9 of 52: Bungalow Pie

Will has been asking for hearty meals lately and neither of us have ever tried lamb, so I thought - why not try it out! I ran across this recipe for Cottage Bungalow Pie, and decided to try it with ground lamb. 

Sorry lambchop!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter, melted

3 large carrots, cut in slices

S&P

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 lb ground lamb

thyme seasoning

1 cup beer 

3 tbsp flour

3/4 cup frozen peas (not pictured)

1 large russet potato - very thinly sliced

The How To:
Preheat oven to 400.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp butter over medium-high.  

Add carrots, and cook for about 5 minutes.

Season with S&P and stir in tomato paste.  

Add meat and brown. 

Cook until cooked through - about 8 minutes.  

Add thyme and beer and bring to a boil.

Add flour and stir.  

Add about 1/2 cup of water and cook until the mixture thickens (2-4 minutes)

Stir in peas and season with S&P.

Transfer mixture to a 2 qt. baking dish.

Top with potatoes.  

Season with S&P and butter.

Bake until potatoes are browned (45 minutes)

Now that Will and I have tried lamb, we know that we do not like it.  We thought it had a tangy after-taste.  In our opinion, this dish would be much better with ground beef.  

This dish is not Will approved.

The aftermath

Here is a shout out to lambchop to make up for this meal.. 

8 of 52: Mushroom, Turkey and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

Whew, I feel like it's been a while.  Finally I have some time to mix up some new meals.. Tonight, Will requested something hearty and quick so I decided on Mushroom, Turkey and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole.  If you click the link, you will see that I made quite a few changes to this typically vegetarian dish.  

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Carton of portobello mushrooms
Garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can black beans
6 flour tortillas
1 lb ground turkey breast
Salsa
2 cups of sharp cheddar
S&P


The How To:
Preheat oven to 400.
Pull out two large skillets -- 
In one, brown the turkey.  
In the other, heat a little olive oil over medium-high and add mushrooms.  Cook, stirring often until they are browned (7ish minutes).  Add garlic, cayenne, S&P, and black beans.  Cook until warmed through (5ish minutes).  
Remove from heat and combine the turkey and the black bean/mushroom mixture.

Grab a large baking dish.  Arrange the tortillas in halves in the bottom of the dish.  Top with the mixture, salsa, and then sprinkle on some cheese.  

Cover with foil and bake until the center is hot and cheese melts (about 15 minutes).  Uncover and bake until cheese is bubbling (about 5 minutes).  

Try to do a better job at your presentation than I did.  Enjoy!

We added a little sour cream and it was really good.  If I made this dish again, I would probably add some diced green chilis to the mixture.  This dish has been Will approved. 

Will being cute.

Will looking less than thrilled.. 

 Here is my debut picture to the blog.. Will had me pose with a peach.. 

just peachy..