Showing posts with label dumplings. Show all posts

Pot Roast Shepard Pie | Leftovers Makeover Casserole | Frugal Meals

With the cost of food nowadays, many families are looking for frugal and creative ways to reinvent leftovers. This budget-friendly Pot Roast Shepard Pie with Dumplings is a tasty way to fit the bill.

Creative Leftovers Ideas for using Pot Roast

I recently bought a Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer and have been busy meal prepping and freezing leftovers.

Rather than have the same meal again, I've been trying to get creative and reinvent the leftovers into another life dish.

I was inspired by a recipe for Chicken and Dumplings Pot Pie, and turned our Crockpot Pot Roast into a Shepard Pie, I have a great recipe for New England Shepard Pie, (also called 'Cottage Pie'), or you could use Beef Stew also, and did a work-around the two. Our family loves dumplings. I didn't have any mashed potatoes leftover, but had the fixings for dumplings.

I served with homemade Corn Bread. We love Popovers as well, and the next time I make a Pot Roast, I'll serve with Popovers.

Easy clean up in the kitchen with Handmade Cotton Dish Cloths from Moomettes Crochet shops !

Pot Roast Shepard Pie with Dumplings Recipe

Leftover Pot Roast (about 3 cups)
Leftover Carrots and Onions
Frozen or Canned Peas
Frozen or Canned Corn
Additional Brown Gravy (can use a mix, about 1 cup)

Spray casserole dish with Pam or EVOO. Layer pot roast mixture on bottom.
Alternate vegetables
Pour additional brown gravy over everything
Top with dollops of Dumpling batter.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for about 20-35 minutes, or until hot.

Dumplings Recipe

Bisquick or store-brand baking mix (or you can make your own mix)
Milk

Prepare according to box directions.

Enjoy!

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Louisiana Beef Stew | Crockpot Beef Stew | Church Supper Recipe

Here's an interesting stew recipe featuring molasses, raisins, and a hint of ginger. Make this Crockpot Beef Stew for a busy weeknight supper, or simmer on the back burner for Sunday supper.

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

We like to use plenty of molasses when baking here in New England. Traditionally molasses are used in cookie recipes. We also like to think we make the best beef stew.

I know many people are using an Instapot to cook meals, but I prefer to stick with my trusty Crockpot, and I've had many over the years! My mom and aunts used to use a pressure cooker, but my comfort zone is with a slow cooker.

However, Mardis Gras is coming up, and rather than a seafood stew or gumbo, try this old fashioned beef stew recipe version with a side of homemade dumplings or biscuits.

You can get a faster start on this beef stew recipe by using some freezer cooking tips. I just got a Food Saver sealing bag machine, which is perfect for freezer meal prep.

If cooking in a dutch oven casserole dish, cook for 2 hours.

Try some of my other easy Crockpot meals and desserts -
Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

Crockpot Beef Vegetable Barley Soup

Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup

Crockpot Molton Lava Pudding Cake

Serve with Crockpot Bread Pudding and hard sauce for dessert.

Clean up your kitchen with my crochet handmade Dish Cloths from my Moomettes Crochet shop!

Crockpot Beef Stew

3 Tbl. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. ginger
3 lbs. beef chuck, cut in 2" cubes
2 Tbl. cooking oil
1 16-oz. can tomatoes
3 medium onions, sliced
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. molasses
1/2 c. water
6-8 carrots, cut on diagonal
1/2 c. raisins

Combine first 6 ingredients and sprinkle over beef cubes.
Brown beef in hot oil.
Remove to crockpot or slow cooker and add tomatoes, onions, carrots, vinegar, molasses and water.
Cook on low about 4 hours.
Add raisins and simmer about 30 minutes longer.

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photo credit: Back to the Cutting Board via photopin cc

Adapted from: Yankee's Main Dish Church Supper Cookbook

Easiest Ever Polish Pierogi Dough | Holiday Favorite

Whatever type of cheese or filling you use, here's a favorite family recipe for authentic easy Polish Pierogi Dough.

Eastern European Dumplings

As the Christmas season approaches, it's traditional to make Polish Pierogi dough for Christmas Eve. This year may be an exception for us, as I'm having a difficult time finding our favorite Farmer's Cheese. Some folks make their Polish pierogi filling out of cottage cheese, but in our family, it has to be the hard Andrulis farmer's cheese or the Krajanka brand of farmers cheese!

As a child I always watched my Mom make home-made Polish Pierogi. New Britain, Connecticut has a very large Polish population, so we are fortunate to have an abundance of mom and pop shops and Polish restaurants to purchase pierogi for those folks who like homemade pierogi but either don't know how to make this traditional dish themselves or don't have the time. There's also plenty of church fairs that will sell potato and cheese or sauerkraut pierogi at the food booths.

