I first tasted Guinness Shepherd’s Pie at Dargan’s Irish Pub in Santa Barbara, California. It’s a simple dish, but rich in flavor, and ohhhh how I love it so! I figured I could come up with something that was close enough to my favorite dish at Dargan’s, and I’m pleased with the results.

This Guinness Shepherd’s Pie is a simple blend of ground beef, onions, carrots and peas, in a broth of Guinness Stout, with chicken broth and a bit of tomato and some seasonings, topped with creamy mashed potatoes. I used just a bit of cornstarch to thicken the broth.

Look at that delicious filling hiding under a layer of creamy potatoes.

Assemble your ingredients. 

Cook the ground beef just until it loses its pink color and releases all the juices and fat. 

Thoroughly drain the cooked beef. 

 In same pot, cook the carrots and onions until the onions are translucent. 

Return the cooked beef to the pot with the carrots, and add the Guinness and tomato sauce. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 20-25 minutes. 

Add the peas. 

Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook, while stirring, until the broth has thickened slightly. 

Pour the beef mixture into the prepared casserole dish. 

Boil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water until they are tender. Drain and return to pot. Add the butter and milk and whip until fluffy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

I don’t mind a few lumps but you may want to beat them until they’re completely smooth. I whip my potatoes in the same pot I cooked them in. Why create more dirty dishes? 

Carefully spoon the whipped potatoes over the filling. You don’t want to be too heavy-handed or the potatoes will sink into the filling. 

Lightly spread the whipped potatoes over the top of the filling. Get as close to the edges as you can but it doesn’t have to be perfect. YUM! 

Guinness Shepherd’s Pie
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1-½ lbs. lean ground beef
Sea salt and ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 14-oz. can Guinness
½ cup canned tomato sauce
1-½ cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water

Potato Topping
1 lb. potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
3 tablespoons butter or Earth Balance
½ cup cream or non-dairy milk
Sea salt
Ground black pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 3-4 quart heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add ground beef and cook over medium high heat, stirring and breaking beef up any chunks of beef, until brown. Drain beef and set aside.

In same pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and have softened. Return ground beef to pan, add Guinness and tomato sauce, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Add chicken stock and return to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and peas and simmer 2 minutes. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water. Stir cornstarch mixture into the beef mixture and cook 1-2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Spoon mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish, or 6 individual oven-proof serving bowls, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. I like these Pyrex 2-cup dishes because they go from freezer to oven or microwave, are sturdy, not made from plastic and are the perfect size for a single serving, they can be reused over and over, and travel well.

Make Whipped Potato Topping:
Boil potatoes and garlic in a large pot of salted water for 10-12 minutes, until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Drain potatoes and return to the pot. Heat over low heat for 15-30 seconds to dry out the potatoes. Mash the potatoes, whip with a handheld mixer, or pass through a ricer, mix in butter and cream, and season with salt and pepper. Gently spoon potatoes over top of ground beef filling, then carefully spread the potatoes to evenly cover the top. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, until filling is bubbling. Serves 6.

The pie can be made ahead and refrigerated for two days before serving. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes, until filling is bubbling. It can also be frozen for up to three months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before reheating as directed above.

Dice and chop your veggies.

Good prep helps with good cooking. 

Saute the onions. Once they have softened a bit, add the spices and cook one more minute. 

Add broth, vegetables, lentils and peanut butter, and stir well.

After 10 minutes of cooking, the stew broth will be creamier. 

Mix in the kale and cashews.

The finished stew. 

Bursting with flavor!

Sweet Potato, Kale and Peanut Stew
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups vegetable broth
2 medium orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
½ head cauliflower, broken into florets
¼ cup red lentils
½ cup natural peanut butter (not a commercial processed brand
1 bunch kale
½ cup raw cashews

Wash kale and spin dry. Strip the leaves off the stems (discard stems) and tear or chop the leaves into small pieces. Set aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until onion just starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add ginger, cumin, chili flakes and salt and cook one minute, until spices are aromatic. Add broth, sweet potato, carrot, cauliflower, lentils, and peanut butter. Stir to blend peanut butter into broth. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add kale and cashews and simmer 10-15 minutes longer. Serves 4-6.

