Cottage pie

I don't know that I've ever truly had a shepard's pie. I worked for an Irish pub in college and we served it, but I never tried it. The meals always looked really good though. When I came across this recipe, I was excited to give it a try.

It wasn't anything spectacular, but was a very cozy food. I'd definitely call it a comfort food. I prepped it the night before, put it in the refrigerator then warmed it up instead of having to do everything the night of.

The original recipe calls for putting all the ingredients into four individual serving dishes. I definitely could've done this, however, since it's just me and Scott, I opted to make one big pan. Plus, I got to use one of my new Rachael Ray casserole dishes-isn't it awesome?!

Cottage pie-adapted from Dinner Tonight: Done! by Real Simple
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves 4

• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup carrots, diced

If you are assembling and cooking right away, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Otherwise, you can assemble these up to two days in advance, just add 10-15 minutes to the cook time.

Place the potatoes in a large pot filled with enough cold water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender. Drain and return to the pot. Add the milk, butter and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper to taste. Mash to desired consistency.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink, 5-6 minutes. Stir in ketchup, Worchestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold in carrots.

Transfer beef mixture to a baking dish (or individual baking dishes), and top with mashed potatoes. Baken until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce

I am absolutely in love with this chicken recipe! This is the first recipe Scott looked at me and said, 'This is restaurant quality chicken!' The flavors were amazing, and you know how much we love mushrooms! It was incredibly easy to make as well. The recipe calls for about 4 chicken breasts, but I only made it for the two of us and we ate all the mushrooms, no problem!

Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce-adapted from Dinner Tonight: Done! by Real Simple
Total Time 20 Minutes
Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Seasoned salt and pepper to taste
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 ounces feta cheese

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 8 minutes, remove from skillet and set aside.

Add the mushrooms and remaining olive oil to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally  until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and feta and season with seasoned salt and pepper. Serve over the chicken

Shrimp Bisque

This was a great flavorful tomato soup! We ate it with the Cheesy Breadsticks, and it was so good! I love shrimp, I just wish it wasn't so expensive to cook with! This soup is so quick and easy to make and it is absolutely delicious! Just make it! (PS...yes I did realize I ended each sentence with an exclamation point.)

Shrimp Bisque

Shrimp Bisque-Adapted from Real Simple's "Dinner Tonight? Done!"
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
• 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 2 tablespoons whiskey
• 2 cans tomato soup
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toss the shrimp with pepper, garlic and salt until opaque throughout, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Add the whiskey to the saucepan and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the soup and cream and simmer until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add back shrimp until heated through. Top with cheese.

Peanut Chicken

This recipe was originally intended as an appetizer in skewer form, but I just made the chicken like a stir fry. And it was delicious! When I first told Scott I was making peanut chicken, he told me that if I could perfect it he would love me forever. And, even though he says he'd like "more peanut butter flavor" this was a great recipe!

Peanut Chicken-Adapted from Real Simple-Dinner Tonight? Done!
Total Time: 55 Minutes
Serves 4

• 3/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise in thin strips

On a large plate, toss together the peanuts, bread crumbs, cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Coat each piece of chicken with the peanut mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. In batches, cook the skewers until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side, adding more oil to the skillet as necessary; transfer to a plate. Serve with rice.