I came across this recipe on Facebook. Its a great way to get awesome ideas for baked goods and really easy one-pot meals. Anyway the original recipe was very simplistic but it made the batter really oily and it did not come out correctly. The brownies were flat, they did not get fluffy or rise. It just wasn't the really tasty brownie I was looking for. So I scrapped them and modified the recipe for my own take on the lemon brownie. These brownies came out fluffy and like cake but still had a thick brownie like consistency. They are AMAZING!!!!! I can't wait until you try them!

Here's the original via Key Ingredient:



Now on the picture they look awesome but they damn sure didn't turn out that way. Seriously I was highly upset but I think my modified version will be better!

Directions

I needed a quick throw together recipe and I had little food in the house. So I talked to the hubs and found some cheddar cheese, steamable mixed vegetables, 2 lbs of ground beef, and mashed potatoes. The first thing I thought of was a pie. I was going to make an open face pie with a pie crust, meat and vegetable filling and a mashed potato/cheese top. But I just didn't want to have to make a crust and go through all that today. So I thought shepherd's pie would be a great. But I didn't want to do the traditional way. Instead of Mashed Carrots and Peas I left all the vegetables whole. I created a great homemade gravy along with the ground beef and some really good instant mashed potatoes with cheese and voila! My version of Shepherd's Pie! So here we go:

Ingredients:
1 box Idaho Instant Mashed Potatoes
Milk
Melted Butter
2 Whole Bell Peppers (chopped)
2 Onions (chopped)
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
3 cups of Flour
3 Bags of Steamable Mixed Vegetables
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 lbs of Ground Beef
4 tbsps Salt
2 tbsps Pepper
2 tbsps Paprika
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1 tsp Basil
1 tbsp Parsley

Instructions

Brown off the ground beef in a skillet. Drain beef in a colander.  Place in a big bowl. Add some oil to the pan and cook the bell peppers and onions until soft and translucent. Place in a bowl with the ground beef. Cook the vegetables per the instructions but cook them only half way. Example: If the vegetables call for 10 minutes on high, cook for 5 minutes on high. Stir the mixture up in the bowl so that everything is incorporated. Now start the gravy. In the same pan used to cook the bell peppers and onions brown off the 3 cups of flour. Keep moving the flour around until the flour cooks and begins to brown. Add 3 cups of water, whisk and season with the seasonings mentioned above or a seasoning mixture of your own. Stir and watch until the gravy thickens. Once you have a thick substance that is full of flavor add the gravy to the bowl of meat and veggies. Stir until everything is mixed together. 

In a bowl mix together the mashed potatoes, milk, and butter. You want to potatoes to be thick but spreadable. Pour the meat and vegetables mixture into a casserole dish and pat down flat. Spread the potatoes over the meat and potatoes mixture and make sure the potato layer is thick and high. Add the cheddar cheese to the top and place in the oven on a 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve after 15 minutes. 

This serves 10 people.


*Alternatives*
Instead of making a traditional gravy try making a red gravy with tomato paste and sauce. Here's what you'll need:

2 tbsp of Tomato Paste
1 Small Can of Tomato Sauce (or Jar whatever you like)
2 cups of Chicken Stock
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of Pepper
1 tbsp corn starch.

In a sauce pan saute your aromatics (onions, bell pepper, and garlic). Once translucent and soft add the tomato paste. Cook until it caramelizes in the pan. Add the tomato sauce and chicken stock. Then sprinkle in the corn starch. This will help the filling to tighten up. Stir it in and cook until its reduced and thick. Combine with your partially cooked veggies and fully cooked meat. Top with Potatoes and cheese. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and brown. Then remove and wait 10 minutes then serve.

*Enjoy your meal folks!

Don't Know How to Serve This?

This is a one pot meal but it can be served with a side salad w/ your favorite vinaigrette!

*Made these beauties with my sisters on mother's day. It was an easy quick recipe and didn't take long for these little bites to cook up and DISAPPEAR! I set it for intermediate because of the way each part has to be made. Baking is a science and you have to be precise so to a non baker this recipe would be slightly difficult. Great for tapas parties or a cocktail mixer.*

Ingredients

Ingredients:

Set up an assembly line. With everything lined up for you to begin the layering process. Lay it however you like. Here's how I layer my lasagna:

1. Sauce

2. Noodles

3. Ricotta Mixture

4. Pepperoni

5. Cheese

In this blog you find recipes that I have tried and created. And will you also see recipes that I have not tried yet. But if that occurs I will post in the beginning that the recipe has not been tested but its in the works. I want this blog to be interactive and easy for everyone. I will post recipes regularly every week at least 2 a week. 1 will be a recipe that I have tried and the other will be one that I haven't tried but will in the near future. You may also see other posts pop up on this blog throughout the week. So just follow Easy Creative Cuisine and you'll catch all the latest.

Easy Creative Cuisine will provide recipes for every level cook. Beginner, Intermediate, and Hard. I'm a big advocate of understanding your limitations and going above and beyond to push past that. Cooking can be a great release and the joy of people enjoying something you created...there's nothing like that type of satisfaction in the world!

So stick with Creative Cuisine we have some really great recipes, cooking tips, and more. If things go well then maybe we'll expand to a YouTube channel specifically for cooking!

*On Holidays You May Get Two or Three Recipes a WEEK