Sweet Potato Sheperd's Pie

Sorry for the long delay - hope you all had a wonderful holiday and happy (almost) new year!

This is from quite a while ago, but here goes:

 Cast of characters:
-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and steamed
-3 T coconut milk 
-6 carrots, peeled and sliced
-1 onion, chopped 
-1 can hominy
-1 cup corn
-1 cup peas
-1/2 can of low sodium mushroom soup
-1/2 cup milk

1. Roast carrots and onion at 400 for 20 minutes.
2. Combine carrots and onion, hominy, and other veggies. Pour combined soup/milk mixture.
3. Mash sweet potato with coconut milk. 
3. Pour vegetables into pie plate, and top with mashed sweet potato.
4. Bake at 350 until bubbling. If you are patient, using the broiler to try to brown the sweet potatoes a bit wouldn't hurt ;).

 It's not the most beautiful meal I have ever made, but it made a LOT, and it was perfect for a cold day.

Hope you have a wonderful time ringing in the new year! 

Cranberry Muffins

Cranberries have always been one of my favorite things in baked goods. This may be thanks to my mother's cranberry cake, which has held my #1 favorite fall/winter dessert ever since I can remember. Either way, cranberries are good by me. So I couldn't resist when cranberries went on sale after Thanksgiving, and I made these muffins:

Cast of characters:
Muffins
-2 c. flour
-2/3 c. sugar
-1.5 tsp. baking powder
-2/3 c. milk
-4 T. butter, melted
-1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
-1 egg
-2 c. fresh cranberries
-Spices - i added 1/2 tsp cinnamon, some cloves, and some nutmeg


Streusel

1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 T. butter
2 T. light brown sugar

1. Mix dry ingredients together. Add in butter, vanilla, and eggs. Fold in cranberries.
2. Fill muffin tins 2/3 of the way, top with streusel topping (blended together, of course).
3. Bake at 350 for 17-19 minutes.

Hope you have a lovely weekend! 

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Cast of characters:
-2 cans no salt added tomatoes
-1 can green chiles
-1 can enchilada sauce
-2 cups low sodium chicken broth 
-1/2 pound black beans, cooked
-1 cup frozen corn
-1 pound chicken breast 

-4 T Neufchatel
-1 potato, steamed

To garnish: 
-cheddar cheese
-cilantro
-corn tortillas
-avocado


1. Spray the chicken with a bit of olive oil, and some chili powder. Bake in a 400 degree oven until cooked through, then shred with forks.
2. Add black beans, tomato, enchilada sauce, corn, and green chiles, along with the chicken. Simmer for a bit, then take a bit of broth and blend the neufchatel and potato with it, then add back to the soup.
3. Add chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
4. Chop cilantro, slice avocado and tortillas. Shred cheese. Eat! 

And a shot of Gertie's birthday celery for good measure.  One of these days I will hopefully get a good video of her, but her eating celery makes both Robin and I laugh out loud. Every time.

Gertie is 2!

It is nearing finals. At least that's my excuse for not posting. I will work on a post about Chicken Enchilada soup, but now  I give you a snoozing Gertie:

Today our sweet girl is 2. Hard to believe we've had her for a year and a half. It seems simultaneously like it can't possibly have been that long, and like I can't imagine our house without her. So today, here's to a puppy who I find to be one of the coolest pups around. Happy Birthday, G!

P.S. I can't seem to keep up with anything lately. Today, I am mostly grateful for a sweet puppy. Thirty days aren't going to happy, but today I am also grateful for: 
-Sixty degree days for running with our puppy
-Good coffee in the morning
-Delicious Indian food (thanks parents!)
-Bedtime