Scottish Christmas Dinner: Beef & Mushroom Pie

The picture really doesn't do this traditional main dish from a Scottish Christmas dinner justice.  It's impossible to capture the incredibly moist and flavorful filling laced with a hint of thyme or the light and flaky crust in a single image.  You'll just have to take my word for it. But I have to warn you.  If you make this just this once, you will have the boys in your family asking that you make it year round.   It really is that good. 

My idea of meat pies growing up were those little frozen pot-pies that were only ever purchased and used when my mom was having a baby or my dad was out of town on a business trip and my mom didn't want to cook.  We had them so rarely that they felt like a treat, even though they were filled with strangely chewy vegetables (from being cooked, frozen, and reheated) and a flat, almost cardboard-like crust.  Marie Callender's raised the bar a bit with better fillings and a flakier crust, but still... nothing ever beats homemade.

Irish Spiced Beef

I love celebrating holidays.  They are a deviation from the ordinary--a chance to do things that you never get to do other days of the year.  There are decorations, stories, music, and of course... food.  I grew up hating St. Patrick's Day when I was a kid, however, because what was served at my home was very salty meat with mushy cabbage.  (Sorry, Mom, but it's true.)  My mother was a fabulous cook, but that combination of food was terrible.  So when I got old enough to be on my own, I sought out recipes for other Irish favorites that could replace corned beef and cabbage, yet still celebrate the spirit of my Irish ancestors.

Tex-Mex Hand Pies -- A Pi Day Main Dish

One of the fun challenges of Pi Day every year is trying to come up with something new to serve for dinner.  It has to be pie, of course, but what kind?  Pizza pie, pot pie, quiche?  We have had a lot of pot pies over the years--and since I frequently make a shepherd's pie in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I was looking for something else  to fix for dinner.  This year, I ran across this recipe at the Homesick Texan's food blog. 

Indian Luncheon: Vij's Chicken Curry and Red Lentil Curry

It's been a week since I last posted, and with good reason.  Last Wednesday, we said goodbye to our oldest son, who was leaving for a two year adventure out in the wilds of San Jose.  Hopefully he will come back wiser, and not just older.  The rest of the week was spent cleaning up after the chaos that we called packing.  Meals were basic--leftovers were involved on two different days.  Some of the leftovers were from our son's last home cooked meal, which I will post about later.  Today, though, I thought I'd share with you a couple of recipes from the world-famous Indian restaurant, Vij's, up in Vancouver, B.C.

Recipes for a Middle Eastern Feast: Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons

One of the things I love most about Middle Eastern cooking is that so much of the food is made with healthy, fresh ingredients.  With the obvious exception of pitas, desserts, and anything made with phyllo dough, the grains are usually whole.  In Middle Eastern dishes, the vegetables are plentiful, the herbs are fresh, and the flavors are exotic combinations of spices that by and large, you already have in your pantry.   (And if you don't, most of them are easy to obtain at a regular grocery store.)

The other thing that I love about Middle Eastern cooking is that most of the dishes can (or should) be made or at least mostly prepared ahead of time.  This makes it ideal company food.  A few hours of food preparation time the afternoon or evening before the event can yield a menu that requires only about half an hour of hands-on cooking the day that the company is coming, leaving your hands free to wipe off counters, set the table, and fix your hair before guests are due to arrive.  (Bedhead is one of those iffy things.  It might make it look like you are such a fabulous cook that you had time to hang out in bed all day before tossing this feast together, but it could also make you look harassed and incompetent.  So, go fix that hair.)