I Was Tagged! (Easter Recipe Round-Up)

So .... I was tagged by Brandie over at The Country Cook for this Easter Recipe Round Up. It's a fun game of Easter tag where I have to create a virtual Easter meal using only the recipes I have posted on my blog. Hmmm....this ended up being harder than I thought! I have many main dish recipes, but none for vegetables or bread/rolls. So I'm improvising and this is what I came up with. Something simple. Not a very "Easter-ish" meal and I have to be honest that I don't think I would eat this combination myself! But it was fun to play along ;)

Shepherd's Pie

Cherry Dump Cake
















Chocolate Elvis Smoothie

Slow Cooker Recipe Round Up

I'm joining a recipe link up today over at the Goose Berry Patch. Lots of wonderful slow cooker recipes of all kinds from pot roast to carnitas to chocolate pudding cake .... Hop on over to see what's cooking!

Shepherd's Pie (ala Nicko's Kitchen)

I found a new recipe site that I really like called Nicko's Kitchen. It's actually a video recipe site on You Tube. I find I like seeing the videos, but he isn't good about telling you how much time to spend on each part. You have to play that by ear.

I think I've finally found my "keeper" shepherd's pie recipe. I have checked out cook books from the library, tried friends recipes and the internet, but just never found one that had the taste I wanted. Until this one. I used all my own measurements and he doesn't give time instructions so I just played it by ear.


Ingredients:
Yellow potatoes
1/2 cup cream
1/2 stick butter
Salt/pepper
Olive Oil
2 T minced garlic
Carrots
1 lb ground beef
1 bag frozen peas
1 package gravy mix
1 cup water




Instructions:

• Cover bottom of frying pan with some olive oil.
• Add garlic and carrots and cook until softened.
• Add ground beef and mix together. Continue cooking until ground beef is browned.
• Sprinkle gravy mix over beef mixture and add 1 cup water.
• Cook on high for 10 minutes or so until most of liquid is absorbed.
• Cut up and boil the potatoes.
• Add cream, butter and salt/pepper to taste.
• Mash until creamy.
• Place meat mixture into glass baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top using a fork.
• Cook in 500 degree oven for minutes.

ENJOY!

Easy Salmon Cakes

I think I got distracted by all this beautiful weather we've been having .... it's mid-April and my first post of the month! I did make the salmon cakes I mentioned in my Menu Plan Monday. They were actually pretty good! They're not the ones my mom used to make when I was little (she called them salmon patties), but I'd make these again. The sauce really made them, I think. I got the recipe from a new site I found called Eating Well. As always, I did my own editing.


Ingredients:
Salmon Patty
Olive Oil
A stalk or two of celery
2 T chopped parsley
15 ounces canned salmon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1-3/4 cups bread crumbs
1/2 t pepper

Creamy dill sauce
1/4 cup mayonaisse
1 T lemon juice
1 T dill

Instructions:

• Cover bottom of frying pan with oil. Add celery. Cook until softened.
• Stir in parsley and remove from heat.
• In small bowl, place salmon and break apart with a fork. (Remove bones and skin if necessary.) Add egg, mix well. Add the celery mixture and mix until all combined.
• Make into 8 thin patties.
• Cook salmon cakes in pan about 3 minutes a side.
• Transfer cakes onto a baking pan. Cook in oven for about 15 or 20 minutes, until golden.
• For dill sauce: Combine in a bowl and mix well. Serve on top of or next to salmon cake.

ENJOY!