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Category Archives: Meat


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Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

sweet potato shepherd's pie

Shepherd’s pie is one of my favorite foods. Sweet potatoes? Not so much. I like the color, but that’s pretty much it. I do, however, love regular ol’ mashed potatoes chock full of butter, salt, and pepper. As much as I love indulging, not every meal can be an indulgence. There’s only so much exercise I can fit into a day after all!

So I took the classic shepherd’s pie recipe and trimmed it down to something a bit lighter, yet every bit as fulfilling. And surprisingly, I actually liked the sweet potatoes on top! So, give this dish a try for St. Paddy’s Day instead of the traditional shepherd’s pie!

sweet potato shepherd's pie

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
inspired by Alton Brown’s recipe on Food Network

3 pounds sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup skim milk

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and place into a large pot. Cover with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and return to pot. Add in butter, salt, pepper and milk and mash until smooth.
  3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Remove to a separate bowl and set aside. To the same skillet, add in onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in flour until well distributed. Stir in tomato paste, broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Add beef back to skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in peas, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes.
  4. Spread beef and vegetable mixture into an 13×9 casserole dish. Top with mashed sweet potatoes. Spread potatoes out to edge of dish with a spatula. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are lightly browned and filling is bubbling.
  5. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.


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Chicken Pot Pie Soup

I love pie crust.

Love it.

LOVE IT.

I don’t even like pie that much, but I will take a slice of it just to eat the crust. Then I’ll mash the rest of it around on my plate to make it seem like I ate it. Or I’ll shovel it onto my husband’s plate (while at the same time stealing his crust).

I’m that crazy person that will sit and stare at your piece of pie and then creepily ask if I can eat your crust.

Needless to say, this is my kind of soup. It’s filling and creamy and flavorful and… Real talk though. This dish is mainly about the crust. This soup is what makes it acceptable for me to eat massive amounts of pie crust for dinner. As an added bonus, this was super easy to whip together and it made for a ton of leftovers. Leftover soup that is. There will be no leftover crust. Oops.

chicken pot pie soup

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

for the crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup skim milk

for the soup:
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (2 cups)
3 celery stalks, diced (1 cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (1 cup)
1 medium onion, diced (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
5 cups chicken broth
2 ears of corn, kernels removed or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
salt and pepper, to taste

  1. To make the crust: in a large bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortenings until well blended and mixture is crumbly. Gently stir in milk with a fork; mix until just combined. Pat dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll dough out on a well-floured surface to 1/8″ thick. Cut into 15 3″ circles with a biscuit or cookie cutter. Lay dough on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 12 – 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Set aside.
  3. To make the soup: heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in potatoes, celery, carrots, and onion and cook until onions are soft and translucent.
  4. Stir in flour to coat vegetables well. Slowly stir in chicken broth 1 cup at a time. Bring soup to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until soup thickens and add in corn and peas. Stir and cook until peas are heated through.
  5. Serve soup hot with pie crust.

recipe adapted from Food Network

P.S. Be a crust monster like me a bake up the extra scraps left over from when you’re cutting out the pretty circles. They’re just as tasty 😉

pot pie soup with crust


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Chicken Curry Rice Noodle Soup (Kow Boon)

We were blessed with the opening of Basil Cafe a little over a year ago. This place is one of my favorite restaurants in the Fox Cities; I haven’t eaten a bad thing there yet. Mike and I went here for Valentine’s Day last year and went there again this year. I tried something new this time – Kow Boon, a noodle soup with a coconut broth and a perfect amount of spice. I got the large (duh) and had leftovers for dinner the next day and breakfast the day after that (don’t judge).

It was so good that I wanted more. But, I realized that 3 visits to the same restaurant in 2 weeks was a little embarrassing, so I decided to try to make it at home. After all, what would I do if this place closed down? Or if we moved? What if I never got to eat this again? 

I labored over this recipe, tweaking ingredients over and over and over to try to match the flavors of Basil Cafe’s dish. All I had to go by was their menu description – “traditional Lao vermicelli rice noodles in a slightly spicy chicken coconut curry soup topped with bamboo shoots, fresh bean sprouts, mint, and cilantro” and the faint memory of how it had tasted. Hours later, I ended up with a huge pot of this delicious soup. Perfect. I will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner set for days. Now, I’m not claiming that this is as good as Basil Cafe’s soup, but it definitely hit the spot.

