Title Change

As of late, Michelle has been posting more than I have. I feel it's only fair to rename the blog to reflect that! Welcome to the "new" Jake's (and Michelle's) Recipes!

Beef & Veggie Pita Pizzas

With some leftover ground beef we made this delightful dish. The fennel and oregano give the beef a sausage taste, without the extra cost.

salt and pepper to taste
1 lb ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon oregano

1/8 dried red pepper flakes (optional)

1 green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
5 pitas

1 can of prepared spaghetti sauce

3 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season ground beef with salt and pepper. Brown ground beef with garlic. Midway through cooking add fennel, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook beef until no longer pink , stirring constantly. Drain fat.

Saute onions and peppers until onions are translucent.

Arrange pitas on baking sheets. Spoon 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce onto each pita, and spread evenly. Divide onion & pepper mix, beef mixture, and mozzarella evenly among pitas.

Bake 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pita edges are golden brown. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over each pita and serve.

Irish Stew

2 ¾ lb boneless lamb chops

(2 lbs lamb & ¾ lb stew beef chunks

1 Tbs vegetable oil

3 large onions

4 large carrots

3 ¾ C water

4 large potatoes, unpeeled and cut into chunks

1 large fresh spring of thyme

1 Tbs butter

1 Tbs fresh parsely, chopped

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Trim any fat from the lamb. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole/pot and brown the lamb on high heat. Remove meat from pan

Quarter the onions. Add to the pot with the carrots and cook for five minutes, until the onions are browned. Return meat to the pot with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the potatoes to the pot and cook for another 45 minutes. Add the thyme then cook for 15 minutes longer.

Leave the stew to settle for a few minutes. Remove the fat from the liquid with a ladle, and pour off the liquid into a clear sauce pan. Stir in butter and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper then pour back into the pot. Serve.

Alteration: I don’t like my onions so big so I cut them into 8 chunks.