Imagination, creativity, and pretty flowers. Some of my favorite things.

Get the full size printable version here.

Buttery, tender and delicate, these snowy melt-in-your-mouth cookies get their light sweetness and powdery coating from twice being rolled in powdered sugar. I have made snowball cookies every year at Christmas for many years. Almost everyone I know loves them (except my husband!), so I often make them for other occasions such as birthdays, pot lucks, or as gifts throughout the year. I’ve always referred to them as Snowballs, but the same basic recipe, with slight variations, is also known by many other names and in many other countries, including Russia, Mexico and Greece. The variety of nuts used can also vary, but most commonly used is pecans. I almost always make mine without nuts though, which is unusual. Even though I make these at Christmas, a friend always gives me some as a gift, and I absolutely love hers. They are larger than mine and have lovely bits of pecans in a tender, buttery dough.

My recipe card, written out when I was in high school. 

Assemble your ingredients.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Gradually add the flour and mix until dough holds together in large clumps. 

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. 

Bake until cookies are lightly browned on the bottom.

Roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar. 

Roll until cookies are evenly coated with powdered sugar.

Allow cookies to cool completely before rolling them in powdered sugar a second time. 

Snowball Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
½ cup plus 1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups unbleached flour (or 2¼ cups gluten-free baking blend plus ½ teaspoon xanthan gum – see below for recipe)
¾ cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400°.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and ½ cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add water and vanilla and mix well. Gradually add the flour and mix until the dough holds together in large clumps. Mix in the nuts. Chill dough for 30 minutes.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes, until cookies are very lightly browned on the bottom. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Place remaining 1 cup powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll warm cookies, 4 or 5 at a time, in powdered sugar until they are evenly coated. Place cookies on counter or cool baking sheet to cool completely. When completely cool, roll again in powdered sugar. Store cookies, tightly covered, for up to two weeks. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Gluten-free Baking Blend:
4 cups Authentic Foods Superfine Brown Rice Flour (I highly recommend this brand. It doesn’t have the gritty texture that is common in most rice flours)
1 1/3 cups potato starch (not potato flour)
2/3 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

In my never-ending quest for delicious allergy-friendly desserts, I present a delicious chocolatey oatmeal cookie.
This one has no eggs, dairy, or soy, but the taste is delicious! (My next version will be gluten-free.)

Assemble your ingredients. 

Scoop the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets. 

Dark, rich, chocolatey and chewy cookies. 

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from “Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar”, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

2 cups quick-cooking oats (also called baby oats. NOT instant oatmeal)
1 2/3 cups unbleached flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder, preferably a rich, dark variety such as Double Dutch Dark Cocoa from King Arthur Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (for better flavor and freshness, buy whole flax and grind them yourself by whirling them in the blender)
2/3 cup nondairy almond , coconut or rice milk
2/3 cup canola or coconut oil (coconut oil will make give the cookies a slight coconut flavor)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3-oz. Rapunzel Organic 55% Cocoa chocolate bar, chopped (or other dairy-free, soy-free chocolate)
1 cup dried cranberries, or chopped dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix oats, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.

Moist and flavorful, with added texture and nutrition from oats, nuts and coconut, you’ll have a hard time believing that these muffins are free of gluten, refined sugar, dairy and eggs. They are incredibly easy to make, so you can whip up a batch just before breakfast, and freeze the leftovers for a later time. Enjoy them warm from the oven and spread with some Earth Balance or a fruit spread like apple butter. I like them with peanut butter. They pair well with freshly brewed hot coffee or tea, or a nice cup of cold milk.

Assemble your ingredients.

Put all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 

Add the remaining ingredients to the dry mixture and mix just until blended. 

Scoop the batter into paper lined muffin cups. 

Bake the muffins until a they are lightly browned and mounded, and a tester inserted comes out clean. 

Sweet Potato Muffins – gluten free, sugar free

3 cups gluten free flour blend (see below for recipe)
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups xylitol
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups (1 15-oz. can) sweet potato puree
1 cup organic canola oil or melted coconut oil
2/3 cup canned coconut milk or other non-dairy milk
½ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup flaked unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 375°. Place pecans on baking sheet and toast in oven for 10-12 minutes, until browned and fragrant. Remove, let cool, and use a sharp knife to coarsely chop them.

