The Corned Beef Potpie Surprise

by | Dec 28, 2014 | Really? The Personal ScLoHo

Don’t worry, I’m not about to start posting pictures of food and recipes on a regular basis. But today is different.

Because yesterday was different.

My wife, Kathy was up at 5am and out of the house at 6 to go to work. She’s a nurse and works part-time on an as-needed basis when she feels like it.  But this was the second day in a row on this case and I had Saturday to myself.  I went to the store to pick up milk and instead brought home the fixings for a meal I was going to create.  Sunday she shared this picture and comment on Facebook:

Corned Beef Potpie

We ate 1/2 of it and then she asked for a picture.

The man can cook! I came home from work yesterday to this amazing corned beef pot pie;It was stuffed to the max with veggies and a bit of swiss cheese. I must admit I grilled the chef a couple times asking him to show me the mixed veggie bag he used, but Scloho insisted he chopped and pre-cooked the carrots, potatoes and onions and then added peas etc. Impressed wife here! — with Scott Howard.

I responded with:

Scott Howard And because she wants the recipe… here we go. 1st off there was no recipe ahead of time, I just created it as I was going up and down the aisles of Kroger Saturday. We had leftover thin sliced corned beef and Swiss cheese along with some fresh shredded cabbage that we used for sandwiches on Christmas eve. Growing up, we had corned beef and cabbage frequently so this was a variation.

At the store I bought a bag of regular carrots, peeled and diced 4 of them. Also bought 8 small red potatoes and diced them too and boiled them for 20 minutes or so. I also used a bit of a jumbo sweet white onion diced and 1/2 cup of frozen peas that I tossed in the pot for the last 5 minutes. Drained it all and set aside. Also at Kroger bought a package of deep dish pie shells and a package of pie crust (for the top crust) Only used one of each so we can do this again. Biggest decision was what to use as a sauce and finally decided on this gravy mix which is also available in a gluten free variety.

Start filling the pie shell with some corned beef, a bit of swiss cheese, pile on the potatoes and veggies, pour on the gravy, add another layer of corned beef and Swiss and attempt to cover with a top crust. There was really enough to make two of these monstrosities. Bake in a 350 oven for an hour, then turn the oven off and let it sit inside the oven for a least an hour. I put it in the oven at 2:15. By 2:45 the aroma was filling the house and 3:15 the crust was brown so I turned the oven off. We didn’t pull it out of the oven and eat until 6:15 and despite her initial skepticism, Kathy enjoyed it! 

The gravy was a mix.

The gravy was a mix.

Now you can use this as a cooking lesson, but for me it was more of a relationship builder, than just a meal.

We’ve been married nearly 14 years and due to schedules, Kathy does most of the meal preparation. For a few years I would always have a Sunday meal ready for her when she came home from work, but often that was a frozen pre-mixed job that only required 20 minutes of cooking on the stove.   That was why she was skeptical.

Besides being tasty, the corned beef potpie I created enhanced our relationship.  It was a surprise for her, even a bit of a mystery since she has rarely seen me create stuff from “scratch”, although I have on a regular basis, but not often enough for it to be expected.

Keeping the mystery alive with good surprises is one of the keys to a lasting relationship!

Your Floor Plan is part of your Marketing

Your Floor Plan is part of your Marketing

by | Jun 7, 2013 | The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

From the ScLoHo archives, March 2008:
Before leaving for vacation earlier this month, I was out doing some errands and my wife called asking me to pick up some chili beans for the meal she was going to prepare. Simple enough, just stop by the grocery store and pick up a can or two.

Problem began when I walked in and was handed a map by one of the clerks. I looked around and there were dozens of other zombie-like shoppers pushing carts and looking at their maps with a look of angst on their faces.

Turns out, I was about to become one of them.

Turns out, the store was rearranging their isles and inventory so that all the stores in the chain would have the same floor plan.

Turns out that there were four different isles that carried beans, maybe more.

Turns out I finally found the kind of beans my wife wanted after about 25 minutes and asking a couple of stockers, who didn’t know either.

