Shepherd’s Pie

2 cups prepared mashed potatoes
3/4 pound ground sirloin
3/4 cup picante sauce
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat extrasharp cheddar cheese

Prepare mashed potatoes according to package directions; keep warm.

Cook beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in picante sauce, water, cumin, sugar, salt, and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until mixture thickens (about 5 minutes).

Remove from heat. Spoon mashed potatoes over meat mixture, and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Grands! Taco Melts

Cinnamon Ripple Sweet Potato Cake

Ingredients

* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened, plus butter for pan
* 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans
* 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 2 cups sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 12 ounces sour cream
* 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato (about 1 medium)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* Rum Glaze, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the 1 cup of butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the sour cream, sweet potatoes, and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Gradually add it to the butter mixture, stirring well.

Pour half of sweet potato batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar mixture. Spoon the remaining batter evenly over the streusel. Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove the cake from the oven and cool. Spoon the Rum Glaze over cooled cake, slice and serve.
Rum Glaze:

* 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
* 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
* 3/4 teaspoon rum extract
* Pecans, for garnish

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth.

Chocolate Bread

Ingredients

* Butter, for pans
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 3 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
* 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
* Chocolate Butter, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla at medium-low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Beat in the chocolate morsels and pecans. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Shield the bread with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with rich Chocolate Butter, if desired.

Chocolate Butter:
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 2 tablespoons hot fudge topping

In a small bowl, beat the butter and fudge topping at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Cover, and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

INGREDIENTS:
1 (8-oz.) can Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
24 slices (about 5 oz.) pepperoni
2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup tomato pasta or pizza sauce, heated

DIRECTIONS:

* Heat oven to 375°F. Separate dough into 8 triangles; pat out each triangle slightly.
* Place 3 slices pepperoni, slightly overlapping, on center of each triangle. Top each with about 1 tablespoon cheese.
* Roll up, starting at shortest side of triangle and rolling to opposite point. Place rolls, point side down, on ungreased cookie sheet.
* Bake at 375°F. for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm crescents with warm pasta sauce for dipping.

TIPS: I used turkey pepperoni and low fat cheese and made these just as good. I also brushed olive oil over the top and sprinkled garlic and Parmesan cheese for a little bit more flavor.

Classic Steak House Rubbed Filet Mignon

2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1 inch thick)
Cooking spray

Prepare grill.

Place peppercorns and rosemary in a spice or coffee grinder; pulse until the pepper is coarsely ground. Combine pepper mixture, dry mustard, salt, and garlic powder; rub evenly over both sides of steaks. Place steaks on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

MY VERSION:  I use my own pepper grinder for the pepper.

Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
3 drops Sriracha or Asian Hot Chili Sauce (or to taste)
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
Dry cornstarch
oil for frying
lettuce
chopped scallions

Directions:
Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Add hot sauce to taste. Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch. Deep fat fry the shrimp until lightly brown. Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce. Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with chopped scallions.

Basic Quiche

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half
8 ounces Gruyère, grated
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1 store-bought frozen piecrust in a tin

Heat oven to 375° F.

In a large skillet, over medium-low heat, heat the oil. Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Cover and cook until the onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the parsley and cook, covered, for 2 minutes more.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and half-and-half. Stir in the Gruyère, nutmeg, the remaining salt and pepper, and the onion mixture.

Place the piecrust on a foil-lined baking sheet. Scrape the egg mixture into the piecrust; it will be very full. Bake until the filling is set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Tip: Tailor this quiche to your liking by stirring in a handful of chopped cooked ham or sauteed vegetables when you add the cheese.

I have used other cheese flavors and I use most often, regular milk to save on fat.

Oven-Fried Chicken Parmesan

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1/2 cup jarred tomato-basil pasta sauce
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish; place egg whites in a bowl. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 breast half in flour mixture. Dip in egg whites; dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, flour mixture, egg whites, and panko.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Turn chicken over; cook 2 minutes. Coat chicken with cooking spray; place pan in oven. Bake at 450° for 5 minutes. Turn chicken over; top each breast half with 2 tablespoons sauce, 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 3 tablespoons mozzarella. Bake 6 minutes or until chicken is done.