UPDATE: Had to drive to New Britain to buy the Farmer's cheese and there was plenty to be found! Check out the photos and also my recipe for the Sauerkraut Polish Pierogi filling.

Check out my recipe for Potato and Cheese Pierogi too

I like to make these ahead and freeze in my favorite Food Saver vacuum sealer machines to save time and money.

Polish Pierogi Dough Recipe

This is an easy family recipe to duplicate for authentic home-made Polish pierogi dough for Polish Dumplings.

What's really nice about it is that the dough is very elastic and forgiving, unlike some pasta dough.

My grown daughters as well as granddaughter have all grown up on cheese and potato and sauerkraut pierogies. I've taught my daughters how to make the dough as well as the filling so that they too can carry on the family tradition.

Clean up with some pretty crochet Handmade Cotton Dish Cloths from my Moomettes Crochet shop !

Authentic Easy Pierogi Dough Recipe

2 -1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour
2/3 cup ice water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbl vegtable oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 egg

Using a flour sifter, sift flour, salt & baking powder into bowl. Make a
well in the center. Mix egg, water and oil together
and pour into well of flour mixture. Work into flour.
Knead until smooth and elastic. Place in warm
place. cover and let rest 30 min. Roll out and cut in
circles and fill. Cook in a large pot of boiling water 5 minutes then
let set for 5 min. more.

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Easy Potato Cheese Polish Pierogi Filling Recipe

Polish Pierogi with Potato and Cheese filling are a traditional Polish Christmas dish, especially on Christmas Eve and Easter. They're also known as croquettes, Eastern European Dumplings or Polish dumplings.

I learned to make pierogi from my mom and my aunts, and have passed the cooking skill and holiday tradition down to my youngest daughter.

At one point or another, everyone in my family has savored these tasty treats! Everyone from my Irish husband, to charming son-in-law from Vermont! When she was younger, my daughter even enjoyed teaching her cousin and my sister-in-law how to make pierogi at a sleep-over one night! As toddlers, my daughters would ask for "more oggies!" Now even 'Lil Moomette, my granddaughter enjoys "oggies."

Polish Pierogi Filling

There's many types of Polish Pierogi filling - they can be made with a fruit filling such as prunes, cottage cheese or sweet cheese (as you'd find in a blintz.)

New Britain, Connecticut has an abundance of authentic, traditional Polish restaurants and specialty food stores, and has been featured on the Food Network. If you're ever in the area, it's a good opportunity to enjoy the many different types of Polish food!

From Wikipedia:

New Britain has the largest Polish population of any city in Connecticut, and by 1930 a quarter of the city was ethnically Polish.[6] Also referred to as "Little Poland", the neighborhood has been home to a considerable number of Polish businesses and families since 1890. On September 23, 2008, through the urging of the Polonia Business Association, the New Britain City Council unanimously passed a resolution officially designating New Britain's Broad Street area as "Little Poland."

Because of its large Polish population, the city is playfully referred to as "New Britski".

Polish Pierogi filling requires a bit of time to make. Of course the old saying is "Many hands make light work" so it isn't unusual that making Christmas Polish Pirogi becomes a family affair where a whole day is devoted to the event! I posted an easy recipe for Pierogi dough that is a family favorite.

If you like the sauerkraut filling, check that out too!

Polish Pierogi Filling Recipe Cheese and Potato

Easy clean-up with these crochet handmade dish cloths that I make at my Moomettes Crochet shop!

Here's my favorite recipe for Easy Potato and Farmer's Cheese Polish Pierogi Filling that I inherited from my mom and aunts.

Next, I'll show you how to make a Potato-Sauerkraut filling for Pierogi. Be sure to follow my Facebook updates so you won't miss it!

I like to make pierogi ahead to freeze in my Food Saver vacuum sealer machine to save time and money.

Easy Potato and Farmer's Cheese Polish Pierogi Filling

1 tbl grated or finely chopped onion
2 tbs butter
1 cup or less cold mashed potatoes
2 cups Andrulis Farmer's cheese
2 to 3 egg yolks
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook onion in butter.
Mix onion with potatoes, farmers cheese, eggs, salt and pepper. Blend well.
Place cheese filling on half of circle of dough.
Fold over making half circles and press open edges with floured fork or fingers. Make sure pierogi are well sealed.
Set aside until all dough and filling is used.
Boil 3 qts. water in a large stock pot with 1 Tbl salt.
While water is boiling gently drop or slide pierogi a few at a time. Do not crowd. Stir gently with wooden spoon to separate and to keep from sticking to each other.
Boil rapidly for 3 to 5 minutes.

Can be frozen.