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Old 11-12-2009, 08:25 AM
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SPITFIRE SPITFIRE is offline
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Make Ahead Meal for New Mom

Tomorrow I will drop off a meal to a new mom who goes to my church. I am not sure of her likes and dislikes except this--she doesn't really care for cheese. NO CHEESE? Shocking, I know. All my favorite meals that I prepare in advance to drop off to others include cheese (such as my favorite lasagna and mac & cheese).

Does anyone have any tried and true, make ahead favorites w/o cheese? There are three in the family. Two adults and one toddler. I wanted to make chicken pot pie but someone else beat me to it. Right now, I'm thinking some sort of soup or stew with some nice crusty bread? I make a killer New England Clam Chowder but not sure if they like that. Or should I do something like pulled pork or chicken?

TIA! I look forward to seeing your favorites.
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Old 11-12-2009, 09:19 AM
CookinginMaine CookinginMaine is offline
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Hi Spitfire,

I agree: thinking of a good make-ahead meal without cheese is tricky!

Any chance you have The Foster's Market cookbook? Her chicken and navy bean chili is delicious (it's more like a stew than a chili), and you could make a cornbread to go along with it.

Hmm...or perhaps a shepherd's pie?
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Old 11-12-2009, 09:19 AM
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Linda in MO Linda in MO is offline
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Pure comfort food! And it's even better on day 2.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Potato Soup

Recipe By :Taste of Home, Feb/Mar '98, p.65
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soup

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
7 medium potatoes -- peeled and cubed
2 celery ribs -- diced
1 medium onion -- chopped
1 quart water
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules (I use Better
Than Bouillon)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt (or to taste)
fresh black pepper -- to taste
1 quart milk (whole is best)
shredded cheddar, crisp bacon, sliced green onions

In a pot, combine potatoes, celery, onion, water and bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool slightly.

Place half of the soup mixture in a blender (I just mash it with a hand held potato masher); cover and puree.

In another pot, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk; bring to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes.

Add potato mixture to pan and heat through.

Garnish individual servings with optional ingredients, if desired.

Yield: 8-10 servings (2 3/4 quarts)
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Old 11-12-2009, 09:21 AM
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That is very tricky. I didn't think it was possible to not like cheese!!

How about Pork BBQ in the crock pot or chili?
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Old 11-12-2009, 09:27 AM
applecrisp applecrisp is offline
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Meatloaf with mashed potatoes? Spaghetti and meatballs? Roast chicken with rice pilaf, and roasted veggies?
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Old 11-12-2009, 09:29 AM
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Any soup/stew sounds good to me at this time of year. Maybe a chicken chili or vegetarian chili or beef vegetable soup or chicken and noodles or sopa de lima.
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Old 11-12-2009, 09:36 AM
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You could always do a basic comfort food that adults and children love. Shepherd's Pie. Cooked layer of ground beef spiced anyway you want, any single or combination of veggies, and topped with any flavor of mashed potatoes. Can be made any size or shape. Easy to heat up.
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Old 11-12-2009, 09:42 AM
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I'm trying to imagine not liking cheese!
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Old 11-12-2009, 01:20 PM
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Thanks for the ideas everyone! With all these choices I have a tough decision to make.

I thought about making a big pot of chili. She is breastfeeding so I don't know if she will appreciate the spice. I know spices didn't bother us when I was breastfeeing my DD.

Dreamer 101--You made me think of my favorite shepherd's pie recipe. It's not "traditional" but it's good. I can always do it with all beef (since not everyone likes lamb) and leave out the cheese.

Hmm...decisions, decisions.

Shepherd's Pie with Scallion-Cheese Crust

Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

For the filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound minced British lamb
1 pound minced beef
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped very small
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms (I used a little less than half lb. I also chopped them small)
1 level tablespoon tomato puree
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 level tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine (I used Yellow Tail Cab Sav)
1 1/2 cups fresh beef stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the crust:
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup scallions, cleaned and chopped
1 cup mature Cheddar, coarsely grated (I used Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar)

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or deep saute pan. Brown the lamb and beef. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the onions to the pan and saute until the onions are tinged brown at the edges - about 5 minutes. Add the chopped carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, tomato puree, thyme, parsley and cinnamon. Stir and saute for 2 minutes. Next, stir in the flour, which will soak up the juice, then stir in the wine and the beef stock. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed. Return the meat to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes until the lamb is fully cooked.

Peel the potatoes, cut them into large even-sized pieces and place into a pot of cold, salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook potatoes until they are tender, about 10 minutes. (Potatoes are done when a knife can easily go through.)

When the potatoes are done, drain off the water, return them to the saucepan, cover with a clean tea cloth to absorb the steam and leave them for about 5 minutes. Next, add the butter and mash them to a puree. Season with salt and pepper. When the meat is ready, spoon it into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and level it out with the back of the spoon. After that, spread the mashed potato evenly all over. Sprinkle the scallions on top of the potato, scatter the cheese over the scallions and bake the pie until the top is crusty and golden, about 25 minutes.
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Old 11-12-2009, 04:09 PM
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Sounds delicious! There are so many traditional ways to make Shepherd's Pie. Every country seems to have it's own version. Some use a combination of various ground meats (lamb, pork and beef). I've never had it with cheese on top. It's something I'll have to try. Another thing I always do is run a fork through top of the potatoes so the ridges get nicely browned and crisp. When I feel adventurous I use a pastry bag and pipe mash potato florets on top.
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Old 11-12-2009, 06:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Missi View Post
I'm trying to imagine not liking cheese!
I agree. I'm currently dairy-free due to my son's difficulty digesting dairy, and I soo miss cheese!

Spitfire - that's tough. Do you have to do dinner? What about something like cinnamon rolls or muffins?
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Old 11-12-2009, 06:27 PM
oct2189 oct2189 is offline
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I was going to suggest Joe's Turkey Tomale Potpie http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2...le-potpie.html
but maybe too spicy for breast feeding mom? I'm not sure, but here it is.
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