Shepherd's Pie

When I started writing this post this morning, I was supposed to be in a car, enroute to the Ferry terminal, to hop a Ferry to Fogo, for the long weekend. But guess what?! Fogo was a no-go :(

In typical May 2-4 fashion, mother nature decided to throw us for a loop. We've been pretty lucky weather-wise to date - this would have been our 4th annual May 2-4 group trip - and we've only had one bad year until now! I guess it's 50-50 at this point!

Last year was a beautiful weekend, we skipped rocks in the ocean, flew a kite, lounged in a hammock and had bonfires both nights we were there. Soooo I guess we should have expected a little adverse weather this year, cuz ya can't have it perfect all the time - this is Newfoundland after all! But I mean this? this is a bit extreme!

20-35 cm of SNOW expected to accumulate by Sunday morning

For any of you unaware, Fogo is smack dab in the middle of all that red business and requires a 1 hour 15 minute ferry ride. Ergo, Snowfall warning + Marine wind and high waves warning = cancelled trip :( Sadness... In any case, we'll still be celebrating May 2-4 in town, no need for the weekend to be a total flop!

Now, with all that off my chest (sorry for the extra long intro this time, I'm clearly dealing with some things today lol)... let's get down to the deliciousness of this recipe!






I know right?! Looks nommerz! Very simple and very tasty. 

Hash

So you've cooked the big turkey, you've fed the masses, you've sent everyone away with a turkey party favour... you're feeling pretty good about yourself! You think to yourself 'I've pulled it off again', when suddenly it hits you, 'what am I going to do with all these leftover veggies?!' Unlike turkey, boiled veggies aren't easy to pawn off on relatives. And as usual, you've overestimated, paranoid you wouldn't have enough to go around. God forbid you not have an endless supply of veggies on hand.

In any case, there's no need to panic! Boiled vegetables make excellent leftovers. They're ideal for cold plates, and are amazing in Hash! In fact, whenever I'm making a cooked dinner involving boiled veggies and salt meat, I like to throw on a bit extra, explicitly for hash!

Stewed Chicken with Dumplings

Today, I bring to you another golden recipe from my mom's cookbook, Stewed Chicken with Dumplings! I love this recipe for a lot of reasons... okay, mainly for the dumplings and gravy - I am a dumpling fiend - but aside from that, it's actually pretty simple to make. Everything is cooked in the one pot which means minimal dishes to wash when you're done. That's a selling point if I've ever heard one! Last week alone, I cooked Eggs Benedict (for the 2nd time ever) and in the process dirt 2 pots, a frying pan, several ramekins, a whisk, a bowl, measuring spoons, multiple other utensils and then the plates we ate it on. Maybe this isn't as big a selling point to those of you with dishwashers, but that stuff counts to us dishwasherless folk. But I digress.

This recipe is truly yummy and about the hardest part of making it is peeling and chopping all those veggies. Methinks I'll be making this again very soon!

Fun Fact: When I was younger, I would eat around the vegetables and essentially consume dumplings and chicken! Mmmm... dumplings!

Moose Stew

I know Newfoundland isn't the only place in the world where people hunt and serve up moose. I also realize they were foreign to the Province once upon a time, and were brought here wayyyy back when. But that doesn't change the fact that it's a delicious, lean, meat that can be prepared in many delicious Newfoundland dishes. Now you may remember the moose recipe I posted a while back for Moose Burgers (my fav way to eat moose by far), but this recipe is up there too, Homemade Moose Stew!

The Greater Scalloped Potater

Brace yourself for one of thee most AMAZING scalloped potato recipes you've ever had. I'm serious. You're not gonna believe the flavour of these things. I admit, they're not the prettiest things you've ever seen, but the taste is out of this world. I've made it a couple of times now and each time I'm blown away by how good it is, in fact my hubby told me today that I make, and I quote 'the best scalloped potatoes ever, in the world!'. In the meantime, I may be able to pull off the recipe well, but the real praise goes to The Looneyspoons. Thanks again for yet another amazing dish!

Newfoundland Jigs Dinner

One of my favourite meals to cook, and more importantly eat, is Jigs Dinner. Growing up, it was always a treat to have, and now that I live away from home (luckily still in the province), I love cooking it up for any occasion. For me, it's a full sensory overload of nostalgia - the sound of the bubbling pot, the smell of it wafting through the house, the site of the peeled veggies on the counter and the anticipation of the delicious feed ahead. In my opinion it's the quintessential comfort food.

Over the years, I've discovered there are many varieties or definitions of a proper Jigs Dinner. It really seems to be dependent on where you were raised in the province, or where your parents were raised. Below is a breakdown of what I consider to be the perfect Jigs Dinner.

Jigs Dinner: Blueberry Boiled Pudding, Carrot, Turnip Tops, Salt Pork Ribs, Buttery Mashed Turnip, Potato