This Pasta with smoked salmon and cream dish takes 15 minutes to make and its ready to be enjoyed.

Any kind of long pasta can be used. Traditional, spinach or carrot.

My Aunt use to make this for me when I would come to visit.
It’s so fast to put together she could start it when I arrived at her home.

Ingredients;
8oz dried pasta, cooked according to the pkg directions.
Pictured, I used traditional and spinach Tagliatelle
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3oz smoked salmon (Lox), cut into pieces
1/3 cup frozen baby peas
1 small shallot, minced
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
dash of nutmeg

Directions;
Cook the pasta accordingly to the pkg directions. While the pasta is cooking, in a large frying pan melt the butter and add the shallot cooking until just soft. Add the peas and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the cream and nutmeg. Stir until lightly simmering. Add the cheese and stir for another minute or until the sauce begins to thicken.
Drain the pasta and mix with 3/4 of the sauce.
Place in a platter and top with the remaining sauce and a sprinkle of cheese.

This Shepherd’s pie recipe began in Europe with many different variations.  Lamb/mouton or whatever was left over could be used as it was a poor man’s supper .  I’m giving you a quick and easy version of Shepherd’s Pie. Tastes great and is a perfect work night meal.
It can be ready to put in the oven in under 20 minutes.
Buy the mashed potatoes if you need to make this super simple.

Ingredients;
3-4 cups of mashed potatoes
1 LB ground beef, 85-90% lean
1 med onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 TSP dried  thyme
2 TBLS ketchup or tomato paste
2 TBLS flour
1/2-1 cup beef broth/stock, I prefer low sodium
10 oz mixed frozen vegetables
Pepper to taste

Directions;
Preheat oven to 400. In a large frying pan cook the beef until no pink is showing, breaking up the meat into small pieces. Add the onion and garlic,  Saute for a few minutes until the onions are soft.
Add the balance of ingredients except the potatoes and use a 1/2 cup of the broth to begin with adding more if needed.
Cook until it’s bubbling hot and it begins to thicken.
Place in a corning ware type casserole dish as pictured and top with the mashed potatoes forming peaks and swirls.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are lightly browned.

Beets are an old root vegetable that can be served cold or hot. They also come in many varieties such as red and orange. My Beets salad recipe is for fresh beets which to me are so much better tasting than canned or frozen. You can use what you like.

Ingredients;
1LB fresh or 12oz can red or orange beets or mixed
5-6 slices of red onion
1 TSP minced parsley
2 TBLS extra virgin olive oil
Pepper to taste
Splash of red wine vinegar

Directions;
If you are using fresh beets place them in a pot with water covering them and simmer until fork tender. Let cool and peel and slice them. If canned, rinse beets in cold water.
Add the balance of ingredients and mix. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

These Toffee butter chocolate chunk cookies are so flavorful and rich.  Most people say “OMG” when they bite into one.
Nearly impossible to just eat one!!

You can also freeze the dough for baking later. Place it in a container. Just scoop out balls the size you want and bake when the dough is at room temperature.

Ingredients;
1 cup (2 sticks ) of butter
2 cups unbleached flour
1 TSP baking soda
3/4 TSP kosher salt
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 XLRG eggs
2 TSP vanilla paste is preferred but extract can also be used
1 TSP powdered espresso
2 toffee bars like “Heath”, chopped into 1/4″ pieces
1 1/2 cups 72% chocolate wafers or a bar cut into wafer like pieces
Parchment paper

Directions;
Preheat oven to 375.
Have all ingredients at room temperature.
In a med sauce pan melt and lightly brown the butter.  This takes about 8 mins. Let it cool a few minutes.  Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. Add the sugars to a mixing bowl and blend adding the butter for about 1 minute.  Add the eggs, vanilla and espresso powder. Mix a few minutes until the batter lightens . Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.  Add the chocolate/toffee with a spatula.  Let the batter sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes as it thickens.
On a parchment lined cookie sheet make 1 1/2″ balls placed about 3″ apart. Do not flatten them. Bake at 375 for about 9-11 minutes until the edges are just browning. Sprinkle the tops with a little salt if you like a sweet and salty taste.