Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas, Happy New Years and any other holiday you may celebrate at this time of year. 2015 may be coming to an end, but a new year is just around the corner, and that means new experiences and opportunities.

So stay safe out there, and I'll see you in the new year!

Lots of love

Lea

Shepherd's pie, as many of you well know, is a classic layered British dish, traditionally made with minced lamb and potato. Everyone and their grandmother has their own favourite twist on this recipe, and I'm no different.

This savory, moreish dish is a favourite for my husband and I during depressing Danish winters where it's typically rainy, windy and very dark. When I think about it, pretty much anything with mashed potato is a fan favourite here.

I kept the recipe simple with ground beef, carrot, celery, onion and garlic, with a bit of red wine, beef stock and spices, and then piled the buttery mashed potatoes high on top for a super tasty one-dish meal that took less than an hour to make.

1. Peel and boil potatoes in unsalted water until tender.
2. Drain potatoes and place back on low heat to steam dry.
3. Mash potatoes with butter, cream, salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
4. Preheat oven to 175°C/345°F and set potatoes aside.
5. In a large sautee pan or or skillet, heat oil and butter.
6. Sweat onions and garlic until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
7. Add beef and brown.
8. Add carrots, celery, thyme, oregano, cloves and cook approximately 10 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.
9. Add wine and reduce by half.
10. Add stock, Worcestershire sauce and dijon.
11. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for approximately 15 - 20 minutes until liquid reduces and becomes thicker.
12. Spread meat mixture into a baking dish and layer mashed potato on top. If you choose to pipe the potatoes, allow them to cool slightly to avoid burning yourself. Safety first.
13. Bake 20-30 minutes until potatoes are browned and mixture is bubbly.

Find a printable version of the recipe here.

And there you have it! This dish gets extremely hot, so let it sit and cool off for about 5 minutes before serving to avoid burning your mouth.

If this recipe is right up your alley, then be sure to leave a like and share with your friends! Feel free to comment below or send me an email to tell me how it went, and as always, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as Quite Chefy.

"Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

So taunted the Gingerbread Man as he ran away from his many pursuers. That's right, it's cookie time! I'm getting into the holiday spirit with freshly baked gingerbread cookies! These cookies blend a heavenly combination of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg with just a hint of vanilla that not only tastes fantastic, but gives off a warm Christmas-y fragrance in the kitchen that will have everyone drooling.

The dough is easy to make, and fairly easy to work with if you remember to flour your surface and tools well. I managed to get about two dozen cookies from this batch, which I decorated gave away to some very appreciative cookie munchers. I didn't attempt it myself, but this gingerbread cookie recipe is also perfect for building your own gingerbread house structures, since it crisps up and dries so nicely. Just remember to roll it out a bit thicker for construction purposes.

1. Mix flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
   
2. In separate bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy.
3. Add syrup or molasses and egg, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
4. Gradually add flour mixture into wet mixture and mix until well incorporated.
5. Roll dough into a ball, and press flat into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in fridge at least one hour or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
7. Roll dough out to approximately ½ cm thick.
   
8. Cut dough into desired shapes and place on parchment paper.
9. Bake 8-10 minutes until edges begin to brown.
10. Allow cookies to sit for a minute on baking sheet, then move to wire cooling rack.
11. Eat as is or decorate as desired.
    

These cookies can be eaten alone, dusted with sugar, or decorated with your favourite icing and candies for an extra special artistic treat. I used a royal icing (pasteurized egg white and confectioners sugar) with just a pinch of vanilla sugar mixed in. I sent a pile of these off to my husband's office, where they were gobbled up with glee.

And there you have it! If you make this recipe yourself, be sure to post photos on my Facebook page, Quite Chefy, or leave a comment below and remember to share the recipe with your friends. A printable version of the recipe can be found here. You can also contact me via email, Twitter and Instagram!

I have some new, exciting posts coming up in the near future, so check back often, and invite your friends!

Until next time, lovelies, stay warm, and stay Chefy!

Hey there! Hope you're all doing well and getting prepared for Christmas. It just snuck up on me, really, but today we went out and got all our shopping done. I even stopped with my husband and bought a tasty iced coffee beverage. Unfortunately, I have almost no feeling in my lips after surgery, and don't have a clue how to use them sometimes, so after pathetically trying to use the straw for about 10 minutes, I gave up and took it home with me, where I poured it into a sippy cup. Oh well, at least I tried!

Another thing that's sneakily snuck up on me is the cold weather. I've been cold all the time the past couple weeks anyway, but it got shockingly cold out there all of a sudden. At least there's no snow yet here. The cold weather calls for comfort food, and I've been craving the warmth and nostalgia of corn chowder. Also....I can't have anything but liquid food and mush, so there's that.

This soup is a warming mixture of smokey and sweet with just a hint of thyme and chili that warms from the inside out. Pair with a delicious, warm crusty bread slathered in butter and you have the perfect meal for a chilly evening. The best part is that it's a one-pot meal!

1 pack (around 400 g) bacon in strips
1 tbsp oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 cloved of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, finely diced
4 medium potatoes, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp chili flakes
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
300 ml vegetable stock
700 ml milk
300 g frozen corn
150 ml cream
salt
pepper
half a lemon

Slice your bacon into small pieces and fry them together with a bit of oil in a pot. Once browned, add diced onion, garlic, and carrot to the pot together with dried thyme and sweat approximately 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle the onions with flour, stir well and cook a few minutes, before adding water. Mix well to evenly mix flour through the water and add milk and potatoes. Bring to a simmer and stir often. This soup sticks and burns easily to the bottom of the pot so keep a close eye on it. If this happens, pour contents into a clean pot and continue.

Once the potatoes are cooked through, add in corn and cream. Bring to a simmer and cook a further 10-15 minutes until corn is heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste, add a squeeze of lemon to cut through the richness and chili flakes for just a touch of heat. This soup would be excellent with some finely diced chicken breast and a good crusty roll slathered in butter on the side.

Share this recipe with your friends, or find a printable version here.

If you like this recipe or just want to drop me a line, feel free to leave a comment below. You can share this recipe and other recipes I've done by checking out my recipes page, and as always, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as QuteChefy.

Keep warm out there, and until next time, stay chefy!