Sweet Potato and Turkey Shepherd's Pie

Lately, I've been on a health kick, looking for recipes that are good for you but still taste complex and delicious. You'd never know that this recipe has 200-300 fewer calories than its lamb and potato counterpart. Sweet potatoes are also a great source of vitamins A and C.

Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd's Pie
1 package ground turkey
Honey
1 T butter
1.5 lbs sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2-3 T milk
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
5-6 button mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
1.5 c frozen veggies (carrots, peas and corn)
Thyme
Rosemary
1 c chicken broth
2 T flour
3-4 T milk
Cayenne pepper

1. Simmer the sweet potatoes in water for about 20 minutes until fork-tender.
2. Meanwhile, brown the turkey over medium heat in a large skillet, about 10-12 minutes. Set aside.
3. Drain the potatoes and mash with the butter, a drizzle of honey, and the milk. Season with a bit of salt and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F.
5. Saute the onion and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until tender, about 4 minutes.
6. Add the celery and mushroom and saute another 5-7 minutes.
7. Add the cooked ground turkey, frozen veggies, thyme, rosemary, broth and flour. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 7-10 minutes.
8. Stir in the milk.
9. Pour the turkey vegetable mixture into an 8X8 pan and cover completely with the mashed sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper.
10. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
11. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Spicy Seared Ahi Tuna and Avocado Salad

Alright, enough with the fried stuff. My parents and I took a trip to Kona, Hawaii with some family friends, and I was on a mission to cook something made from the abundance of local ingredients the island has to offer. On one of our first days there, I insisted that we drive an hour out of town to what was rated the best fruit stand on the big island, the South Kona Fruit Stand. I went nuts and bought as much produce as I could get my hands on, including strawberry papaya, apple bananas, and several varieties of avocado. Everything sold at the stand came from the owner's fruit farm.

Seared Ahi Tuna Avocado Salad
12 oz fresh ahi tuna
Olive oil
2 large avocados, diced (we only needed one, because it was so big!)
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1. On a small plate, season the ahi with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
2. Heat a cast iron skillet sprinkled with sea salt over high heat until the salt begins to brown slightly. The skillet should be extremely hot.
3. Meanwhile, combine the avocado, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and jalapeno in a medium bowl. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Depending on the thickness of the ahi, sear in the skillet for 40-100 seconds per side for rare steaks.
5. Cut the ahi into chunks about the size of the avocado, or slices, if preferred.
6. Toss with the avocado mix.

Perfect Sunny Side Up Eggs

Nothing ruins a good breakfast like overcooked yolks. This rendition of fried eggs results in perfectly-cooked eggs every time. Thanks go out to Bon Appetit for this method.

2 eggs
Salt and pepper
2 tsp oil or bacon grease
Ovenproof skillet

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat.
3. Remove from heat, and crack the two eggs in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Immediately transfer to the oven and bake for 4-5 minutes.
5. Slide onto a plate and serve with toast.

St. Patty's Day Fry Day

Deep frying is really more of an event than a cooking style. If you're going to bust out the fryer, you might as well invite some friends over for an all-afternoon extravaganza, especially if one of those friends is willing to help out in the kitchen.

Beer-Battered Dill Cheese Curds
1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 egg
8 oz ale (we used Two Hearted Ale; Spotted Cow is great too)
A bag of dill cheese curds (about 10-12 oz)

1. Preheat deep fryer to 375F.
2. Make the batter: in a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, egg and ale. Drink the rest of the beer. It's going to be a long journey.
3. Drop the curds in the batter and toss to cover.
4. Using tongs, drop the battered curds in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
5. Remove the deep fry basket and drain the curds on a paper towel. Season with a bit of salt and serve with Ranch dressing.

Beer-Battered Skinny Onion Rings
2-3 small red onions, peeled and sliced thin

Beer batter (recipe above)
3 T BBQ sauce
1 T spicy mustard
1 T Dijon mustard

1. In a separate mixing bowl, make beer batter using the same recipe as above. Feel free to try a new type of beer this time.
2. Toss half of the onion slices in the batter.
3. Using tongs, drop the onions in the preheated oil, small amounts at a time, and fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
4. While the onions are frying, make the sauce: combine the BBQ sauce and mustard in a small container.
5. Remove the deep fry basket and drain the rings on a paper towel.
6. Season with salt and serve with the BBQ mustard sauce.

Reuben Wontons
Wonton wrappers
Corned beef, finely chopped
Swiss cheese, finely chopped
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island Dressing
Mayonnaise

My kitchen companion made these, but the general gist is this:
1. Blend together equal parts corned beef, cheese and sauerkraut in a bowl.
2. Take a heaping tablespoon of the corned beef mix and fold into a wonton wrapper.
3. Using tongs, drop wontons into the preheated oil and fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Remove the deep fry basket and drain the wontons on a paper towel.
5. Serve with equal parts thousand island dressing and mayonnaise.

Fried Jerk Chicken Wings
1 lb chicken wings, tips trimmed
Jerk seasoning
Salt and pepper
4 T butter
Salt and pepper
4 oz goat cheese
4-5 T mayonnaise

1. Generously season the chicken wings all over with jerk seasoning, salt and pepper.
2. Using tongs, drop the chicken wings in the preheated oil and fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter and blend with about a tablespoon of jerk seasoning. In a small container, mix together the goat cheese and mayonnaise, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove the deep fry basket and drain the wings on a paper towel.
5. Toss with the butter mixture and serve with goat cheese dressing.

Deep Fried Oreos
2 c Hungry Jack pancake mix
1.5 c water
Oreo cookies

Now for the finale. These will change your life...
1. Blend the pancake mix and water until lumps are gone.
2. Cover some Oreos with the pancake batter.
3. Using tongs, carefully place the Oreos, one at a time, into the preheated oil. They should float.
4. Fry for about 1-3 minutes, until golden brown, flipping the Oreo halfway through cooking.
5. Remove the deep fry basket and drain the Oreos on a paper towel.
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Key Lime Pie

I never have to ask my husband what he wants for dessert on his birthday. This pie is easy to put together, and tastes much better than bright green I'm-made-with-JELLO wannabes. I'm not usually one to buy pre-made components to meals, but most graham cracker crusts at the store are pretty solid. Extra bonus that they come with a pie pan and plastic cover.

Key Lime Pie
(Betty Crocker's Wedding Edition cookbook)

1 graham cracker crust
3 large eggs
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp grated Key lime zest
1/2 c Key lime juice (a bag's worth of Key limes)
1 c heavy whipping cream
1 T powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla



1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Beat the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, juice and zest in a stand mixer on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute.
3. Pour into the pie crust.
4. Bake 30-35 minutes until the center is set.
5. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but no more than 3 days.
7. About an hour before the pie is ready to serve, put the bowl for your stand mixer in the freezer.
8. Right before the pie is ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream. Remove the bowl from the freezer and whip the cream on high until peaks begin to form. Do not overwhip.
9. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix gently to combine.
10. Slice the pie and top with whipped cream.