tricky tricky sneaky

My sister (in-law) is always happy when I tell her what I fed my nephew because she says she has a hard time getting him to eat veggies. (she also cant get my brother to eat veggies, but that's another story) So one of my secretes is to sneak them into what ever I can. I will go crazy and put shredded zucchini in just about everything. (see previous post about pancakes) So the other day I made them dinner and packed it full of veg! Shepards pie people, the forgotten casserole. Here's the deal, if you mix a bunch of veg into a delicious meaty, gravy-y mound of goodness then cover it with a mash of potato-y awesomeness, they will come. And eat, and ask for more! This a one of those meals that you can just run with. What is in your fridge? USE IT!

~SHEPERDS PIE~
-1lb of ground meat (ok, so you can use beef, turkey, buffalo, chicken, you can even combine a few of these. If the meat is very lean, add some olive oil to the pan before you add the meat.)
- ~1/2C flour (in essence you are making a rue with the meat drippings in the pan, so when you add the stock, you have gravy)
- 1-2C stock use whatever stock matches with your meat ie- ground chicken, chicken stock
-veggies (ya, vague, I know but here's where you get creative, use what you have, what you like, what is on-hand and/or cheap)
-potatoes
- ~2T butter
- ~1/2-3/4C milk, or cream, or half&half
- Salt & pepper to taste 

So, here's how I roll. I brown the meat with maybe some onion, and mushrooms. when its cooked thru, I add the flour to start the rue. Make sure to cook it for a few min to cook out the flour taste. I see no reason why you could not use a GF flour for this. Now add the stock. A lil at a time til you achieve the amount of gravy and thickness desired. It should be soppy, but not runny. At this point you add the veggies. I almost always add peas and carrots, classic shepards pie. I also add broccoli, shredded zucchini of course. Whatever you add I recommend it be cut to be bite size for looks, and cooking time. Uniformity is best. I let this mixture cook for about 15-20 min to allow the flavors to meld, but the baking will do that too. For the mash on top, of course potatoes, but also cauliflower, parsnips, and turnips are all great additions. So boil the root veg, til soft, then add the milk or cream, the butter and S&P to taste. Just like making mash potatoes. Now put the mash ontop of the meat mixture and bake at 400degrees for approx. 20-25 min. I have been Known to even sprinkle with a small amount of cheese, then turn the oven to broil for a few til it's slightly golden on top. Let it rest for a few after you pull it out, and then dish it up! Ps toddlers Love this dish!

what is that?

Is it a rash? Is she teething? I don't really know... She has what appears to be a lil rash around her mouth, just a few red bumps, she IS teething, and drooling a lot... Oh well. So I am not sure if it is "normal'" but Kiele IS a picky eater who enjoys Asparagus, and Brussel Sprouts, but wont eat anything consistently. Oh well.   And I am pretty sure if she wasn't still breast feeding, or taking a bath every night, she would be getting no liquids in her at all. She spits EVERYTHING out, and she has taught her cousin to do the same. Car rides are fun with them. They may be cracking each other up, but then they end up soaked, and Shivering in the grocery store. The last thing I need is one more reason for some pretentious, Trustafarian*  to give me stink eye in Whole Foods. "she's not dieing, she's just dramatic!" ANywho.. went to the park today with both the babies (mine and my nephew whom I nanny for) and had a lovely conversation with a mom who apparently has been teaching her child "evacuation language" since birth. I have been having "personal responsibility" conversations with my daughter since birth, but I don't actually expect her to peepee in the potty by the time she is 18mo. Some parents are really either delusional, or have WAY too much time on there hands. I can say this with confidence because I am fairly certain I am the only one reading this. PROVE ME WRONG!
*Trustafarian-a young idealistic person who looks down on others for not being environmentally friendly or aware enough, whilst receiving a trust fund from their parents so they can afford to only buy organic, and support the whales, and wear bamboo and hemp clothes exclusively. Usually white with dreadlocks.

wow you did that!

So who doesn't love their slow cooker? If you have kids, or if you are a human being in 2012 you need a slow cooker. Seriously it makes dinner possible some nights.  Between it,and my bread maker with a delay start function, I can come home to dinner, instead of cooking for two hours at the end of a 11 hour day. SAVED! So ya we do Pot Roast, and Chili of course, but have you ever done short ribs? OMG! SOOOOOoooo good! Ike asked me to start them, and told me what he does, then... muhahahahahaha... I modified....His involve soy sauce, and Worcestershire, and onions, and they are super awesome, but mine... oh ya!

~Beef Short Ribs~

 -short ribs ( I made 5 large ribs for three  people and a baby-what she likes beef)
-3/4C soy sauce
-2T Worcestershire
-3-4T Orange juice or Pineapple juice (throw some of the fruit in to if ya feel like it-but only if it is the canned pineapple, fresh has Bromelain in it which is an enzyme that breaks down protein, not good in a MEAT dish.)
-1 1/2C Tea ( I used Oolong, Black would be good too, or maybe Jasmine...PLAY)
-1T black pepper
-1 1/2T ground ginger (if you use fresh, cool! but it will be MUCH spicier so if your into that then go for it, and it not, then cut it back to between 1-1/2T)
-1 large leek sliced
-1 LARGE onion sliced thin
alright so you know how this works, put it all in the slow cooker and turn it on. Now here's the deal, if you want it done in 4 -5 hours then set your cooker to high, and -just walk away-  OR if you want to make it in the morning and come home 8hrs later to a meal, set it to low.  I served it with brown rice, roasted turnips, and roasted acorn squash SUPER YUM! (btw for the acorn squash, I highly recommend a little olive oil, S&P and a bay leaf-then let it roast)