Bangers and Mash with Whiskey Cream Gravy

A taste of Great Britain!  Very good and satisfying.  My version here is a little bit lighter because I use Chicken and Apple Sausage.  You can also use regular Sweet Italian Sausage or Turkey Sausage.  We also just like the flavor of the Chicken Apple Sausage.  To make this dish you will need:
8 large baking potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 teaspoons butter, divided

1/2 cup milk, or as needed

salt and pepper to taste

2 packages of alfresco Chicken Sausage with Apple

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup diced onions

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

1/2 cup whiskey

1/2 cup beef stock or broth

Dash of salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 lite half and half

1.)  Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, and mash with 1 teaspoon of butter, and enough milk to reach your desired creaminess. Continue mashing, or beat with an electric mixer, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and keep warm.

2.)  Making the gravy:  Cook the onions in the 2 tablespoons butter with the tablespoon of thyme. in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. When the onions are brown, move the pot off the burner.

Pour in the whiskey. As soon as it evaporates, turn the burner on medium-high heat and pour in the beef stock. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then allow the mixture to bubble up and reduce by half.  Whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter, then reduce the heat to low. Whisk in 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup cream, according to your taste. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for a few minutes.
3.)  Turn on your broiler.  Broil the sausage 6-9 minutes (for this brand) turning frequently.
4.)  Plate up the bangers by spooning up some mashed potatoes.  Top the potatoes with gravy and then place some sausage on top.
 

Stuffed Cabbage, deconstructed

Love stuffed cabbage but don't make it because it's so labor intense?  Turn it into a casserole and you'll dinner to the table in no time.  In this version I have also reduced the calories so it's good for you!  To make this dish you will need:

1 large head of cabbage shredded

2 onions, chopped

1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

salt and pepper

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lb. ground turkey

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

1 large jar of good marinara sauce

1/2 jar full of water

1.)  Heat oven to 350°F.
2.)  Cook and stir cabbage and onions in dressing in large skillet on medium heat 5 to 10 min. or until tender. Remove from skillet.
3.)  Brown turkey and the garlic in the same skillet. Season with Salt and pepper.  Stir in rice, sauce and water until blended. Layer 1/3 of the cabbage mixture and half the meat mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish. Repeat layers; top with remaining cabbage mixture. Cover.
4.)  Bake for 1 hour. Serve.

Shrimp Enchiladas

This is a Campbell's recipe I recently tried.  It was so good I decided to share it with you!  We love shrimp and we love Mexican.  This is a perfect combination!  To make this entree you will need:
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch green onion, chopped
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can (about 4 ounces) chopped green chiles
1 jar (4 ounces) diced pimientos
1 can  Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup                                        
1 can Condensed Cream of Shrimp Soup
1 package cream cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
10 flour tortillas (8-inch)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1.)  Heat oven to 325 degrees. 
2.)  Heat the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the shrimp and cook until they're cooked through. Stir in the chiles, half the pimientos, the soups, cream cheese and white pepper and cook until the cream cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
3.)  Divide the shrimp mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place, seam-side down, into a lightly greased 3-quart shallow baking dish. Spoon the remaining shrimp mixture over the filled enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining pimientos and the cheese.
4.)  Bake for 30 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling.
 

                                                                                                           

Chicken Kiev

This old school dish is not for the dieter!  But once in a while, this kind of entree is very soothing.  It's not hard but requires planning.  It is also excellent for a sit down dinner party.  To make this you will need:
8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning chicken
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 large whole eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs plus 1/4 cup for filling
Vegetable oil, for frying

1.)  Combine butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, chives, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper mix well. Place mixture on plastic wrap or waxed paper and roll into small log; place in freezer.

2.)  Place chicken breasts, 1 at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound to no less than 1/8-inch thickness. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.
3.)  Lay 1 chicken breast on a new piece of plastic wrap and place 1/4 of the herbed butter and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs in the center of each breast. Using the plastic wrap to assist, fold in ends of breast and roll breast into a log, completely enclosing the butter; roll very tightly. Repeat with each breast. Place chicken in refrigerator for 2 hours, or up to overnight.
4.)  Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a 12-inch fry/saute pan over medium-high heat until oil reaches 375 degrees.
5.)  Place egg and water mixture in 1 shallow bowl and 2 cups bread crumbs in a different shallow bowl.  Dip each breast in the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. Gently place each breast in oil, sealed-side down, and cook until golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove to a rack set over a cookie pan and allow to drain for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Pot Pies

