Avocado Frog Dip and Potato Mice

   My kids like to look at cookbooks almost as much as I do.  Well, maybe not quite as much, but they do enjoy flipping through and marking recipes that they want us to make together.   A week ago, my 7-year old daughter marked quite a few recipes in this Mom and Me Cookbook and she asked  if we could get the ingredients and make them for dinner.  

The first thing she wanted to make was this Avocado Frog Dip.  It is a basic guacamole dip and my girls had lots of fun making it with me.   It was quite easy.  We took turns cutting and scooping out the avocado, mashing it and stirring in a few other ingredients.  Then my girls wanted to get a pretty tray and arrange all the veggie dippers and make the face.

 I thought it turned out great.  My kids aren't huge fans of avocado, but they ate this with the veggie dippers because "It's good for me" and "I know it's healthy".   They said it, not me! They actually both ended up liking it more than they originally thought they would and we had fun putting it together.  We made the dip while the potatoes were baking in the microwave.

 Here is the recipe for Avocado Frog Dip
* We used plain Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream

   To complete our meal, we made these Potato Mice.  We baked them in the microwave, so that the prep time wouldn't be quite as long.  Our potatoes were pretty small, so we didn't use as much butter or milk as the recipe called for.  We just used a little bit of each, and mashed it together until the texture was perfect.   These were tasty as well and the girls were very proud of the dinner they helped me make. 

 Here is the recipe for Potato Mice
* We used mozzarella cheese to top our mice
* We baked our potatoes in the microwave (minus the oil brushed on the skins of course!)


 

Ellie Krieger's Shepherd's Pie

 I have a confession to make- up until last week, I had never, in my life, made Shepherd's Pie.  I don't remember ever eating it before.  My mom never made these types of dishes growing up.  I've never been a "meat & potatoes" type eater, so it just never  was something I was interested in making.

 2 things changed that for me- Pie Week and Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy by Ellie Krieger.  

  Ellie Krieger's recipes never, ever disappoint and I like that she uses a combination of cauliflower and potatoes for the mashed topping.    I made a few changes, like using lean ground turkey instead of lean ground beef, but that is just because of my personal taste preferences.

I actually put this together on a Saturday night and then covered it and put it in the fridge, so I could just pop it in the oven after church on Sunday and we wouldn't have to wait too long for a hot meal to be ready.

My family really liked this meal, (it is a meal in itself), and I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful and fun it was.  While we were eating it, we took turns telling stories about how this dish might have gotten the name Shepherd's Pie.  For your sake, I won't repeat any of those stories.  :D

Here is the recipe for Ellie Krieger's Shepherd's Pie
* I used 94% lean ground turkey
* I used chicken broth
* I added 1/2 cup of celery to the veggies
* I added a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce to the filling
* I added some garlic powder, salt & pepper to the mashed potato/cauliflower topping and used an extra Tablespoon of butter

  

Marrakesh Stew

I know I am a complete wierdo, but I totally crave things that are chock full of vegetables. This stew practically jumped out at me from the pages of EveryDay Food a few weeks ago. It was a cold day, so the thought of a hearty vegetable stew really made me happy. Carrots, eggplant, butternut squash, potatoes, tomatoes and chickpeas- what a healthy, delicious combination.

I am always a little bit skeptical when cinnamon is called for in a savory recipe, but with the cumin, coriander and cayenne, the cinnamon really played a nice part in the flavor here. It worked well with everything else that was going on in this dish.


Now, this stew is not beautiful to look at, but it is wonderfully spiced and delicious. I warned my family not to make any comments about how this looked, but to give it a chance and try it first, and they were all pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was.

This makes a lot of stew, so I have a large ziploc bag of it in the freezer, along with the leftover Israeli couscous mix, just waiting for a busy night a couple weeks from now, when I can just put the frozen stew on the stove and have an instant dinner. I love it when there is enough of something leftover that it can be dinner again in a couple of weeks!

Marrakesh Stew from Everyday Food Magazine

Serves 8 * Active time: 10 min. * Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, diced large
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
3 3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 small eggplants, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained


In an 8-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add spices, and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes.
Add carrots, potatoes, and squash and season with salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and broth- vegetables should be completely covered by liquid; add water to cover if necessary.
Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Add eggplant, stir to combine, and simmer until eggplant is tender, 20 minutes.
Stir in chickpeas, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook until chickpeas are warmed through.


