Can you believe it is Monday already? Time is flying by as of late and it is hard to believe. This weekend was action packed to say the least but an enjoyable one regardless of the less than ideal weather.  As a family we volunteered our time at our local elementary school to help build a new playground.  With over 200 volunteers it was quite a site and the playground is going to look amazing.

Maybe I was inspired from building because in the afternoon the family built a picnic table for the kiddies and chose to stain it a dark walnut color.  It looks pretty good and will be a great addition to the deck.  Saturday night included a Zesty nephew having a birthday as well as some great food to go along with it.  Dishes such as chicken asparagus lasagna, homemade spaghetti and meat sauce, chocolate cake with boiled icing and of course an ice cream cake.  I am going to feature the chicken lasagna upcoming as it was to die for.  Thanks Zesty-in laws.  Sunday included a shopping spree to Moncton, family dinner and a fun day with the family.

As I was preparing this post – i was unsure of what to feature for the food.  Earlier in the week, I had a clean the fridge meal and came up with this spicy beef and sweet potato plate that was decent but not amazing.

Ingredients

• 1 Sweet Potato
• 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
• Frozen green beans
• 1 Tsp. Ground ginger
• 1 Tsp. Red pepper flakes
• 1 Tsp. Soy sauce
• Splash of lemon juice

Method

1. Wash and fork the sweet potato and cook in the microwave for 6 minutes.  Peel and chop into cubes
2. Over medium heat, add the ground beef to a sauce pan and begin to brown the meat.  Add ginger, pepper flakes and soy sauce and continue to brown.  Once no longer pink add the lemon juice and sweet potatoes.
3. Continue to saute for another 4 minutes to get the flavor in the sweet potatoes; meanwhile follow the instructions for the frozen beans and cook them in the microwave.
4. Plate up the sweet potato and beef and top with the green beans.
5. Enjoy!

Zesty Tip: Storing you ginger in the freezer and using grater is a great way to avoid spoilage.  It grates easy and does not lose any of it’s flavor.

So an action packed weekend to say the least and an equally busy week ahead.  Have a great start to your day and I will see you on Wednesday!

Here is a snapshot at the picnic table.

Take care

zesty

Happy Monday to you!  I hope you had a great weekend.  My weekend was action packed with “the house”.  We started painting the ceilings this weekend and I had to clean the whole house  before paint starts on the walls (today).  We are still having window problems – we had some more rain along with a couple of new leaks – grrrrrrr.

We had a lot of help at the new build with sweeping, cleaning and vacuuming.  It was greatly appreciated.  A zesty in law spent the whole day on Sunday pushing the broom, scraping the seam filling mud off the floor and vacuuming.  You gotta love great help!  Needless to say I didn’t spend much in the kitchen but we did manage to eat.  I wanted to share with you a old time recipe that I am guessing everyone has tried.

Now this is a super dish for leftovers, a great casserole in the winter and even better a pretty healthy dish over all.  I know this has ground beef on the bottom but if you are a vegetarian you could simple substitute out the beef for scrambled tofu or just use other vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini or even squash.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
• 1-2 cups vegetables – chopped carrots, corn, peas
• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs potatoes (3 large potatoes)
• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
2. While the potatoes are cooking, add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink.
3. Add the carrots and let them cook until warmed through.Add salt and pepper.
4. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.
5. Add corn or peas near the end of the cooking process before adding to the casserole dish.
6. Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, add the milk to give some extra flavor and season to taste.
7. Place beef and vegetable mixture in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely.
8. Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Zesty Tip: There are a couple of tips that I would recommend with this dish.  Utilizing a can of vegetable soup is a great idea if you don’t have beef stock on hand.  It gives a nice flavor and keeps it moist.  Another idea is to rub a little milk and butter on top of the potatoes to ensure they get nice and golden brown.

My final idea, which I have yet to try, is to attempt this recipe with a “SWEET POTATO” topping.  I can only assume this would be delicious.

Open Sky NEW PROMOTION – 10% OFF SALE

We’ve launched a 10% OFF SALE!  This sale applies to EVERYTHING in every OpenSky shop, from Yes You Can Grill’s Outdoor Chef City Grill to Cooking With Friends’ Jarden Ball Home Canning Kit to Veggie Gardening Tips’ Composting Accessory Kit.

Here are the details:

• Coupon Code: Cory1009
• Offer: 10% off
• Expiration: November 15, 2009

Giveaway Update

I am really impressed with the results of my latest giveaway from Friday and I am really grateful for all your nice comments.  They really are fun to read!  I was thinking of a crazy idea and I wanted to run it by you to see what you thought.  What do you think if I get 350 comments on the giveaway that I actually give TWO Design Makeovers.  Let me know your thoughts and then tell all your friends and see if we can reach that number.

Wow  – I think that was a long post.  I hope you have an awesome Monday.  If I can remember to take the camera to the house tomorrow – you will be getting a house update.

Take care

zesty