Shepherd’s Pie

Sandra Sells — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 15:38:13 +0000

When growing up, there were three or four favorite recipes that we repeatedly made in my mother’s house, and I bet your family did the same thing. These days, I find myself going through seasons where certain meals in our house are repeated. I think it’s because they’ve become our family favorites, especially for the weeknights. Kodi and I find food to be our creative outlet and something that inspires us as part of living well and loving well. We love to cook and make new creations in the kitchen, but sometimes you just need to make that family favorite you have made so many times before. The kids love it, and you usually have the ingredients in the fridge or freezer. The dishes that were my favorites when I was growing up were definitely chili, taco bowls, barbeque meats, salad and my mother’s famous shepherd’s pie. Today, I thought I would share with you one of our family favorites – our Simply Sells shepherd’s pie. My father is a British man straight out of Yorkshire, England. My mother is a Colombian lady who found herself in England at a very young age. It’s in England where my mother met my father. She picked up a few good recipes along the way that have found their way into our kitchen at the Sells house. I wouldn’t call them generational traditions, just good home cooking inspired by a combination of both the Hispanic and British sides of my parents. Shepherd’s pie is made traditionally with lamb. In our house we tend to use beef. We still call it shepherd’s pie like my mother did, but some might say our version is more like cottage pie since we use beef. Sometimes I lighten it up a bit and use ground turkey for the meat or mashed cauliflower for the potatoes. Whether ground beef or turkey, mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower this recipe is the real deal and full of flavor and deliciousness. Be ready to indulge! A bit of History… Shepherd’s pie was created in the 1800’s in England. It’s a very sneaky dish that may have come about just to cover up leftovers with mashed potatoes, and then served to the family as a new meal. Genius if you ask me! I love it since I am always trying to make sure I use everything in the fridge, to limit waste. We could learn from those mommas that may have lived through lean times. Even though we may not live in lean times at the moment, one thing we have learned is that it’s important to stretch out meals and, when needed, feed a neighbor or someone in need. Making Shepherd’s Pie To make our Simply Sells shepherd’s pie, I start by melting the oil and butter in a Dutch oven pot. I like using a Dutch oven because I can make the whole recipe right in the same pot – anything to save a dish in my opinion (who likes doing the dishes). This also makes it easy to store the leftovers because you can just cover the pot with the lid. After the butter and oil melts, add your onions and carrots, and then sauté them until softened and the color begins to brown. Next, stir in the tomato paste and let it begin to deepen in color for a couple minutes without burning. Toss in the garlic – take a minute to inhale the aroma coming from the pan. Wow! Add the lean beef, Worcestershire sauce, broth, salt and seasonings. Let it all start to combine and bubble up on the stove, and then stir in the peas. Top it with your favorite mashed potatoes. I have the recipe and ingredients listed for how we make ours, which has a coarse texture as I prefer hand mashing, which tends to leave some lumps. When I top the dish, I like to create peaks in the mashed potatoes like my mother always did. I then sprinkle the top with a most delicious cheese, to create a beautiful masterpiece. This shepherd’s pie is great to make ahead and freeze for another day. Along with being delicious, I love it because the leftovers are just as good as on the first day. I hope you enjoy our Simply Sells shepherd’s pie. It really packs a hearty punch and sneaks in yummy veggies.

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Turkey Farro Soup

Sandra Sells — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 18:55:13 +0000

There is nothing like all the preparation leading up to a holiday meal, or the memories created together with your loved ones that keep family traditions alive. Keeping traditions alive is very honoring to those who have gone before us. This turkey farro soup in our household is one of those traditions! Holiday Traditions One tradition that I love is making my mother’s millionaire shortbread (also known as caramel squares) during Christmas time. It’s a recipe that will make its debut on Simply Sells very soon, as Christmas approaches. The millionaire shortbread is so absolutely delicious you can’t stop eating them. Before Christmas though comes Thanksgiving! For Thanksgiving this year we want to share a recipe for what to do with your leftover turkey. I mean, there is nothing like loading up another plate of Thanksgiving food for round two, pouring on the gravy and buttering up those rolls that your grandmother made, but we figured let’s shake things up a little bit. We often enjoy this soup with our homemade Challah Bread that we make traditionally every Thanksgiving. Did I mention that I am definitely a soup person? I could have it multiple times a week. Not only can soup be delicious but it can also be a great way to make sure that you are eating your vegetables. It’s also a great way to feed the little ones a variety of foods that prioritize nutrition. Every year in November, when turkey goes on sale, Kodi and I have made it a tradition to buy a few small turkeys that we put in the deep freezer to cook throughout the year. This way we don’t have to wait another 12 months before we have a delicious roasted turkey meal. Every time we cook a turkey, we are always thinking of ways to extend the meal and creatively use all the leftovers. Sometimes we even cook extra turkey just for the leftovers. For quite a few years, we have turned our leftover turkey into a delicious turkey soup. This turkey farro soup became our ultimate after-Thanksgiving turkey meal! We are sticklers for making meals with as much homemade flavor and healthy ingredients as possible. This turkey farro soup recipe is very simple and carries a lot of the familiar flavors you may be used to. Simple is good after a big holiday of very hard work. Make your own stock We begin by making our own turkey stock. If you’re in a rush you can just purchase a good quality store bought stock. To make your own stock, put all the leftover turkey bones, organs, and neck in a large stock pot, and then add 12-14 cups of water. Bring the liquid and turkey parts to a boil. Add in four carrots, four celery stalks, and one onion. (All chopped in very large pieces as you will strain and discard the ingredients at the end.) Then add one tablespoon of Italian seasoning, one tablespoon of salt, and pepper to taste. Bring everything back to a rolling boil, and then turn the stock down to simmer for a minimum of 4-6 hours. For a deeper richer flavor, you can simmer it for up to 12 hours on low. When ready, strain the liquid through a sieve or cheese cloth and you will have the most delicious turkey stock. Recipe After preparing the turkey stock, warm some olive oil over medium heat. I like to use my favorite large coated Dutch oven. While the olive oil is heating, chop the fresh carrots, celery, and onions into small even pieces. Throw the vegetables into the olive oil, and then sauté them until they are soft and starting to caramelize. There is tons of flavor in the browning on the bottom of the pan. Beware of burning because you don’t want your veggies to disintegrate. Add the chopped garlic to the vegetables then sauté until the garlic is softened. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle some turkey stock into the pan to deglaze it and keep as much of the pan flavors as possible. Add thinly chopped dill, shredded or cubed cooked leftover turkey, and the rest of your freshly made turkey stock. Simmer the soup for at least 30 minutes. Years back we discovered a grain called farro, which is like couscous or rice. It can be used in many ways. We find it gives this soup the perfect hearty “stay in” winter touch. Add the farro then cook the soup for an additional 10 minutes. Serve the soup with your favorite loaf of crusty, buttery, bread and enjoy!

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turkey Archives - Simply Sells Kitchen

Shepherd’s Pie

Turkey Farro Soup