*I served this over the Harvest Grains Blend from Trader Joe's- a combination of Israeli couscous, orzo, and red quinoa.

Curried Butternut Squash and Potato Latkes with Apple Salsa

I've never had Latkes before, so I am certainly not an expert. I have no idea how they should taste, what they should look like, etc. I just saw a section of Cooking Light recently that was dedicated to different types of latkes and these ones, with the combination of butternut squash and potatoes, caught my eye. I liked the idea of the apple salsa too.

I tackled this recipe the day after Christmas.
There was all this talk of it snowing here in Georgia for Christmas and I really didn't think it was going to happen. Maybe it is because I can't stand the white stuff or just because I like to think that it is impossible for snow to come here (even though it has on occasion), but sure enough, Christmas night, it started to snow. And it didn't stop until the next morning. Church was canceled, we were snowed in and it felt like the perfect day to try these guys.

The peeling and shredding of the squash and potatoes is what takes up the most time, but when you are snowed in, what else are you going to do?
Draining the liquid in a colander didn't work for me, I had to literally squeeze out all the liquid. I had read or heard somewhere that this is a very necessary step to have good latkes.
There was a nice bit of heat in these from the jalapeno (I used this instead of a serrano pepper) and I have to say that I think the apple salsa was a really nice compliment to these latkes.

My daughter & I really loved these, some of the others thought they were just okay. I served them with a little bit of unsweetened, natural applesauce and a dab of greek yogurt, alongside the apple salsa.

Recipe for Curried Butternut Squash and Potato Latkes with Apple Salsa
* I used a jalapeno pepper instead of a serrano pepper

Roasted Salmon Nicoise Platter

I don't watch much tv, but for some reason one day, I happened to see The Barefoot Contessa prepare this dish.
Originally, I was just going to use the recipe for the salmon since we love fish and eat it all the time, but then I saw some cool looking purple potatoes at the store and decided I would go ahead and do the whole platter.
When Ina made this dish she was preparing for 12 people, so I only prepared 1/3 of the recipe.

I found fresh wild sockeye salmon at the fish counter and was really excited about it. The salmon was amazing! Best salmon I have tasted. It was soo good.
I reduced the oil in the marinade and the vinaigrette because I always do that when I make a vinaigrette or marinade and I don't feel that it takes away from the overall results.

My kids really liked this meal. I served it on the platter and everyone was able to take what they wanted using a pair of tongs. 1 of my kids didn't appreciate the watercress because it was "spicy".
This was a hit. Very delicious.

Recipe for Roasted Salmon Nicoise Platter
*I omitted the green olives
* I reduced the amount of oil in the vinaigrette and marinade
* I used red wine vinegar in the vinaigrette because I had it on hand

My Mom's Potato Salad

I know everybody out there has at least one dish that their mom makes better than anyone else in the world.
My mom has many, but when it comes to potato salad, I can only eat my mom's.
I don't like mayo anyway, so if a potato salad is just mayo based- no way am I going to eat it. This recipe has lots of mustard, so the flavor is a little bit different. My mom also makes this with plain yogurt occasionally, which I prefer.
I also don't like potato salad that has too much dressing/sauce. I prefer drier potato salad. This particular time that we made the potato salad together, my mom said it was too "wet".

When my family was in town visiting we served dinner at the homeless shelter and my mom made her potato salad.
We found a good deal on red potatoes, that had a yellow-y flesh, so that is what we used here, but usually a normal baking potato does the job. Because we used red potatoes and the skins were tight, we didn't peel them.
Potato salad is not something that I eat more than once or twice a year, but I know lots of people enjoy it during the summer, at picnics and cook-outs, so it fits with this time of year.
My dad would eat this everyday if he could.

My mom's Potato Salad adapted from Managing Your Meals by Winnifred Jardine
6 medium potatoes
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
8 hard-boiled eggs
1/3 cup dill pickle relish + a little pickle juice, add more relish if desired
3-4 Tbls yellow mustard or Dijon, if preferred
3/4 cup mayo or plain yogurt, more if needed
1 Tbls sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp celery seeds

Cook, peel, and dice potatoes; combine with chopped onion; set aside. Shell eggs; separate yolks and whites. (Sometimes I discard a couple of the yolks)
Dice egg whites; set aside.
Mash yolks with mustard; stir into mayo/yogurt along with sugar, salt, and celery seed.
Combine mayo mixture with potatoes, onions, egg whites, and pickle relish.
Season to taste.
Cover bowl and chill for several hours before serving.