Line 20 muffin cups with paper liners.

Place flour, oats, xylitol, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Whisk lightly to blend everything. Add all remaining ingredients and whisk just until blended. Do not over mix.

Use a 2-oz. scoop (about a ¼ cup) to portion the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a tester inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for ten minutes before removing from muffin tins. Makes about 20 muffins.

Store, tightly covered, at room temperature for 2-3 days, or frozen for several months. Rewarm frozen muffins in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

Gluten-free Baking Blend:
4 cups Authentic Foods Superfine Brown Rice Flour (I highly recommend this brand. It doesn’t have the gritty texture that is common in most rice flours)
1 1/3 cups potato starch (not potato flour)
2/3 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

The design of this roll brim hat is simple yet looks good on almost anyone, and the hat can be knit in a weekend. I’ve made so many of these hats I’ve lost count. You can vary the look greatly by using a variety of yarns. I’ve made them with solid colored yarns, handpainted, self striping, tweed and marled. I’ve also made them striped using two different colors and alternating colors every ten or twelve rows. The pattern is originally from here, and I make it exactly as stated in the instructions.

The samples shown are knit with Lion Brand Amazing yarn, in Olympia and Ruby colors. Any worsted weight yarn (weight category 4) will do, or you can use two strands of fingering or sock weight yard held together.

Decreases at the crown make a beautiful pattern. 

I always almost make a size Medium.

Sizes
Small (Medium, Large)
Circumference 20 (21¼, 22½)”

Materials
1 skein Lion Brand Amazing 50 g/1.75 oz./147 yards
Size 7 US (4.5 mm) 16″ circular needles
Size 7 US (4.5 mm) double pointed needles
Tapestry needle
Stitch markers

Gauge
18 sts=4″ in stockinette stitch

Instructions
Cast on 90 (96, 102) sts. Join and work in the round, being careful not to twist work. Place marker to mark beginning of round.
Work in stockinette stitch (knit every round) for 6″.

Begin decreases:
Round 1: *k13 (14,15), k2tog, rep from * = 84 (90, 96) sts
Round 2: knit
Round 3: *k12 (13, 14), k2tog, rep from * = 78 (84, 90) sts
Round 4: knit
Round 5: *k11 (12, 13), k2tog, rep from * = 72 (78, 84) sts
Round 6: knit

Continue in this manner until 48 sts remain, then decrease every round until 6 sts remain. Cut yarn and draw through remaining stitches and fasten off. Weave ends into hat. Enjoy!

Apparently, I love a challenge. When I found out that someone I care about has a lot of food intolerances and needed to eliminate gluten, dairy, eggs, yeast and sugar from their diet, I sprung into action! Breakfast can be challenging for someone who can’t eat bread, yeast, eggs or dairy. Almonds for breakfast, anyone?

These scones are light and full of flavor and nutrition. Pecans add protein and healthy fats. Oatmeal adds fiber and texture. Chocolate adds deliciousness and some antioxidants.

I love xylitol as an alternative sweetener. It tastes very close to sugar, does not have an off-putting aftertaste, and can be substituted for sugar in equal parts. It’s great for using in baking.

So, new breakfast: warm, freshly baked scones and a glass of homemade almond milk, with a cup of hot freshly brewed coffee.

I discovered Simply Lite sugar free chocolate at Trader Joe’s. It’s available online through Amazon. It contains a bit of dairy, but not enough to add a significant amount to one scone. 

Break off half the bar and use a sharp knife to chop it into 1/4-inch pieces. 

Place dry ingredients in bowl of food processor. Pulse a few times to chop up the chocolate and pecans. 

The mixture should look like a lumpy blend. Don’t over process it. 

Add the pieces of Earth Balance, and pulse until they are the size of peas. 

Place the mixture in a large bowl and add the milk. 

Use a fork to lightly mix the batter until it is evenly moistened. Do not overmix. 

Use a 2 oz. (blue handled) scoop to portion the scones onto a parchment lined baking sheet. 

Flatten the tops slightly with your flattened fingers. 

When done, the scones will be lightly browned.

