Cheddar-topped Shepherd's Pie

There's sharp cheddar added to the mashed potatoes for a snappy topping. Both filling and topping can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated separately. We made this last night and it was great comfort food!

Ingredients:
2 lb. baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large and thinly sliced
6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 lb ground beef chuck
1 cup whole milk
1.5 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 oz)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.
3. Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth, season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.
4. Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9 inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 8; 558 calories per serving.

Corn on the Cob...in the Microwave!

Cook your fresh corn in the microwave! This simple recipe takes just a few minutes prep time.

Ingredients:
4-5 ears sweet corn
2-3 Tablespoons butter
salt and pepper as desired

Peel back each layer of husk, tearing it off. You'll see the silk threads under the husk, peel those off as well. Under running water in your sink, scrub your dish washing scrubber over the cobs, this will help removing any remaining silks, and clean the corn.

Place cleaned corn in the Deep Covered Baker. Add about 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the dish and cover. This will keep the corn moist.

Microwave on high for about 15-20 minutes or so. The corn should be tender and plump. Be very careful when you take the top off of the baker, steam is going to burst out.

Now, you could serve it on the cob, but I prefer it off, in a bowl. Use a pot holder to hold the hot cob. Place the cob in a medium-sized bowl. Run a sharp knife down each side of the cob, cutting off the kernels. The kernels should pop right off into the waiting bowl. Add the butter to the kernels, stir to melt. Serve hot!

Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza

Make this quick weeknight dinner using your round baking stone.

Ingredients:
1 (10 oz) pkg refrigerated pizza crust 1/3 cup pitted ripe olives, drained and sliced
3 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups diced cooked chicken 1/2 cup light creamy Caesar salad dressing
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper 1 garlic clove, pressed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly sprinkle Large Round Stone with flour using Flour/Sugar Shaker. Unroll pizza crust on baking stone, shaping into a circle. Using lightly floured Baker's Roller, roll into a 12 inch circle. Bake 12-14 minutes or until crust is light golden brown.

Meanwhile, using Chef's Knife, slice lettuce; dice chicken and bell pepper. Slice olives with Egg Slicer Plus. Place lettuce, chicken, bell pepper and olives in large Colander Bowl. Grate Parmesan cheese using Deluxe Cheese Grater.

In Small Batter Bowl, combine salad dressing, half of the Parmesan cheese and garlic pressed with Garlic Press; mix well. Spread half of the dressing mixture evenly over crust. Add remaining salad dressing mixture to lettuce mixture; toss to coat. Top crust with salad mixture. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Cut into wedges and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings

Focaccia Bread

This is a quick way to create a nice substantial bread to accompany your Italian dinners!

Ingredients:

1 Pillsbury Pizza Crust

1 T olive oil

5 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Dash of pepper

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

2 T Parmesan

1 cup mozzarella cheese

3 - 4 Plum tomatoes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out dough onto Large Bar Pan. Brush dough with 1 T olive oil and pressed garlic. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Slice Plum tomatoes and place on crust. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper. Grate mozzarella cheese over tomatoes. Grate Parmesan cheese over that. Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 12 servings.

Paradise Dessert Pizza

I've made this dessert with fresh pineapple and added strawberries and blueberries. Very good, very light-tasting dessert.

Ingredients:

1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1 container (8 ounces) vanilla, strawberry or banana low-fat yogurt

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice, well drained

1/4 cup flaked coconut (optional)

2 kiwis, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup red grapes, cut in half

1 can (11 ounces) mandarin orange segments, well drained

2 tablespoons whole, unblanched almonds, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Form dough into a ball and place in center of Classic Round Stone. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Bake 16-18 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Carefully loosen cookie from Baking Stone; cool completely.

2. Combine yogurt, pineapple and coconut; spread mixture evenly over top of cookie. Slice kiwis and cut grapes in half using Paring Knife. Arrange mandarin oranges, kiwi slices and grapes in a circle over yogurt mixture.

3. Chop almonds with Food Chopper; sprinkle over fruit. Slice and serve.

Yield: 16 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 160, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol less than 5 mg, Carbohydrate 26 g, Protein 2 g, Sodium 135 mg, Fiber less than 1 g

Seven-Layer Southwestern Salad in Trifle Bowl

A great salad for display in the Trifle Bowl. I recommend using mild salsa mixed with Ranch dressing as the salad dressing, in place of the sour cream. Also, I add corn as another layer in this recipe.
Prep time: 25 minutes

1 ½ cups sour cream
¾ cup thick and chunky salsa
1 can (15 oz) black beans
1 large bell pepper (any color)
2 medium tomatoes
4 green onions
1 package (16 oz.) iceberg lettuce salad mix (10 cups)
4 oz. cheddar cheese (block)
1 ½ cups corn chips (optional)

1. In Small Batter Bowl, combine sour cream and salsa; mix well and set aside.
2. Drain and rinse beans using Large Colander.
3. Use Chef’s Knife to dice Tomatoes, and Green Onions.
4. Use Food Chopper to chop bell pepper.
5. Layer ingredients in Simple Additions Large Bowl:
a. Beans
b. Bell Pepper
c. Lettuce
d. Tomatoes
e. Green onions
6. Spoon sour cream mixture over top using Small Mix ‘N Scraper, spreading evenly.
7. Grate cheese over top using Deluxe Cheese Grater.
8. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
9. Top with corn chips, if desired, and serve.

Yield: 8 servings

Cook’s Tips:
• For a heartier main dish salad, add 2 cups of diced cooked chicken between bell pepper and lettuce layers.

Pork Tenderloin in 10 minutes!

Our Deep Covered Baker allows you to cook a pork tenderloin in the microwave, giving you a head start on speedy sandwiches and salads.

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Smoky Barbecue Rub

1. On Large Grooved Cutting Board, trim fat and silver skin from pork tenderloin using Utility Knife. Brush pork with oil using Chef’s Silicone Basting Brush. Place pork into Deep Covered Baker, tucking smaller end under to create a uniform thickness. Evenly rub pork with barbecue rub.
2. Cover baker; microwave on HIGH 6-10 minutes, checking temperature at 6 minutes and then at every 2-minute interval or until Pocket Thermometer registers 150˚F. Remove baker from microwave; let stand, covered, 10 minutes (temperature will rise to 160˚F for medium doneness).
3. See the additional recipes for Miniature Barbecue Pork Sandwiches and Barbecue Pork Salad for ideas on using the Barbecue Pork Tenderloin.

Yield: 4 servings

Cook’s Tip: This recipe can be doubled easily. Place two tenderloins in Deep Covered Baker; microwave on HIGH 8-12 minutes as directed above.