Chili-Stuffed Baked Potatoes

The past couple months, I have had the opportunity to cook and serve dinner at a local homeless shelter. I have been blessed with great people who are willing to help me out in this endeavor and it has been really rewarding for us.
It is a temporary shelter, that operates in the colder months of the year. It has been really great to have the opportunity to help those in need.

This is what we served for dinner a couple of weeks ago at the shelter.

I don't usually use canned pasta sauce when I am cooking. I prefer to make my own.
But I multiplied this recipe by 6 to get a large enough amount to serve and this time, I used a shortcut by using prepared sauce. I had to prepare other things for the dinner too, so using prepared sauce was a time saver for me this time.
I saved a small amount of the chili and a few baked potatoes, so that we could have dinner too.

I had to doctor up the sauce with some extra spices because it needed some flavor, but after adding garlic powder, oregano and some pepper, it turned out being a pretty great topping for the baked potatoes.
When we served these at the shelter we had shredded cheese and sour cream as toppings, but here at home I used greek yogurt and chopped green onions.

I used ground turkey instead of ground beef because that is what I do.
The good thing about this recipe is that you could adapt it anyway you want and could sub in homemade sauce if you wanted to.
It sure worked out for me when we had to feed a lot of people!

Chili-Stuffed Baked Potatoes adapted from myrecipes.com


Preparation Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes minutes

1 pound ground turkey, I used 93% lean
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce
4 large potatoes, baked and split
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 can (19 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
garlic powder
pepper
oregano
green onions
greek yogurt

Brown ground turkey with onion in 12-inch skillet, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until onion is tender; drain if desired.

Stir in chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Stir in beans, Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce and other spices. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until heated through.

Evenly top hot potatoes with ground turkey mixture.

Garnish, if desired, with diced avocado, sour cream (I used greek yogurt for mine), chopped green onions, and shredded cheddar cheese.

CEiMB- Twice Baked Potatoes with Sharp Cheddar and Oven Roasted Broccolini

This week's CEIMB recipe was Broccoli and Cheddar Stuffed Potato Skins with Avocado Cream. It was chosen by Anne who blogs over at Rainforest Recipes,
I did not make this recipe exactly. I did use some of the same ingredients and made something that my kids would eat.
Somehow I got inspired by the potatos, the cheese and then switched out the broccoli for broccolini. It just tastes so much better.
I baked my potatoes in the oven until I was able to scoop out the insides and then I just mashed the potatoes with 2 Tbls of unsalted butter, 1/3 cup fat free greek yogurt, 2 Tbls skim milk, salt and pepper.

I drizzled my broccolini with olive oil, then added some salt and pepper, and roasted it in a 400 degree oven until it was tender, about 15 minutes.
I put the mashed potato mixture back into the potato skins and then covered them with cheddar cheese. I popped them back in the oven, until the cheese was melted and the potatoes were warm throughout.

So, not exactly what the recipe said to do, but sometimes you have to improvise!

Check out the CEIMB Blogroll to see what everyone else did with this recipe!


Recipe for Broccoli and Cheddar-Stuffed Potato Skins with Avocado Cream

Blogiversary Giveaway- Creamy Parsnip Soup, Curried Carrot Soup with Grilled-Cheese Croutons, and Glazed Lemon Mini-Cakes

