shepard's pie

almost everyone i know has tried some variation of this, but this is my favorite way to make it, so here you go:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 eggs
1/2 c italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 jar/can spaghetti sauce
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1 can yellow sweet corn
6 servings of your favorite kind of mashed potatoes
1 c sour cream
1 c shredded cheddar

mix meat, eggs, bread crumbs, spaghetti sauce, parmesan, and corn together by hand. press into loaf pan. bake at 350 for 1 hour. press out grease and drain.

while meat is cooking, make your mashed potatoes. stir in sour cream and shredded cheese while still hot. spread over meatloaf. serves 6.

* for freezer: line pan w/ waxed paper before pressing meat into pan. freeze before baking. once frozen, you can remove the meat from the pan and store in a freezer bag. when ready to make, return to loaf pan and thaw 2 days in fridge. bake as directed above and make mashed potatoes while it's baking. (you can probably make the mashed potatoes ahead of time, but i've never tried it since i generally use instant potatoes and not the real thing)

peach berry pie

so i wanted pie today, but didn't have enough of anything to make it all one kind of filling, so i made this up instead, and it turned out wonderfully! here's to an awesome summer treat! (note: i'm guessing on these measurements; i didn't think it measure when i was throwing it together)

4 fresh yellow peaches, skinned, pitted, and cut into chunks (i actually used canned peaches, but i rinsed the syrup off first)
1 1/2 c fresh strawberries, hulled, and cut into chunks
2/3 c fresh blueberries
3/4 c sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 plain pie crusts (my recipe is at the bottom if you need a good one)

mix fruits, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla together and spoon into pastry-lined 9-inch pie plate. cover w/ 2nd pastry and seal and flute edges; cover edges w/ foil to prevent burning. cut vents into top and bake at 350*f for 30-45 minutes. remove foil for last 10 minutes of baking. serve warm w/ vanilla ice cream.

plain pastry for 1-crust pie (double this for 2-crust pies)

1 c flour
2/3 c shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons cold water

combine all w/ pastry blender or fork. roll to 1/8 inch thick on floured surface.

here's the finished product in all it's flaky, fruity goodness:

welcome!

welcome to IT'S THE YUM, my super awesome recipe blog. basically, i'm just gonna post yummy recipes that i try, mostly b/c i believe good recipes should be shared and everyone should have free access to them. if you ever want me to post a recipe, email it to me at itstheyum@yahoo.com, and i'll see what i can do! :)