A few reader’s requests

Dear Readers: Sorry about last week…I was a little under the weather and my back up plan fell through. Thanks for all the calls of concern. Take care and I’ll be seeing you around…Agnes 

Today I am going to share a few Reader Requests…enjoy.

Easy Classic Shepherd’s Pie

Thanks for the request…since I have never made this dish I went to an old reference point of mine, Mother Earth News…Agnes

Reader Contribution to Mother Earth News by Valerie Boese

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

3 Tablespoons diced onion

2 cups beef broth room temperature

4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

6 cups mashed potatoes (Mash the potatoes with buttermilk for a buttery flavor.)

16-ounces mixed vegetables (corn, green beans, carrots, and peas)

1 cup bread crumbs or cracker crumbs

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Parsley to garnish

Instructions: Brown hamburger in a pan with diced onion, salt, and pepper, cooking until meat it is fully cooked. Remove hamburger from pan, leaving one tablespoon of fat in frying pan*. Add hamburger to 9-by-12 baking dish and top with the mixed vegetables. Heat the frying pan on medium heat. Add flour to one cup of beef broth, blending with a fork or wire whip until smooth. Pour this mixture into frying pan and cook a few minutes, then add remainder of beef broth and cook about five minutes more until it thickens. Pour over vegetables and hamburger. Spread mashed potatoes over hamburger and vegetable mixture, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake in 375 degrees preheated oven for 20 minutes, then remove from oven, top with cheese, and place back in oven to bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove baking dish from oven, let sit 10 minutes before serving, garnish with parsley, and serve.

*If there was no fat left over after browning the hamburger, add a tablespoon of butter or cooking oil to the pan and heat up on medium heat.

Mexican Chicken Salad

(This is one of my favorites as well as everyone that has eaten it at my house.)

4 chicken breast (cooked, skinned, boned, and chopped. Mix with the following:

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheese*

Pour in a buttered casserole

Top with 1 more cup of shredded cheese*

Bake at 350 degrees until it is heated through (The cheese will be melted.)

To build salad: In a large plate, put shredded ice Berg lettuce in the center of the plate. Top with a serving of the chicken-cheese casserole. Serve with plain Tortilla chips around the outside of the lettuce and Salsa, sour cream. Add any of the following sides: chopped black olives, chopped green onions, chopped fresh cucumber, sliced pickled peppers, diced fresh tomatoes, and/or more cheese)

*Use Velveeta or cheddar.

Fruit Pizza

Crust: Mix together ½ cup each of granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and cooking oil. Mix well and mix in 1 beaten egg and 2 cups + 2 tablespoons plain flour, ½ teaspoon each of cream of tartar, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well and press into a extra-large pizza pan. Build up a little rim around the edge, Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Filling: For the glaze, mix together ½ cup each of water and orange juice, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 o 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove and heat and set aside to cool. Wash and drain 3 cups strawberries, 1 cup blueberries and slice 2 large kiwis that have been peeled and sliced. Whip together 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Spread over the crust. Arrange fruit in a decorative pattern on the crust. Spread the glaze over the fruit. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.