It’s tangy, hearty, classic & comforting.

Posted on by Selena Robins

 

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Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie

This meatless take on a classic comfort food is not only hearty, but it’s filled with robust flavors and you will not miss the meat.

 

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INGREDIENTS:

For Potatoes

  • 3 lbs (8-9 medium) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 TBSP butter
  • 2 TBSP table salt
  • sea-salt to taste
  • dash of fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

 

  • Add potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover the potatoes and bring to a boil.
  • Once boiling add 2 TBSP of salt, and cook until potatoes are tender.
  • Drain well then return potatoes to the pot.
  • Add buttermilk and butter to the potatoes and mash until smooth. Add sea-salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, give it a good stir to mix the seasoning in and set aside.

For Vegetables

  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • TBSP butter
  • 2 pounds mushrooms (Portobella are meaty and good ones to use), cut into cubes
  • 1 small Vidalia onion (or any other sweet onion)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely
  • 2 TBSP fresh rosemary, chopped finely
  • 1 TBSP tomato paste
  • 2 TBSP all purpose flour
  • 1 cup broth (vegetable, chicken or beef, your choice)
  • sea-salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  • Heat oven to 350F
  • In a saute pan, heat oil and add mushrooms along with 1/2 tsp. salt, and make sure you don’t overcrowd the mushrooms, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • To the mushroom pan, add: onion, carrots, parsley, rosemary and season with 1/4 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of black pepper and cook for 10 minutes.
  • Stir in: minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
  • Sprinkle flour over this mixture, stirring to coat all the vegetables and let cook for 3 minutes.
  • Add broth, peas, corn and stir for 5 minutes.
  • Turn heat off and spoon the vegetables in a casserole dish.
  • Top with the mashed potatoes in an even layer. (If you want, you could add a few dollops of butter on top of the mashed potatoes.)
  • Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the broiler on and broil for 5 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet & Spicy Menage-a-Trois

Posted on by Selena Robins

I bet you were all expecting some Triple X pictures or a naughty excerpt? The only threesome I can write about is adding three main ingredients together for a refreshing summer salad, that will please your family and friends.

Not that I don’t like to write a good sex scene, or even read one, but trust me, if I ever tried to write a menage a trois love scene, my heroine would probably kick box the living hell out of the other woman who came near her hero. Either that, or the three of them would be a tangled mess, and someone would end up in the E.R.

It’s all fun and games, until I try to write out of my comfort zone and some character loses a body part.

Tasty Tuesday is a day where a few of my author friends and myself are sharing some easy-to-make and sexy recipes for you all to try. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these burning-lovin’-recipes and also feel free to share some of your recipes with us.

Be sure to scroll down and stop by the other author’s blogs and pick up their recipe.

Refreshing, Sweet & Spicy Menage-a-Trois

Melon & Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

  • Seedless watermelon, cut into cubes
  • 1 seedless cucumber, cut into cubes
  • Cantaloupe, cut into cubes
  • 3 TBSP fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar (or raspberry vinegar)
  • 1.5 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (or walnuts or almonds) finely chopped
  • 1 Whole Jalapeno Pepper (seeds out if you don’t like it spicy) finely chopped or you can use chili peppers (as much heat as you can take)

Put everything in a bowl, toss it real well, so that the oil and vinegar, salt and pepper are evenly distributed.

Please stop by these blogs and check out more delicious recipes. Tell them Selena sent you and drop them a note. 

Salacious Salad & Naughty Nachos by Denise Agnew

Sweet Summer Lovin’ by PG Forte

Bewitching Bailey’s Cupcakes by Moira Keith

Happy Trails Trail Mix by Nancy Lauzon

Ambrosia by A. Catherine Noon

Sassy Sangria by Sloan McBride

Two wonderful recipes – “Cheesy Potatoes” plus “Who You Calling A Tart?” by Renee Wildes

CHERRY PUFF (recipe submitted by Food Blogger Ginger Joon

1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed according to directions)
1 cup of fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half
1 Tblsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
pinch salt
egg wash (whipped egg – optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In bowl, mix all ingredients except pastry and egg. An eggwash is recommended for helpding the pastry hold together; to make simply whip/scramble one egg in a small bowl, and set aside. Roll out puff pastry sheet with flour to prevent sticking. With a pizza cutter, cut dough to create 9 even squares. Put small amount of cherry mixture in center of each square. For each square, fold the four corners in toward the centers, enclosing the fruit filling. Before laying in the final point, brush a little egg wash on the dough where the final point will connect to help hold it together. When all the puffs are created, brush egg wash on top to help pastry brown.

Add to oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until dough is fully cooked and golden brown. Let rest for about 10 minutes, then serve warm. The puffs are out-of-this-world served with a scoop of vanilla icecream, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar and ground cinnamon on top.

Follow Ginger for more tasty recipes.