Cheddar-topped shepherd's pie

Love Martha Stewart and now we love Shepherd's pie. This was my first attempt at a shepherd's pie and it won't be my last. Jeremy was so excited to come home to a shepherd's pie and he is still raving about this recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

{couresy of Martha Stewart}

2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

6 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 large onion

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 lbs. ground beef

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place potatoes in large saucepan and cover with 1 inch salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily piecered with the tip of a paring knife, 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery and onion and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 - 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.

Drain potatoes; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.

Pour beef filling into a 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Drop dallops of topping of filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Penne with five cheeses

Sorry there isn't a picture of this. Next time. We will definately be making this again. This for sure is a keeper. Try it out...I know you'll agree!

1/2 tsp salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup crushed tomatoes in thick tomato puree
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan (1 1/2 oz.)
1/2 cup shredded Italian fontina ( 1 1/2 oz.)
1/4 cup crumbled Italian Gorgonzola (1/2 oz)
2 Tbsp. ricotta cheese
1/4 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped (I used 1 tsp. dried basil)
1 lb. penne rigate pasta

Preheat oven to 4o0 degrees
Bring 5 quarts salted water to a boil in a stockpot
Combine all ingredients except the penne in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
Drop the penne into the boiling water and boil for 8 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bow, tossing to combine.
Pour mixture into a 9x13 greased baking dish, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa

Chicken Pot Pie

Oh, man is this a good recipe. We had this for dinner again and my picky eaters in my house even liked it. I loved it because they ate the vegetables without complaining. Yeah...victory!

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas (Using frozen veggies is another alternative!)
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Courtesty of Allrecipes.com

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

My family loves this chicken noodle soup. I love to make it because it is so easy! I have made it both ways...crockpot and no crockpot. Both turned out the same...yummy....yummy...yummy!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

1 store-bought roasted chicken
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrot
4 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
2 (10.75-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic (used cream of chicken)
2 teaspoon fines herbs*
salt and pepper
2 cups egg noodles, cooked
Remove the skin from the chicken and shred the meat from the bone. (This is my husband's job) Put the chicken into a slow cooker along with the onions, celery, and carrots. Stir in broth, soup, and fines herbs and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 to 4 hours or low for 8 to 9 hours. When soup is finished, stir in egg noodles. Adjust seasonings and serve.

*Note: Fines herbs are a classic blend of herbs that usually consists of chervil, chives, parsley, and tarragon.
Recipe can also be found here. Courtesy of Food Network and Sandra Lee