Buttermilk Syrup

1 C buttermilk
1 C sugar
1/2 C butter


1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Bring the buttermilk, sugar, and butter to a rolling boil. Allow it to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the soda and vanilla. (The syrup will rise when you add this so make sure you have room in your bowl) Eat. So delicious on pancakes or anything really!

Shepard's Pie

This recipe needs time to cool down and set a little so that the layers don't mix together. I didn't read that and made the recipe with no time so I didn't let anything cool and it still turned out really good! The meat gravy is what is advised to cool down. The leftovers were really good too!

Meat Gravy:

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 C carrots, finely chopped

1 lb ground beef (original recipe called for ground chuck round, I didn't have it)

1/4 C white flour

1/2 C frozen peas

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (any flavor)

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 3/4 C beef broth

1/2 C 100% grape juice 

1 beef bouillon cube

2 Tbsp Worcestershire

1 tsp dried thyme

Topping:

2 1/2 lbs potatoes (I used Yukon gold and they were delicious)

1/2 C heavy cream

1/2 C sour cream

6 Tbps butter

salt & pepper to taste

Pour olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and chopped onions and heat stirring often. Add the finely chopped carrots and celery. Cook until the veggies are soft. Remove veggies into a bowl. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain the excess fat. Add back the veggies. Add in the flour and cook for about a minute continuously stirring. Still on medium high heat add frozen peas, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, grape juice, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Let it simmer for 25-35 minutes at medium heat, stirring every 5 minutes until the gravy is thickened. Remove from heat pour into a casserole dish and cover. Let it sit in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. (This is what I did not do and it still turned out great!)

Preheat oven to 350.  Peel then cube the potatoes in small chunks. Place potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover the potatoes. Add some salt and bring to a boil.  Let them boil until the potatoes are soft and you can poke easily with a fork. Drain the water and remove the potatoes into a bowl to be smashed. In the pot add heavy cream, sour cream, and butter. Melt on low heat and stir. Smash the potatoes with a masher and then add them to the pot with the cream. Stir to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp). Add mashed potatoes on top of the meat gravy in the casserole dish. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes turn golden and the edges are bubbly. Broil on high for 1-2 minutes to get the top of the potatoes crispy. 

White Chicken Enchiladas

2 C cooked, shredded chicken
half an onion, chopped
2 C shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 clove minced garlic
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. corn starch
2 C chicken broth
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 C sour cream
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 (4 oz) can green chilies
1 tsp lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium size bowl mix chicken, onion, 1 C cheese, and garlic. Spoon some chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll the tortillas and place in the pan. In a sauce pan, melt butter and stir in the corn starch and cook for one minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Keep over heat until it bubbles and becomes thick. Stir in sour cream, chilies, lime, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Do not let it boil. Pour the sour cream mixture over the enchiladas and top with the last cup of cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.