Chicken Curry Rice Noodle Soup (Kow Boon) | doughseedough.net

Chicken Curry Rice Noodle Soup // Kow Boon

1/2 pound of rice vermicelli noodles
2 chicken leg quarters, skin removed and fat trimmed
1″ piece of ginger, chopped into 3 pieces
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups water

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
19 ounce can of bamboo shoots, sliced into strips
14 ounce can coconut milk

For garnish:
2 cups bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Cilantro

  1. Cook noodles in a large pot according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
  2. In a large pot, combine chicken, ginger, salt, pepper, and water. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is cook through. Remove chicken and strain out solids, reserving the soup base. Return soup to the pot and keep warm over medium-low heat. 
  3. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones, shred, and set aside.
  4. In a medium pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add in onions and garlic and saute until onions are lightly browned. Stir in curry paste and fish sauce and mix until well blended. Add curry to soup base and stir in bamboo strips and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer before assembling bowls.
  5. To assemble: place a “nest” of noodles on the bottom of the bowl. Ladle in soup and bamboo shoots. Top with bean sprouts, chicken, lime wedge and cilantro. Serve immediately.

kow boon


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Zha Jiang Mien

I’m not really sure what happened. I grew up living, breathing, speaking, and eating Chinese. Now here I am at 25, barely able to string together a sentence in Mandarin. My Chinese cooking is even more pathetic. I’ve tried countless times to watch and learn from my mom. The Wonder Woman who can throw together 6 dishes with ease, and in under an hour, too. It’s impressive (and kind of scary).

Unfortunately for me, she seems to invent most of her recipes or just has them stored in the depths of her brain. I tried to recreate a dish that I grew up with, zha jian mien, a sort of Chinese bolognese. This is my take on the classic Chinese dish. I’m not sure it even tastes close to what it’s supposed to, but Mike and I enjoyed it very much!

zha jiang mien

Zha Jiang Mein (Chinese Bolognese)

1 pound Chinese noodles (I used Shan Dong noodles)
1 pound ground pork
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon hot soybean paste
2 tablespoons black bean sauce
1 pound extra firm or baked tofu, cubed
1 cup frozen peas
1 medium seedless cucumber, julienned
Black vinegar or rice wine vinegar, optional

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. 
  2. While pasta is cooking, heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook for 3 – 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and pork is cooked through.
  3. Reduce heat to medium and add in hoisin sauce, soy sauce, black bean sauce, and soybean paste. Stir until well combined.
  4. Gently mix in tofu and frozen peas. Cook until heated through, stirring frequently.
  5. Portion out 1 1/2 cups of noodles into bowls and top with 1/2 cup of meat sauce. Garnish with cucumber and a splash of vinegar, if desired.


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Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

This was a super easy dish! I was excited to be able to use up some more goodies from our CSA box (lettuce and cucumbers this time). I’m a big fan of easy, no-fuss dishes in the summer. What made this dish even better is that I had every single ingredient in my kitchen already! I love it when I don’t need to make a trip to the store to make a dish 🙂

I was impressed with how long the lettuce from our CSA lasted. They sent it to us with roots (and a little dirt) still attached and wrapped in some plastic wrap. It didn’t look wilty or sad when I finally got around to using it a week and a half later. I wish all lettuce looked this good after such a long time!

PS – Mike and I are en-route to Myrtle Beach today! I’m so excited for a week of sun and relaxation. There are some new recipes scheduled to be posted during the week I’m gone. Hope you all enjoy 🙂

Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

1 head lettuce or salad greens of choice
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, minced
1 large mango, diced

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, mayonnaise, honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly add in oil, whisking constantly.
  2. In a large bowl, toss chicken, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and mango with the dressing.
  3. Place greens on plates and top with chicken salad. Serve immediately.

*adapted from Food and Wine


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Spicy Chicken with Kale

I had previously said that I don’t really like kale. I would like to take back that statement. It turns out that I just didn’t like whatever dish I had made with kale. I really really like this chicken and kale dish!

I ended up throwing this together after I spent a good 5 minutes staring at our (empty) fridge. I pulled out a few things that we did have (chicken, scapes, and kale for starters) and got cookin’!

Spicy Chicken with Kale

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 – 3/4 inch pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
5 garlic scapes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
1 bunch kale, stemmed and washed
2 teaspoons sesame oil

  1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice wine, chicken broth, cornstarch, salt and pepper.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink in the middle and juices run clear.
  3. Add in garlic scapes and jalapeno and cook for 1 – 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  4. Add in kale and cover, stirring occasionally for an additional 3 – 5 minutes, or until kale is cooked.
  5. Add the soy sauce mixture and sesame oil and stir fry for one more minute.
  6. Remove from heat and serve immediately with steamed rice.


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Prosciutto T.B.M. Sandwich

It’s swap time again! This is my third swap and I’m officially addicted. The other two times I have participated it was Blogger’s Choice and I got to choose whatever I wanted from the assigned blog. It was kind of nice having a dish just given to me – it means I don’t have to spend hours deciding what dish to make!

This time, I got the Prosciutto TBM Sandwich from Does Not Cook Well With Others (DNCWWO). She was inspired by the TBM sandwich at Cosi, a sandwich chain that originated out east. Lucky for me, there was one in Madison, WI as well so I have had the opportunity to eat there. I don’t recall ever ordering the TBM, but next time I’m in Madison I will put it on my must-try list!

