Saturday, November 6, 2010

So I cooked again! LOL

I decided on Tuesday morning I was going to cook up some ground beef before I had to go to work at 3. This way I could sew on Wednesday when I was off!!
So I made

Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
2 cups chopped canned tomatoes, drained (from one 28-ounce can)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup store-bought or homemade pesto
3/4 pound medium pasta shells
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil a large baking dish (about 9 by 13 inches).

In a large stainless-steel frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until the meat is no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Drain off any excess fat.

Add the tomatoes and salt to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pesto.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the shells until just done, about 10 minutes. Drain and toss with the sauce. Put half of the pasta into the prepared baking dish and top with half the mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Repeat with the remaining pasta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Bake until bubbling, about 15 minutes. Yummy!!!
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Scottish Beef and Potato Pie
This was a little time consuming but very good!!


For the Beef and Potatoes:
1 pound boiling potatoes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound ground beef sirloin or top round
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese ( about 4 ounces)
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of grated nutmeg

DIRECTIONS
TO MAKE THE BEEF AND POTATOES:
Peel and slice the potatoes into a 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Put the slices into a pan with cold water to cover, add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, bring the water to a boil, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set the potatoes aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and sauté the onion until lightly golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook for 1 minute. Add the ground beef and break it up with the spoon. Sauté the beef for 10 minutes, scraping the bottom of the skillet with the wooden spoon. When the flour and beef are brown, pour in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, the remaining salt, and the pepper. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until thickened. Set aside while you make the sauce.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
Whisk the butter, flour, and milk together in a nonreactive saucepan. Heat to a boil, whisking constantly and vigorously, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove the sauce from the heat, and whisk in a 2/3 cup of the cheese and the egg yolk. Season with the salt and nutmeg.

TO ASSEMBLE THE PIE:
Spread the meat mixture in to a 9-x-9-inch casserole, then cover the meat with the sauce. Top the sauce with the potatoes, overlapping the slices to make a scalloped pattern. Cover with the remaining cheese and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly brown. (For an extra-brown top, run the pie under a hot broiler.) Let the pie set at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
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Than a hamburger & rice that's got chow mein noodles on top , cause I had a bunch left over from the cupcakes!! We haven't tried it yet!!
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My back is still bothering me?? I went to a new chiropractor on Thursday morning. He took x-rays, my spine is curving to the left & starting to straighten. Plus he sent out the x-rays to be read there's a calcified mass in either my abdomen or bladder:(
Waiting on the results!!

Than here's another chance to WIN a GO!! if you haven't like me won one yet!!!
Check it out HERE at Lavender Ridge



8 comments:

Pat said...

I hope your back and "mass" issue get resolved soon. Your meals always look SO good! I'm glad you put photos with the recipes.

Gene Black said...

I think I will come to your house to eat! Ha ha. Those look really good.

Let me know what you find out about the calcified mass. I did some reading on various calcified masses, and found it quite interesting.

Meanwhile, don't worry about it. The good news is it is probably nothing bad.

Melissa ;-) said...

Everything looks so yummy! I really think I might have to do some of these meals too! I do have some peppers put up, but I would love to not cook when I get home from work in the evenings. My fingers are crossed that all is minor with the doctor!!

Blasé said...

Oh My Goodness!

I'll have seconds, please.

Millie said...

I have to come over to your home to eat too! Every dish looks so yummy.

Barb said...

Oh my gosh, you are a good cook......how close are you to Virginia?

Rosalyn Manesse said...

Goody! I'll be right over! Yum

Robin (RsIslandCrafts) said...

Everything looks yummy. I love making meals ahead so I don't have to cook on my days off. I work nights so Hubby does some of the cooking but I like to make things easier by doing some of the prep work for him. The Scottish Beef and Potato Pie looks like something my guys would love.