This is another old school recipe that I dragged back out.  My husband used to love this and still does.  As he was eating this he asked that I add it back into the rotation.  When the kids were younger I used to have to make two boxes of the Pepperidge Farm Patty shells it was so popular!  To make this dish you will need:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup white wine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1 cup defrosted peas

1 package Pepperidge Farm Patty shells

1.)  In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.  When cool enough to handle, cube the chicken.
2.)  Following the directions on the package, bake the patty shells.
3.)  While you are baking the shells, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.   Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and wine. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Add in the cubed chicken, carrots, celery and peas.  Simmer until heated through.
4.)  Take the tops off the pastry shells.  Pull out the "doughy" centers.  Fill the shells with the chicken mixture, top with the shell lid and serve.

Stew Stuffed Potatoes - Crockpot recipe

Very good stick to the ribs dinner.  It is a strange combo of cooking and is a bit time consuming, but very well worth the time and effort.  To make this dish you will need:
8 cups low-sodium beef stock
4 large Idaho potatoes
Olive oil
2 pounds beef cubes (can use chuck) cut into 1-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Water, as needed
1 package of frozen pearl onions
1 8 ounce slice mushrooms
Pam
1 tablespoon creamy horseradish sauce
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1.)  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2.)  Put the beef stock in a large pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, leaving 4 cups.
3.)  Pat the meat pieces dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Put the meat, onions, mushrooms and the reduced stock in a crock pot. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
4.)  Put the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and cook until tender, about 45-60 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in half lengthwise and using a spoon, remove the potato flesh and reserve, leaving 1/2-inch thick rim around the edges. Spray the baking sheet with Pam and put potato shells on it, cut side down; bake until the cut side is golden brown and skin is crispy, about 20 minutes.
4.)  To the reserved potatoe flesh mash with the horseradish cream and buter until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and mix well.
5.)  Remove a 1/2 cup of the stock from the crockpot, mix with the 2 tablespoons of flour until smooth.  Stir back into the crockpot to thicken the stew.
6.)  Ladle the stew into the potato bowls, top with a spoon of mashed potatoes and enjoy.

Pork Wellington

This is truly amazing, and really easy!  This is an Alton Brown recipe that I decided to try.  It was so good, I had to share it with you.  The recipe didn't have a gravy, but it's okay, I added a semi homemade easy one!  Give this one a try, you won't be disappointed!  To make this you will need:

1 whole egg

1 tablespoon water

1-ounce dried apple rings

1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1 pound

4 1/2 ounces thinly slice prosciutto ham

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed completely

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

1 package pork gravy mix

1 cup apple cider

1.)  Preheat to 400 degrees.
2.)  Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl and set aside. Place the apple rings into the bowl of a mini food processor and process for 30 to 45 seconds or until they are the size of a medium dice. Set aside.
3.)  Trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat and silver skin. Slice the tenderloin down the middle lengthwise, almost all the way through
4.)  Lay out a 12 by 16-inch piece of parchment paper on the counter and arrange the pieces of prosciutto in the center, overlapping them enough to create solid layer that is as long as the tenderloin. Top with a second piece of parchment, and using a rolling pin, roll over the prosciutto to help adhere the pieces to each other. Remove the parchment paper and sprinkle the prosciutto with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Set the tenderloin down the middle of the prosciutto. Spread the dried apples in between the 2 pieces of tenderloin and push back together so the apples are held between them. Using the parchment paper to assist, wrap the prosciutto around the tenderloin to completely enclose in a package.
5.)  Sprinkle the counter with flour and roll out the pastry to 12 by 14 inches. Spread the mustard thinly in the center of pastry and lay the prosciutto wrapped tenderloin in the center of the pastry on the mustard. Fold the puff pastry up and over the top of the tenderloin, then roll to completely enclose, brushing the edges of the pastry with the egg wash in order to seal. Turn the tenderloin over so the side of the tenderloin with the double thickness of pastry is underneath. Pinch the ends of the pastry to seal.
6.)  I used a rack over a lined sheet so that the bottom of the crust got golden brown also.  Brush the entire pastry with the egg wash. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees.
7.)  Remove the tenderloin from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.   While the tenderoloin is resting, in a small saucepan combine the gravy mix and the apple cider.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the gravy forms.