Cookin' it in the Kitchen with B

As the head chef in our kitchen (and Kerry as my sous chef and beautiful baker) we find it a challenge to come up with new and exciting ideas every night for dinner. I must admit that far too often we settle for just some sort of meat and veggies type dinner just to satisfy hunger. However I also manage to come up with some pretty spectacular dishes from time to time (if I do say so myself). Being the first one through the door at night, and the one who actually enjoys cooking, I tend to be the pointman for dinner.


I'd like to share with you some of the hits and misses we enjoy in this new segment called Cookin' it in the Kitchen with B! (and Kerry too... sometimes)


Kerry's biggest gripe with cooking is that she needs a recipe to follow in order to produce something decent. She does a wonderful job putting together some of my favorite dishes to remind me of home (crab cakes and clam chowdah anyone?). Recipes for baking usually have to be followed pretty closely which is why she tends to stick to what she knows best, producing delicious treats.

I always think that a recipe is merely a suggestion for how something should be prepared and as long as you know the basics of cooking, the directions can be altered as much or as little as desired. This theory of mine obviously doesn't work on cupcakes unless you like when they look more like pancakes. So I try and keep my improvisation to the main courses and side dishes.


It does work on some of my specialties which include many different varieties of stir-frys and casseroles. To start this series off, I want to share our newest love; 'Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie'

Source

For the base:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 sage leaves, chopped - I don't currently have any so I left it out
1-2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup milk - Changed to 1% from Buttermilk to keep it healthier
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 cup frozen peas


The topping:
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp honey (substituted light honey and lowered it from TBSP to TSP)
1/2 cup milk (again changed from buttermilk)
1 tablespoon Becel (changed from butter)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
Heat oven to 350*
Boil the Potatos, mash, add honey/milk/margarin/cinnamon/S&P
Saute the garlic/onions and turkey just until done
Add curry, salt, pepper, sage, sprinkle flour over turkey mix and pour in the milk.
Add the peas and place it in a greased casserole pan (8x8 or similar)
Bake for 15-20mins until the topping is slightly browned
Notes:
If you're not a big curry fan you can always substitute it for something like cajun seasoning or maybe some Mrs. Dash. Maybe make it a lemmon pepper turkey or anything in your sprice rack really.
This meal shouldn't take more than 20mins to put together, cut the sweet potatoes into small pieces prior to boiling to expedite the process.


Keep an eye out for more deliciousness in the near future!