Thanksgiving Shepherds Pie

So at work last week we were talking about different dinner options. There are always the same easy things you make all the time and once in a while you just need something a little different. A co-worker suggested this dish which I call "Thanksgiving Shepherds Pie". Her family makes it after Thanksgiving with all the leftovers but I wanted to try it and didn't want to wait until Thanksgiving to do so. I aldo chose the easy way out and bought the mashed potatoes pre-made and added a little salt, pepper and garlic powder to them. Here are the other items you will need:

Ingredients
1lb of Turkey (boars head ovengold, cut as thick as they can)
6 large carrots (cut into sticks and cooked)
1 box cranberry stuffing (prepare following instructions on box)
Mashed potatoes (family sized stop and shop pre-made)
1 can cranberry sauce
Salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika to taste

Once all of the above is cooked and ready to go it is quite simple, just layer the items in the order that they are listed in, into a large round casserole. (I love using my temptations since they can go right into the oven, are beautiful to serve with and can be covered and stored all in the same dish, who doesn't love less cleaning?!?!?) Now I didn't add the cranberry sauce since Scott hates it but feel free to put that inbetween the stuffing and potatoes or save and serve on top once done. Once layers, as pictured below, sprinkle with salt pepper and paprika and bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the potatoes look lightly browned. Serve immediately and Enjoy!

Top 5 Disney Restaurants

About a year ago this month we traveled to Disney World. I have always loved it there but this time we were lucky enough to get free dining with our package.  This allowed us to eat at some of the best restaurants Disney had to offer. We had everything from seafood, to Italian, to Irish and obviously a Mickey ice cream in between!

If you are planning a trip and want to relax with some nice sit down dinners I would definitely suggest making a reservation at one (if not all) of the following:

Fulton's Crab House (Downtown Disney)
Raglan Road Irish Pub (Downtown Disney)
Cape May Cafe (Beach Club)
Via Napoli (Epcot - Italy)
Lastly if you are traveling with kids or its your first time its always nice to start your day with a little fun, so why not try a Character Breakfast! I would suggest Chef Mickeys at the Contemporary Resort.

So now that you know my favorite places I am sure you would like to know what each offers, here is an idea below of our delicious meals we both had or you can click the links above for full menus.

 Via Napoli

 

Raglan Road

  

Snacks!

 

 Fulton's Crab House

Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta

It's pumpkin season, which means pumpkin everything, coffee, muffins, donuts, breads, m&ms and now this.....Pumpkin Alfredo! I picked up this months Food Network Magazine and flipped through quickly, this is when I came across this image,

along with "50 things to make with canned pumpkin". I quickly found No.5, Pasta with Pumpkin Alfredo. This was so simple I had to try it tonight. A quick trip to the store to grab a can of pumpkin (okay, a few cans, since I am sure I will try a few others) and I headed home to whip this up.

Ingredients
1 box veggie pasta, cooked
10 sage leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups light cream
1 cup canned pumpkin
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese

Like I said, this is super simple. First saute the sage leaves in the butter. Whisk in the cream, pumpkin and nutmeg. Simmer for 5 minutes and toss with pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with grated Parmesan and you can always add a couple sage leaves to make it pretty! That's it, time to enjoy! 

 Stay tuned, I have 49 other pumpkin recipes to go through and possibly try!

Zucchini Bread

Well, September is here and with that brings the unofficial start or the Fall season. I have a love hate relationship with Fall. I love to bake so this means pumpkin and apple everything as well as another season to redecorate for. The negative, warm weather is slowly disappearing and the cold snowy season will be here before we know it.

We had a clam boil on Sunday and spent Labor Day recovering. After relaxing all day I decides to make a couple zucchini breads to start off the baking season. I came across a very very large zucchini on our garden that me and Scott both missed somehow, so it was the perfect excuse to get baking!
I went to my favorite cookbook, a gift from my brother and soon to be sister-in-law (thanks Krystal, as I know you were the one who actually picked it out), Betty Crocker COOKBOOK, Bridal Edition Here is what you will need and how to make the breads:

 Ingredients

3 cups shredded zucchini

1 2/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup veg. oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease the bottom only of 2 8x4 loaf pans.  In a large bowl stir zucchini, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla until well mixed.  Stir in the remaining ingredients except the nuts.  (Now at this point I completely overlooked the cinnamon and nutmeg, so I ended up just swirling it in gently after I had already placed the batter in the pans) Lastly stir in the nuts (I used walnuts since that is what I had but Pistachios or even topping it with sunflower seeds would be excellent choices as well!)  Divide batter evenly between the 2 pans.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until lightly browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool loaves for 10 minutes in pan on a wire cooling rack.  Loosen the sides of the breads and remove from pans.  Place top side up on wire rack to cool completely.  Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for about 4 days or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Now, I hate my oven so of course I used the toaster oven, you can really make anything in a toaster oven. Okay okay, maybe not a baked ham or a turkey dinner, but almost anything! I let my neighbor have half a loaf, since she saved me when I didn't have enough flour, and she ate half before I even left the house! Must be good, especially since my dad said it was the best he has ever had and needs the recipe!  Enjoy


***Nutritional Info (per slice)
CAL. 95 FAT 4g CHOL. 15mg SODIUM 110mg CARBS. 13g PRO. 2g