birthday!!!  The birthday girl will randomly pick the winner. Believe me, I don't look old enough to be the mother of a 17 year-old.