The Unkempt Kitchen

Fall is coming!  One of my favorite cool weather meals is shepherd's pie. I originally acquired this recipe from a shepherding family from New Zealand who were living in Australia. Over the years, I have adapted this to my tastes and it is a favorite of my husband's. I have tried using mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes. It's ok but definitely not the same. It's difficult to get the cauliflower to the same smooth texture as potatoes. But it's a healthier option. Also, the sauces and flavoring amounts are a general starting point. We usually like to add some more to taste. This is a great meal that I love to share with friends. Just be prepared that it will take at least an hour to cook and cool. Allowing the dish to cool helps bring everything together and you can enjoy it more. Also this makes great leftovers! Shepherd’s Pie recipe 1 lb ground beef 1 medium onion, diced 1 medium carrot, grated  2 T. butter 1 1/2 T. flour 3/4 c. water 2 t. chicke...

In following with the detox post from before, I thought I'd share with you some of my homemade smoothie experiences and recipes. One thing I learned from making numerous smoothies during the detox is that you don't need dairy to make a good smoothie. The ingredients that I think are most helpful when making a smoothie are bananas and apple juice. They both help add sweetness to your smoothie. Bananas are more subtle with flavor than apple juice so think about what flavors you have going on first. I've tried using greens in my smoothie and though they aren't too bad, they change the texture. I mostly recommend using pre-cooked greens as opposed to raw (fresh or frozen). These will break down more. Another interesting ingredient to use in smoothies is avocado. It really makes the smoothie creamy but I have found it hard to mask the flavor of the avocado. If you like them, then try it! I've seen a lot of avocado and blueberry smoothies but I think other fruit may go ...

I'm currently in my 1st week of a three week detox. It's a good detox that I've done twice before. I use it as a weight loss jump-start and a way to fix my food focus. Summer time, holidays, and just a busy life can make you get lax on what you eat and how much you exercise. I think of myself as a pretty fit person but when you're not watching, it's easy for those numbers on the scale to rise. Eating out is a real culprit for myself. Even though we've cut back on our meals out, it's still tempting to "splurge" on a calorie-heavy meal.  So back in 2012, a friend of mine tried this detox from Whole Living magazine. I thought I'd try it out. I like it because it's 3 weeks but each week the food you can eat changes. There's variety and you're actually eating  something, as opposed to some of the liquid detoxes. And you can eat as much as you want! Granted, you probably should cut back on portion sizes but when most of what you're e...

So I tried this recipe that we just LOVE and I wanted to share it with you! It's great for summer and has lots of flavor. I've shared it with some friends & family and they've enjoyed it too. It's pretty easy and makes a lot so you can share it or have it for lunch the next day. I've adapted this from this blog post:  http://pinchofyum.com/chopped-thai-chicken-salad Her recipe was great but I wanted to make it a little more (southern) American friendly. Summer Thai Salad Ingredients Salad cooked chicken (however much you prefer. I like mine pan fried, but rotisserie should be good, or boiled) 1 small head cabbage (2 cups shredded) or try napa cabbage 1 large carrot (1 1/2 cups shredded) 1 bell pepper (any color) 1 cup mung bean sprouts (or other sprouts could be substituted) 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (don't substitute parsley, it's not the same, and you need the flavor) 1/2 cup green onions 1/2 cup crushed, roasted peanuts Dressing 2 larg...

Well I've finally gotten into a groove with my meal planning. It's a little complicated but I enjoy doing it because it appeals to my organizational side. Also it's really helpful when you're trying to save money and eat at home more. This way, I know what I'm making and that I have most, if not all, of my ingredients. In the past I have tried various different methods for meal planning but this is what I've found works for me (at this point in my life. Lord knows it may change.). I try to plan out my meals for each paycheck. Since our income comes in on the 15th and the 30th, those are my start dates for meals. I try to go ahead and work on my plan a few days before the "start" date. I usually glean from my pinterest boards. Trying to focus on my vegetarian meals to start with, then interspersing some of the less healthy meals and some desserts or breakfasts. I mainly plan dinners. Most of our lunches are leftovers from the night before. But I'v...

Pimento Cheese...one of my favorite classic southern dishes. Even though my mother grew up in the South, we didn't eat a lot of southern food when I came along (she prefers unsweet  tea!). But pimento cheese has been a staple in our home for as long as I can remember. It's a great dish to whip up when you want a light lunch or to make a burger really special.  In recent years, with the rise in popularity of Southern food, pimento cheese has been taken to gourmet standards. One of my favorite re-interpretations is a blue cheese bacon pimento cheese. I know, that's a pretty far jump from the traditional but it goes really well with a burger.  You may be skeptical of pimento cheese and you may have tried others and not liked it but try making it yourself and you may find it's your new favorite. I converted my Southern husband to my pimento cheese! Here's my favorite way to make pimento cheese: Mom's Pimento Cheese 1 red pepper 1 8 oz block of sharp cheddar ...

Biscuits. Well I've been talking about them throughout my posts. I love biscuits. They're so versatile, easy and yummy. I started making biscuits from scratch a few years ago. Growing up we usually had the canned or frozen biscuits. At Christmas we would have these great sausage biscuits that my grandmother would make. They were made with buttermilk and had the sausage mixed in. I love them with butter and jam. Once I realized that biscuits weren't that difficult to make, I only make my own now. The ingredients are pretty straightforward and I usually have them around the house: flour, baking powder, salt, possibly sugar, butter and milk. I've done whole wheat biscuits, half white-half wheat biscuits, and your traditional white flour biscuits. I'm not real picky about biscuits. Use what you have and they'll be good. I don't usually keep buttermilk around so I'll use whatever milk I have. I do usually try to use butter, it works better with baking and ...