Gluten Free Pecan Chocolate Oat Scones
½ cup rice, almond or soy milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup gluten free flour blend (see recipe below)
¼ cup xylitol
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup pecans, roughly chopped
half of a 3 oz. bar Simply Lite Dark Chocolate bar, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold Earth Balance, cut into six pieces

Preheat oven to 400°.

Mix milk and lemon juice together. Set aside.

Place flour, xylitol, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, oats, pecans and chocolate in bowl of food processor fitted with knife blade. Pulse a few times to chop oats, nuts and chocolate. Add Earth Balance and pulse a few times, until Earth Balance is the size of peas. Pour mixture in a large mixing bowl and pour milk/lemon juice mixture over. Mix lightly with a fork, just until dry ingredients are evenly moistened

Use a 2-oz. scoop  (about a ¼ cup) to portion the dough into six mounds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use your flattened fingers to slightly flatten the scones. Bake 17-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Makes 6.

Gluten-free flour blend:
4 cups Authentic Foods Superfine Brown Rice Flour + 1-1/3 cups potato starch (not potato flour) + 2/3 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch). Mix together and store in an airtight container.

Carrot Raisin Salad is one of my husband’s favorite things. He is so happy when I make it, and it’s very simple to do. I added some extra zing to the standard mix of shredded carrots, raisins and mayonnaise by using Vegenaise and golden raisins, and adding crushed pineapple and a bit of flaked coconut.
This version is both vegan and sugar-free, but regular mayonnaise and another sweetener, such as sugar, can easily be substituted.

Grating vegetables is one of my favorite things to do in a food processor. Dump in a bag of baby carrots and you have a bowl of beautiful evenly shredded pieces in about 5 seconds.

If you don’t have a food processor, use large whole peeled carrots and hand grate them. 

Drain the pineapple, but leave it a little wet. The extra juice adds wonderful flavor to the salad.

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. 

The finished product.

Carrot Raisin Salad
1 bag (1 lb.) peeled baby carrots
3/4 cup Vegenaise or mayonnaise (available at natural foods stores). To avoid GMOs, I prefer the Organic or Soy-free varieties
1 20-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup golden raisins (you can use more if you really like raisins)
1/3 cup natural, unsweetened flaked coconut (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill or Let’s Do Organic brands) – optional
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon xylitol or sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Shred the carrots in a food processor. Place them in a large mixing bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Mix well.
Serves 4-6.

This dessert is quite easy and yields spectacular results. The filling is made by whisking it in a double boiler, which adds a lovely lightness to it. The combination of lemon and lime in the creamy filling gives it a tangy  and tart zing balanced with a bit of sweetness. There is nothing like fresh juice for the filling, but bottled will do if that’s all you have.

If you’re having a party, you can four-times the recipe and make it in a half sheet pan. Cut the tart into 32 bars or 50 smaller ones.

 Measure the juice into a measuring cup. (I had already used this cup to melt the butter, so why wash it?)

Whisk eggs, yolks and sugar until smooth. 

Place bowl over a pot of lightly simmering water.

Add the juice and continue to whisk vigorously until the filling has thickened and lightened in color. 

Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. 

Pour the warm filling into the baked crust. 

Smooth the top so the filling is even. 

 Enjoy!

Adapted from Thomas Keller’s recipe from French Laundry, courtesy Epicurious.com.

Lemon-Lime Tart

Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling
2 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 2-3 limes)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 pieces

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine all crust ingredients in a bowl and mix until the butter is evenly distributed through the crumbs. Pour the crust into a 9-inch tart pan with fluted sides and a removable bottom. Press the crumbs evenly up the sides, making them about 1/4-inch thick. Spread the remaining crumbs over the bottom and press them to form and even surface. Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool.

You will need a large metal bowl to whisk the filling in. Place about 1 1/2 inches of water in a pot smaller than the diameter of the bowl and bring water to a simmer. Place the eggs, yolks, and sugar in the bowl and whisk until very smooth. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in the juices in three parts. Continue whisking vigorously until the filling has thickened and is light in color, about 5-6 minutes longer. Turn off heat and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time. Pour warm filling into the prepared crust. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature. If desired, top with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Serves 8.