Since yesterday was my blogiversary, I decided to do a little giveaway. Now, I don't know if anyone out there loves cookbooks as much as I do. Maybe you do or maybe you don't. Whatever the case may be, I am going to give 1 lucky winner a copy of Everyday Food:Great Food Fast. This cookbook is really a great asset. It is similar to the magazine Everyday Food, which comes from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living. What I particularly enjoy about this cookbook, is that it is arranged by the seasons of the years, featuring ingredients that are fresh and available during that particular season.
Here is an editorial review that was featured on Amazon.com- "If you are a fan of Everyday Food magazine (and you should be), you will be wowed by Great Food Fast, a gorgeous full-color cookbook filled to bursting with recipes for fresh, flavorful food that is easy to prepare. Organized by season, Great Food Fast features simple recipes for year-round cooking, including no-cook pasta sauces, main-course soups, one-dish meals, and more." --Daphne Durham
I decided to showcase a couple of the winter recipes (since it is still snowing and cold around here) from this book. I made the Creamy Parsnip Soup, Curried Carrot Soup, and Glazed Lemon Cakes. I added the super cute Grilled-Cheese Croutons that I saw in Family Fun Magazine to the Carrot soup, just for a fun topper.
Both of the soups were very good and easy.
The Parsnip soup was a little bit sweet, due to the apples and parsnips, but nice and thick also. I think I used too much of the leeks, which led to a green color soup, instead of the nice white color pictured in the book, but it still tasted great.
The Curried Carrot Soup was the definite favorite. Carrots and curry make a great combination. We loved the grilled cheese croutons on top. I didn't follow the recipe- I just used the same idea. I make grilled cheese sandwiches in my Foreman Grill, which eliminates the need for any butter. The next day we had the carrot soup for leftovers and stirred in some leftover, cooked brown rice.
The Glazed Lemon Cakes were amazing. I used buttermilk in them and that led to a very light, moist cake. I made them smaller than the recipe suggested, but that just meant there were more of us that were able to enjoy them.
So, now that you have a sample of the recipes, in order to win this cookbook, please leave me a comment telling me what your favorite season of the year is and why. I will randomly chose a winner on Tuesday @ midnight and contact you in order to get shipping information. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment with your email address, so if you are the winner I will be able to contact you. The winner will be announced in my post on Wednesday Feb. 25.
My favorite season is Summer. I love hot weather, fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden and lots of sun!
Good Luck Everybody!

Creamy Parsnip Soup from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
Prep: 20 minutes Total: 50 minutes
To prepare leeks: Trim and discard root ends and dark-green parts. Halve lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise. Wash in several changes of cold water until all grit is removed.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound prepared leeks, sliced (2 cups)
1 pound parsnips, trimmed, peeled, and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
2 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium baking potato (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Leek garnish (see below) (I omitted this step)
Directions
Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks (reserving 1/2 cup for garnish). Cook, stirring, 5 minutes.
Add parsnips, apples, potato, broth, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Return it to pot; stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with Leek Garnish.
To make leek garnish, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Add reserved 1/2 cup leeks; cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Curried Carrot Soup adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
Prep: 20 minutes Total: 40 minutes
Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon curry powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large (4- to 5-quart) saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Add broth, carrots, and 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth; transfer to a clean saucepan. Add more water to thin to desired consistency. Reheat, if necessary. Stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired.

Grilled-Cheese Croutons from Family Fun Magazine
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon thyme
6 thin slices of bread
3 ounces Cheddar, thinly sliced

Step 1 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine the butter and thyme. Spread one side of each bread slice with the butter mixture. Place 3 slices in the pan, buttered side down. Top with the cheese, then with the remaining 3 bread slices, buttered side up. Cook, turning once, until toasted on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

Step 2 Remove the sandwiches from the pan. Let them cool slightly, then cut them into 1-inch squares. Makes about 60 croutons.

Glazed Lemon Cakes from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
Prep: 15 minutes Total: 50 minutes
Ingredients
Makes 6.
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tin
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for muffin tin
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk, or plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated, plus juice, plus 2 tablespoons more lemon juice for the glaze
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin(I used a normal sized muffin tin). In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice of 1 lemon. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk mixture.
Divide evenly among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in tin, then cool completely on a rack.
Set rack over wax or parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir confectioners’ sugar with remaining lemon juice until smooth. Pour over cakes, spreading to edges with a knife.

Up Next- Tuesday's with Dorie- Caramel Crunch Bars and a Mixed Berry Cobbler Rewind

Homemade Happy Meal- Mini Sliders on Whole Wheat Buns and Oven Fries

Do you ever just want the appeal of a Happy Meal at your own home? Well, here it is. A Homemade Happy Meal that is sure to please the kid in everyone. The only thing missing is a cheap, plastic toy, but this meal is so good, the kids won't even notice.

I have made Prudy's Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns before, (Here with sloppy joes and Here on her site), so I didn't include the recipe in this post.

Please make these buns. They are so easy and so good. They are great to eat plain, with jam, or with anything in between. I doubled the recipe and we have been eating all kinds of sandwiches on these things. They are wonderful and so easy! I promise if you make them once, you will start doing it weekly like me. Thank you Prudy!