Apologies in advance for the picture – I rushed through this so I could get the sandwich from the plate and into my mouth as quickly as possible. It was late, and I was hungry 🙂

Prosciutto TBM Sandwich
very slightly adapted from DNCWWO

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
1 loaf sourdough bread
3 ounces prosciutto
1 pound mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch thick
15 basil leaves

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper
  2. Slice the loaf of sourdough bread into 6 – 1/2  inch slices. Brush one side of each slice of bread with vinaigrette with a pastry brush.
  3. On three slices of bread, layer on prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Place second slice of bread on top.
  4. Slice sandwich in half and serve immediately.


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Salt & Pepper Shrimp

I make a lot of food that I love, but I try not to make repeat dishes. This dish is an exception. I keep shrimp in my freezer for one reason – salt and pepper shrimp that I can whip up in n a half hour. It’s delicious with the cabbage or served with plain steamed rice. I choose the rice-only route when I’m running short on time. I just add some extra bell peppers into the shrimp itself to boost up the veggie count in the dish.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 small head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
steamed white or brown rice, optional

  1. Whisk lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add cabbage and bell peppers and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  2. Combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, white pepper, and five spice powder in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
  3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring often, until pink and curled, 3 – 4 minutes.
  4. Add jalapenos and cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 1 more minute.
  5. Serve immediately with the slaw and rice if desired.

recipe adapted from eatingwell.com


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Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

Mike has been an absolute lifesaver on Mondays and Wednesdays. Why? Because he cooks, folks. He cooks and it’s dang tasty. These two days are go go go for me. I’m in rotation from 8 – 4:30, go for a run, and then go to Pilates Reformer. I don’t get home until close to 8 on Mondays and Wednesdays and it’s so nice to come home to a delicious meal.

I don’t always know when I’ll need him to make a meal, so I try to menu plan easier dishes. This particular stew came from Food & Wine’s 2008 annual cookbook. I’m trying to get a good mix of internet and cookbook recipes into our meals just to mix it up a bit. After all, I do have a lot of cookbooks and I should probably use them instead of letting them collect dust on my bookshelf.

This particular dish was phenomenal. I loved the tanginess of the red wine in it. I honestly could have eaten the entire pot.. don’t judge me – running makes me hungry! I’ll probably try making it in the slow cooker next to make it even easier.

Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce
slightly adapted from Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2008

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds lean beef chuck roast, visible fat trimmed, roast cut into 8 pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
1 bottle dry red wine
2 bay leaves
1 thyme sprig
1 5-ounce piece of pancetta
2 1/4 cups water
20 pearl onions, peeled
15 cremini mushrooms, wiped clean
15 baby carrots
Dash of sugar
Chopped fresh leaf parsley, for garnish

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large cast-iron pot over moderate heat, belt butter in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the pieces of beef in a single layer in the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook beef over high heat for about 8 minutes, turning to brown pieces on all sides.
  2. Stir in onions and garlic. Reduce heat to moderate and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the flour, stirring well so it doesn’t form lumps, then stir in the red wine. Add bay leaves, thyme sprig, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir well and cover the pot.
  3. Transfer the pot to the oven and braise for about 1 1/2 hours until the meat is soft and tender and liquid is reduced to a thick sauce.
  4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover the pancetta with 2 cups of the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer over moderate heat for about 30 minutes and then drain. Cut pancetta into 1/2 inch slices, then cut the slices into 1-inch wide strips.
  5. Combine the pearl onions, mushrooms, baby carrots and pancetta strips in a skillet with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 cup of water and a good dash of sugar, salt, and ground pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, over moderate heat for 15 minutes, until most of the water has cooked off. Uncover and cook over high heat, sauteing the vegetables until well browned all over, about 4 minutes.
  6. Stir some of the vegetables and pancetta into the stew and sprinkle the rest on top. Discard bay leaves and thyme sprig before serving. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

 


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Chicken Waldorf Salad

I don’t think I have ever, in my 24 years, had Chicken Waldorf Salad before. Ever. Not in a restaurant, at a friend’s house, at a picnic, at a pot lock, and any other scenario you can think of. I’ve heard of it, I’ve seen it on menus, but I’ve never eaten it. I don’t know what overcame me to make it at home, but boy am I glad I did! I loved this dish. It was a nice break from all the “heavy” winter foods I’ve been eating and it was so simple to put together. I based it off a recipe I found on Eating Well. I think this will be my go-to recipe for using up  leftover chicken from now on!

Chicken Waldorf Salad
serves 6

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 tart apples, diced
2 large celery stalks, diced
1 cup red or green seedless grapes, halved
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup fat-free mayo
2 limes, juiced
4 teaspoons honey
salt and pepper, to taste
baby spinach

  1. Combine chicken, apples, celery, grapes, and walnuts in a large bowl.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, lime juice, honey, salt and pepper until smooth. Pour dressing over chicken and toss to combine.
  3. Serve immediately over a bed of baby spinach.