Shepherds Pie

Shepherds Pie
Originally uploaded by Ajidivine

I made this a few months ago, but never got around to posting the pictures. I can still smell the aroma and taste the savory flavors of this dish. I even made the mashed potatoes myself, nothing instant about this dish. I will have to make it again, because it is a great dish for these cold winter days.

Blackened Chicken & Spinach Salad

Blackened Chicken & Spinach Salad
Originally uploaded by Ajidivine

Sometimes you just need to have a good salad. I cooked up some blackened chicken breast and sliced it over some fresh spinach along with some mushrooms and mandarine oranges. I also had some sliced purple onion and cucumbers on the side for anyone who wanted to add them. I used Asian Ginger salad dressing on mine and my husband use Honey Catalina. This a great meal for any night of the week.

Better Beef Stroganoff

Better Beef Stroganoff
Originally uploaded by Ajidivine

I haven't been experimenting a whole lot with new recipes in the past few months. The other day I received my last issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine and in it I found a recipe for Better Beef Stroganoff. I read the article and decided that it was worth trying. Most Stroganoff recipes call for a lot of sour cream, but this one only had 1/2 cup of sour cream. I had everything, but the dried mustard ( I used yellow mustard instead). I am not a big fan of stroganoff, but this is a version that I will cook again. My husband now has another dish that he will only eat if I make it homemade, no more boxed versions.

Cheesecake!

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Originally uploaded by Ajidivine

This is the 2nd Cheesecake that I have ever made. I don't count those no-bake things at all. This is from a recipe I found in a Southern Living Cookbook, it called Deluxe Cheesecake. I deviated on the crust and used a whole package of pecan sandie cookies instead of graham crackers. I watched videos and read articles on how to keep your cheesecake from cracking. I must have learned something, because there wasn't a crack to be found on this cheesecake. I found it really hard wait until the cheesecake was fully cooled. I baked this for Michael's birthday and it was an absolute with him. Now he will never eat another Sara Lee Cheesecake again, he claims. It was a delight to eat.