Strawberry season is here in South Carolina and the strawberries are awesome this year. I love getting as many strawberries as I can to use in oatmeal, desserts, salads and jam. A couple of years ago, my husband decided to perfect his chicken grilling method. As I mentioned in the pizza post , we have this amazing Weber charcoal grill that we love, but it tends to get very hot. This can make it difficult to get the chicken cooked well inside without getting burned on the outside. My husband has figured out how to keep the grill at 350 degrees long enough to cook the chicken. It takes awhile to get it to the right temperature but it is well worth it. The chicken breasts he grills are amazing! Flavorful, moist and cooked thoroughly. Our favorite marinade for our chicken is this balsamic mustard marinade that he found somewhere and we frequently use. I try to marinate the chicken breasts for at least an hour but longer is better. You can put the marinade together before church and let t...

So the other night we made up this Chicken Quinoa soup and it was good! I had been meaning to make the soup for a few weeks but we finally pulled everything together. We will have to make this again. If you're familiar with chicken bog, this is pretty similar.   Here is a link to the original recipe on active.com.   You can make it with our without chicken, I think it would be good either way.We didn't have mushrooms or celery but we did have potatoes and broccoli. Also, we felt that the recipe on this website called for too much liquid. I like my soups thick and hearty and the standard ratio for quinoa is 2:1 (water:quinoa). So we cut the liquid down to 3 cups and it turned out great. I mean really good. As in it was difficult to try and save some for lunch the next day.  Feel free to use whatever vegetables you have around the house. Peas, beans, asparagus, cauliflower, etc. Just be sure to think about cooking times for each vegetable. Something like green peas or...

Hashbrowns - one of my favorite foods. Just about any form of potato, especially potato that you can put    ketchup on...yum. When I was younger, my mom would take any leftover potato skins and chop them up and make homemade hashbrowns. These hashbrowns can also be called skillet potatoes, or whatever other name restaurants come up with. They're basically, potato skins with whatever potato flesh is left in them, diced up and cooked in a skillet until browned. Since being married, I've started adding other ingredients to my hashbrowns and they really become a treat. First you have to start with a baked potato (or pre-cooked potato). What we usually do is have baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese one night, and then save the skins and leftovers for a hashbrown meal. It's difficult for me to get my husband to save his skins, he prefers to eat the whole potato, but I always save mine. If you don't have leftover potato skins, or if you need more potatoes, it's perfe...

Southern Pasta e Fagioli A couple of years ago, I started getting into eating more seasonally. I'm even working on my own collection of favorite seasonal recipes. In the South it's pretty easy to do. Much of southern cooking revolves around seasonal cooking. I know I'm not strict with it but it makes cooking more interesting and I think it's a great way to make better, more nutritious, food. Now collards are an interesting vegetable. Many people only talk about collards around the New Year. Get your black eyed peas and collard greens for a prosperous New Year. But collards are a good green to keep around. I like to cut mine up and freeze them and use them throughout the cold months. I'll throw them in smoothies, make up some traditional black eyed peas and greens or put some in a soup. The thing you have to remember about collards is that they are a tough green. They can handle lots of cooking, whether is sauteing or boiling. It's best to cook them for awhile...

Amazing vegetarian Enchiladas So I have had a butternut squash in my cabinet for months. Long enough that I can't remember when I got it but I'm sure it was before Christmas, probably sometime in October or November. I love how with winter squash you can get it and you have plenty of time to use it. I probably bought it to make a soup with but I'm kind of tired of soups. I found this recipe for butternut squash and black bean enchiladas on the Edible Perspective website . There are some great recipes on there. I like how butternut squash and sweet potatoes are pretty interchangeable. A few years ago I discovered the great combination of sweet potato and black beans and Mexican seasoning. So I figured butternut squash would be a decent substitution. We go through a lot of beans around here, especially black and pinto, so when I can I try to buy dry beans and cook them myself. I was glad when I came across this method of cooking beans in a slow cooker (and without ha...

I love pancakes. I also love waffles. But growing up we never had a waffle iron so pancakes were a special breakfast item we would make. With blueberry syrup or with apples in the batter, they were good. I got a waffle iron as a wedding present and love making waffles BUT it can get messy and sometimes you don't want to pull out the waffle iron. A friend of mine made up this great recipe for your own pancake mix (think that generic baking mix you buy at the store and add the liquids). I was so thankful for this because it saves time AND I am in more control of what's in it.  The recipe is posted on Once A Month Mom . In my experience, it creates great, fluffy pancakes, especially when you make plain pancakes.  But this last weekend I wanted to make pumpkin pancakes. My mom was in town and I had some leftover pumpkin puree that I wanted to use up. SO, I took Pioneer Woman's pumpkin pancake recipe  and merged it with the OAMM recipe. Here's what I came up with: ...

I have a love/hate relationship with make-at-home pizza. It has even caused me to almost cry a couple times. I have tried many ways to make pizza - with and without a pizza stone, in the oven, on the grill, and I'm sure many others. At one point I didn't have a pizza peel, then I decided to get one and I still had problems. My attempts at making pizza in the oven got so dramatic that my husband decided we should get it perfected on the grill. We still had problems with that but we've pressed on. Now in my opinion, homemade pizza and restaurant pizza are different. I don't feel like you can really compare the two. We have our favorite local pizza joint that we love. We also can get pizzas for a reasonable price. I see making pizza at home as a fun, weekend activity. I don't think I have ever tried to do it during the week. It is fun to create your own toppings and use fresh ingredients. But I don't think it'll ever replace take-out pizza for me. I find the ...