These sliders are super simple as well. I always use ground turkey and for these instead of the super lean ground turkey breast, I use the 93% lean, which is still healthy but keeps this little guys nice and moist. I keep the seasoning minimal, but a few dashes of flavor. You can make them cheeseburgers or not, all I know is that they were very popular.

I also made oven fries, which are so easy and you can season them however you want. I always make 2 pans, because I like the added spicyness of grill seasoning, but my kids like them with salt and a little pepper. The trick is to cook them long enough at a high heat to get them nice and golden.

This was a super fun and delicious meal! I hope you give it a try!







Mini Sliders on Whole Wheat Buns by Mary Ann

1 batch of Prudy's Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns, made into 20 mini buns

1-20 oz pkg. 93% lean ground turkey

1-2 Tbls worcestershire sauce

1-2 Tbls Grill Seasoning

1 tsp onion powder

lettuce

cheddar or provolone cheese, for those who want cheeseburgers

ketchup, mustard and other condiments

Make the rolls earlier in the day. They need to rise for a total of about 2 hours, so plan accordingly. They come together really quickly-seriously, it is a super simple recipe.

Mix ground turkey, worcestershire sauce, grill seasoning, and onion powder in a large bowl with your hands. Make sure the seasonings are mixed in evenly to the meat. Divide the meat into 16 equal balls. The easiest way to do this, is to divide it in half, then in half again and then each quarter into 4 parts.

In an electric skillet, heat 1 Tbls olive oil- spreading it with a brush or paper towel to cover the entire surface. When oil is warm, smoosh each ball of meat mixture into a patty, thin enough that it will cook thoroughly without drying out. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. You will have to do this in two batches. If cheeseburgers are desired, add a thin slice of cheese once you turn the patty over. Remove patties to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Slice open a mini-bun and put a patty on top. Garnish with lettuce and whatever condiments you desire.

Oven Fries by Mary Ann

2 large baking potatoes, cut in half and then cut into thin slices

2 red potatoes, cut in slices or wedges

Grill Seasoning

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place your cut potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tbls. olive oil and season with grill seasoning, salt and pepper. (Go easy on the grill seasoning if your kids don't like 'em spicy). Combine potatoes, oil and seasonings with your fingers, so all the potatoes are evenly coated. Arrange the potatoes in an even layer, leaving a little space between so they cook faster.

Bake for 15 minutes and then remove tray and turn them over and shuffle them around. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and golden.

Oven Fries

Who doesn't love crispy potatoes? We made two trays of these, one with lots of Grill Seasoning, so they were spicy and one with just a little salt and pepper, so the little ones could handle them. Can you say Gone?

Oven Fries

1 1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into thin strips

olive oil

salt and pepper

Grill seasoning

Preheat oven to 450°.Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and seasoning. Toss with your hands and put into a single layer. Bake at 450° for 35 minutes or until golden.

Hearty Beef and Potato Casserole

I joined the Foodie Blogroll! Check it out on the sidebar of my blog. It is a place where you can browse over 1000 foodie blogs! If you have a food blog, sign up!

This dish is one that I have made over and over and over again. It is a great one to take to someone that needs dinner and that is why I made it last night. We took it to a woman who had just had a baby. Everything is pre-packaged (which I don't usually like) but, when you are doing double duty, it comes in handy. Plus, it is meat and potatoes, which most people like. I steam green beans and make a quick loaf of bread and you have your meal. This time I even made a banana cake, but I will get to that later!

Hearty Beef and Potato Casserole ( from Parents magazine)
1 package (5.1 oz.) scalloped potatoes
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs. butter
8 oz. sliced fresh carrots
1 pkg. (17 oz.) precooked beef tips with gravy
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbs. red-wine vinegar
2 Tbs. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Vegetable cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large glass bowl, prepare scalloped potatoes for baking (using 2 cups boiling water, 1/2 cup milk, and 2 Tbs. butter). Place bowl in microwave and cook 5 minutes; stir and cook 5 minutes more. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, microwave carrots and 1 Tbs. water, covered, for 5 minutes.

In a 1 1/2- or 2-quart baking dish, stir together beef, cooked carrots, drained tomatoes, and vinegar. Spoon potato mixture over beef mixture, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Spray top with vegetable cooking spray. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.