I left with my two cans of chili beans and hope that now that it’s two weeks later, they have things back in place, where ever that place is.

How about your store? Is the floor plan designed to sell or annoy your customers?

 

How I Please My Wife

by | Sep 27, 2009 | Uncategorized

…in the Kitchen!

Usually Kathy works all day on Sundays and usually I have dinner waiting for her when she arrives home.

Ironicly, she has today off and is going out with friends right now! However, here are a few tips from the DLM Blog:

9 Ways to Cook Lazily and Still Get Rave Reviews

Posted: 25 Sep 2009 01:37 PM PDT

Like many people you’re super busy these days. However, you appreciate the fact that eating out a lot costs a ton and frankly, it’s tough to find restaurants where you completely feel at ease with the ingredients. So how do you balance this? How do you create homemade meals without spending oodles of time cooking? Clearly you’d agree that your schedule cannot tolerate hours of chopping, stirring and simmering on weeknights.

Before expanding your schedule, reducing sleep, or giving into fast food demons, try using these tricks; you can turn out delicious meals with minimum effort.

  • Cook from frozen
    Most meats don’t need to be thawed before cooking. Boneless chicken breasts or tenders can be grilled, baked or put in the slow cooker straight from the freezer. You can even bread chicken tenders without thawing by running them under cool water to remove the ice glaze, then bread as usual. Fish fillets, such as Tilapia can also be cooked from frozen. Even roasts and larger cuts of meat can be done this way. Pop it in a pan and add the sauce or seasonings, then give them a longer cooking time.

  • Slow cook it
    There are many excellent recipes specifically for crock pots; they aren’t just for soups and stews. Or convert your favorite dishes for use in the slow cooker. Sliding into dinner time with the food already cooked and waiting to be dished up is a satisfying feeling.

  • Skip the measuring
    Pour a teaspoon of salt in the palm of your hand. Now try a tablespoon. Learning to eyeball measurements on herbs and spices will save you time in putting a dish together. These ingredients can be added to taste, so exactness is not necessary.

  • Combine Steps
    Why sauté onion and garlic separate from ground beef, when you can do it all together? Why cook veggies separate from the pasta, when you can throw them into the water during the last few minutes of cooking? Fewer steps mean less time and work for you.

  • Skip Steps
    In some recipes it’s possible to skip things such as browning meat. Yes, it might seal in the juices, but if its final destination is in a slow cooker it will be juicy enough. Skip the cracker or bread crumb toppings on casseroles and save not only time, but calories too.

  • Use your freezer
    Cook up several pounds of chicken or ground beef on the weekends, then freeze it to use later in the week. Simmer a big pot of soup one night and freeze the rest for a quick meal later. Double that batch of muffins and pop half into the freezer. All of these tricks speed up the meal prep.

  • Use certain convenience items
    Go for shredded cheese instead of in a block. Canned diced tomatoes taste better than most grocery store tomatoes. Better still, they are already chopped. Frozen diced onions and green peppers also save time. Instead of chopping and cooking fresh veggies for a stew or potpie, grab a bag of frozen stew vegetables. It’s not quite as good as cooking from fresh, but the difference is not enough to offset the time saved. And you get those little pearl onions in the bargain.


  • Choose recipes with only a few ingredients
    Using only 3 or 5 ingredients is much faster than gathering and preparing a long list of things. I reject most recipes with loads of ingredients, at least for weeknight dinners.

  • Keep it simple
    Every weekday meal doesn’t need to involve a main dish, 2 sides, bread and a dessert. Dinners like chicken fried rice or homemade nachos don’t need much to go with them. If you do need something to round out the meal, add a simple steamed veggie, tossed salad or fresh fruit.

By using these tricks, you’ll be able to get dinner on the table in a flash. Just think of all the ways you can use the time you’ve gained.

So, how do you cook lazily? Share your tips in the comments.

Written on 9/25/2009 by Tiffany King. Tiffany helps busy families get dinner on the table by sharing recipes, tips and menus with complete grocery lists on her blog Eat at Home. Photo Credit: Phu Son