Recipe Sifter

Three-cheese tortellini filling with ricotta, mozzarella, and cottage cheese, seasoned with mace, thyme, and garlic. Makes 6 cups and freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.

Greek gyro sandwiches blend ground beef and lamb with oregano, thyme, and garlic into thin patties, then tuck into pita with homemade cucumber-yogurt sauce and sliced onion. Street food classic done at home.

A garden vegetable spaghetti sauce loaded with peppers, zucchini, and summer squash, slow-simmered with garlic and a big handful of herbs. A meatless, freezer-friendly marinara for using up the garden.

Silky egg custard cradles roasted tomatoes, sweet corn, and chewy sundried tomatoes in a nutty whole wheat crust. This savory tart balances rich cheddar with bright basil and the concentrated sweetness of oven-roasted summer tomatoes.

So to start off with the first post, I decided to make a meal that screams of comfort food. Whilst it does take a bit of a while to get the meal done, once you take that first bite, heaven couldn’t seem closer if you were Adam trying to touch God’s finger in the “Creation of Adam” fresco created by Michaelangelo. The meal I speak of is Cottage Pie. There is much debate as to what exactly a cottage pie is and how it is different to a Shepherd’s pie...I don’t know. The dominant theory is that Sheperds pie uses lamb mince, whilst a cottage pie uses beef mince. I don’t know about you, but the term “Sheperds Pie” does not get my tastebuds going quite as well, so I prefer the term cottage pie. Besides, comparing the price of ground (mince) beef to ground lamb, a student would pick up the beef mince in a heartbeat without even so much as glancing at the lamb in the meat section. This cottage pie that I made is full of flavour, and just makes you want to cuddle up next to a fire and watch TCM movies all day either by yourself, or with a significant other. Here is the recipe:

These are very healthy vegetables, whenever it is a nice recipe, worth to keep.

Cheesy, juicy, tasty and delicious. We used all ricotta cheese, put most of the mozzarella cheese into the filling ingredients, which we really enjoyed.

Wow, the pot roast came out so flavourful and the gravy was also very tasty. We thinly sliced the leftover, used in sandwiches and wraps. Bravo!

Made this pasta with veggies for supper yesterday, and I was impressed. I wan't sure that if there would be enough flavor, and it actually came out quite tasty. I did add a bit hot chili sauce. A quick, easy and yummy one-pot meal.

Caramelizing onion and garlic was a great idea, which developed lots of deliciousness; then sautéing the bell peppers together really made the toppings very flavorful. Goat cheese added another layer of tangy creaminess.

Saltine cracker dressing loaded with crumbled sausage, smoked oysters, sage, and thyme. Stuff your bird or bake it as a hearty side dish that brings Bohemian comfort to any holiday table.

Microwave lamb stew delivers tender, herb-scented lamb with carrots and potatoes in a thickened gravy, all from the microwave. Faster than a stovetop braise, with the clean, comforting flavor of a classic lamb stew.

One-skillet beef and barley with ground beef, tomatoes, and chili sauce simmered until the barley is tender. A quick, hearty weeknight dinner in 30 minutes.

Blackened chicken breast seared in a screaming-hot cast iron skillet with a Cajun-style spice blend of paprika, cumin, thyme, and red pepper, then finished in the oven. No butter needed.

Venison steak braised in Burgundy wine with tomatoes, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and a bouquet garni, finished with sauteed mushrooms. A rich Southern wild game stew served over wild rice.

Tender bay scallops in a light thyme-nutmeg cream sauce tossed with pasta shells and finished with fresh parsley and lemon zest. Elegant enough for date night, easy enough for a weeknight.