Recipe Box: Turkey Shepherd's Pie

 (A view of my backyard while making dinner one evening in February. Looks like we need to fill the bird feeder!)

This is a recipe I have played with a couple of times. It started as one of those where you look in your refrigerator and your pantry to figure out something to feed your family. When my eyes landed on the frozen ground turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, I knew I had something. This is easy and adaptable. I hope you try it!

Here is what's for dinner:

Turkey Shepherd's Pie
by Amy Dotson

1 - 1.25 lbs ground turkey
1/2 medium onion - chopped small
2 carrots - chopped small
1 celery stalk - chopped small
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
1 pkg chicken stuffing - prepared according to the box instructions
4-5 potatoes - made into mashed potatoes
2 pkgs turkey or chicken gravy (optional) or make your own gravy.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish (or two 8x8 pans and freeze one!)

2. Put oil and butter in a pan on medium-high heat.

3. Add onions, carrots, celery. When soft, add ground turkey (sometimes I will also add about 1/4 cup water for more moisture). Cook until meat is browned and cooked through.

 (While meat is cooking, make the mashed potatoes)

 4. Add prepared stuffing to meat/veg mixture. Stir until combined then pour into baking dish(es).

5. Shmear the mashed potatoes over your meat/veg mixture. Pour the prepared gravy over the top OR serve on the side when done baking OR leave it out completely.

6. Bake in 350 degree oven for approx. 30 minutes. It should be lightly browned on top.
We like to serve it with a side of cranberry sauce and my "better then C*mbells" green beans (Seriously. No canned soup. No crunchy onions. I can give you the recipe if you want it).

Voila! Dinner is served. Your family will love it!

You will thank me later.

Can I have your attention please?!

Announcing, the latest and greatest in meeting your meal planning needs!

I proudly introduce you to my cousins Cammie and Emily from "Pocket Full of Posies".

These two innovative women and have found a way to solve the ever present problem of feeding your family on a budget (of both time and money!). In a most creative (and wallet friendly) fashion, they have come up with a system that includes weekly meals, the recipes and the weekly SHOPPING LISTS. What a time saver for the rest of us!

Each system you buy includes the following (as stated on their site):

"The monthly pocket system is divided into 4 weekly pockets. The first pocket represents week 1 of the month, the second pocket represents week 2, and so on. 

Each pocket will be filled with a recipe pack to be used that week.

A recipe pack includes 5 recipes and 1 ingredient list.

An ingredient list categorizes every ingredient from each of the 5 recipes in the recipe pack.

Also, on the back of each of those recipes is an individual ingredient list."

How cool is that? What would it mean to you to save all that time and money? For me, that time and money is priceless. It means less attention spent with my nose in a recipe book or online searching for something different to feed my family. It means being able to save some money each month for a rainy day. I would like to tell you why this system works, in their own words"

"Why the System Works

Planning meals ahead saves time, saves money, and keeps your family consistently fed.

Why the pocket system saves time:
1. All of your recipes are in one place; no need to spend hours searching through dusty old cook books, trying to make a meal plan.
2. Your grocery list is 75% complete.

Why the Pocket System saves money:
1. Because the meals are planned for the month, there is no need to stray from your grocery shopping list each week.
2. Each recipe pack contains 1-2 extremely low cost meals for the week.

Why the Pocket System keeps your family consistently fed:
1. If you follow the Pocket System and grocery shopping each week, you will have all necessary ingredients to make each meal.
2. The meals are planned, there’s no excuse to not cook!"

So, my devoted readers, please take the time to check these ladies out. You will thank me later!

(grab a button for YOUR site while you're there!)

(Stay tuned for a coming giveaway!)

Orange Julius

I work with the youth in my church. On Tuesday nights we gather for fun and enriching activities. Tonight we had a Progressive "Breakfast" and talked about the importance of gaining knowledge in order to become a refined, interesting, and well-rounded person. There are three of us leaders so we each took a "leg" of the breakfast. We started at my place with smoothies.

I really, REALLY, REALLY love smoothies. We have them a lot. Maybe not as much as these guys, but a lot none the less. So, back to tonight. I decided to do my version of an "orange julius" for our smoothie. Oh boy, was it yummy! When I got home I had to make another round for my family. Here is the SIMPLE recipe:

6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup powdered sugar (some people like using 1/2 cup-too sweet for me)
1 tsp vanilla
8 ice cubes (I add as many as I need till it's my desired consistency)

1. Combine all ingredients, except the ice cubes, in blender.
2. Blend 1-2 minutes, adding ice one (a bit) at a time, until smooth.
3. Poor in your desired, festive, smoothie glass, pop in a straw and you are ready to go!

Please, go now and make this. I will stay here and wait for you... (insert jeopardy theme song)

Did you make it? Did you like it? I must know what you thought of it!

My young women thought it was "awesome!" and that's good enough for me. Everyone knows 12-18 year olds are tough crowd to please.

Anyway, after my place we walked to the 2nd house where we had fruit and a divine dip of cream cheese mixed with brown sugar. So simple and yet SO delicious. Please, go and try the fruit dip also. At the 3rd and final house we had crepes filled with all sorts of yumminess like raspberries, cherries, whipped cream and powdered sugar..

For the "educational" part of the evening, as I mentioned earlier, we talked about the importance of gaining knowledge in order to become a refined, interesting, and well-rounded person. At each house we shared a message. At the final house we also had a small survey asking the girls what they want to be when they "grow-up" and few other questions. Our plan is to use the info they gave us to arrange some fun and different activities for the month of September as we focus on Knowledge. It was a fantastic evening, although it went longer then planned.

How did you spend your Tuesday night?!