a Stefani Hood Blog

Ah the comfort food classic, Shepherd’s Pie! This is one of those casseroles that I used to love as a kid. It is meaty, savory and just delicious! And as a mom I now serve it because it is meaty, savory and EASY:) And my boys love it!

The traditional Shepherd’s Pie originates in the UK and Ireland and is made with lamb and vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes or a pie crust. However, since beef is eaten more than lamb in America we have altered the dish to be made with ground beef.  In Europe a Shepherd’s Pie made with beef is called a Cottage Pie so why do we in America call it a Shepherd’s Pie? Who the hell knows, but I believe it has to do with a mistaken cookbook translation in the late 1860s.

Anyway, it is a classic, hearty, easy, delicious recipe that your family will love, especially if you love casseroles. If you want […]

I probably cook flank steak about once a week. My kids LOVE it!  Its flavorful, beefy and chews like a STEAK-perfect food for boys. Many, many times I just season it with whatever I can find in my spice drawer because I forgot to marinate it before.  But, If I am on my game and can remember or if I do as I preach and make my weekly meal plan then I marinate it and it is SO good.

I am sure most of you have most, if not all, of the marinade ingredients in your pantry and fridge so that makes this especially easy. Now, finding flank steak can sometimes be hard-no idea why. And it used to be SO cheap but the price keeps creeping up on beef but still this cut is fairly cheap for how many people it feeds. As you all know I am a HUGE fan of Costco (angels singing) and they always have flank steak in packs of 2 so when I buy it I come home and freeze one piece […]

Butter poached scallops! How decadent does that sound? I was at the grocery store with my son and he was picking out the piece of salmon he and his dad wanted for dinner and since I don’t love salmon I picked out some jumbo scallops for my dinner. I used to “like” scallops, but I didn’t love them because I don’t really like the contrasting textures of seared scallops.  The outside is crispy and the inside is soft.  It just doesn’t work for me when we are talking about seafood. So when my friend made scallops one night for a dinner party I could not believe how AMAZING they were.  I mean TO DIE for! Of course I asked for the recipe and she gladly gave it to me.  I can’t say it’s much of a recipe, but more like instructions because it is that easy. It takes about 12 minutes from start to finish, I’m serious! You can make this on any weeknight or for a dinner party or special occasion. It is that special, but […]

Pork Medallions with Herb Cream Sauce sounds really fancy and difficult but I promise you its not hard or time consuming.  Have I ever steered you wrong?? I see all these recipes and read all the magazines that promise that this recipe won’t take long to make and then I read through the recipe and find that it needs an hour of marinating or 6 hours in the crock pot or takes 35 minutes to come to pressure and THEN it only takes 10 minutes to cook a roast…  Well, in my book quick means quick. I need a recipe that I can open my fridge, cook and have the food on the table in 30 minutes! This is one of those recipes and it is SO delicious!  Now I know it has cream in it, OH MY GAWD!  But…. I serve only 2 medallions for each person along with a huge salad and a steamed veggie.  I understand that it is not a grilled chicken breast, but I have boys and they need more than salmon […]

This is one of the most requested dinners in my house. My youngest son LOVES fish and inhales this every time I make it.  And I love that he loves it!  As a growing teenager salmon is such a great food for him to eat-pure protein! And when I make this he rarely eats a second dinner of cheerios because he is so full from the first dinner.

Roasted Salmon in Foil is one of the EASIEST dinners you can make.  I timed myself and it took 18 min from start to finish! I serve it with steamed green beans or asparagus or rice. […]

What are blood oranges?? They are a variety of citrus originated in the Southern Mediterranean with a slight raspberry flavor. They are a natural mutation of the orange where the flesh turns crimson only with the cool temperatures of the night during the fall and winter months. In America the blood orange season is December-March in Texas and November-May in California. I love cooking with blood oranges when they are in season, but this recipe for Blood Orange and Rosemary Chicken is just as delicious with regular oranges.

When developing this recipe I wanted more of a savory/herby dish than the typical Chinese Orange Chicken that is sticky, sweet and tart. I used a little honey but only to make the sauce a bit thicker.  I am not a fan of sweet with my main dishes.

Another note-I used boneless/skinless chicken thighs (I can’t find boneless thighs with skin on) instead of chicken breasts because the breasts dry out, but if you prefer white meat then by all means use breasts just watch the cooking time so they don’t dry […]

The holidays are a time of indulgence and celebration and I try to carve out a couple days a week during this busy season to have a family dinners.  I want the dinners to be special and delicious, but I am always so exhausted during December that the recipe must be easy!  This Pancetta Stuffed Pork Chop is very fancy, but is really easy.  There is no sauce needed and that cuts down on the kitchen time.  Start to finish including baking time (read sit down and have a glass of wine time) is about 55 minutes.

I bought my chops at Trader Joes and they were “frenched”, which means the bone was left on the chop and it was cleaned.  It just makes for a pretty presentation, but not necessary.  You can do it yourself with a paring knife if you can’t find it already done or you can just buy chops without the bone. You just want thick cut chops so that you can stuff them.  And speaking of stuffing it is very easy to cut […]

Casserole! That word is rarely spoken in our house because my husband hates them! And generally I don’t love them because they are always made with condensed soup-ick!!!!  But, I do love the ease of making casseroles and the clean up after dinner. So, I have come up with a casserole that everyone will eat.  It uses winter vegetables and a sauce that is very easy that makes this recipe creamy and rich. I call it Winter Chicken and Rice Casserole-original, right?, lol!

Another thing I like about the recipe is that once it is in the oven you can clean up the kitchen and then after dinner all you have to do is put the plates and cups in the dishwasher and you are done!  There really is nothing worse than eating a delicious dinner only to have a kitchen to clean up after. So this makes a perfect weeknight dinner!

A couple tricks to make this even easier- pre-cut brussels sprouts, pre-sliced mushrooms, pre-cooked wild rice, pre-cut sweet potatoes.  The grocery store has so many short cuts […]

Its December and that means a packed schedule of parties, happy hours, brunches, school performances….and lots of yummy high calorie treats, dinners and cocktails. Just go ahead and book your trainer now for January-it takes away a bit of the guilt.  But, if your house is like mine the kids still want to eat even if I have a party to go to and I have to feed them something other and Chic Fil A and Canes-right?  And there are times throughout the holiday season that I just want a quiet dinner at home which means I have to make something as good as Chic Fil A and Canes.  This recipe for Chicken Paillard with Pears and Arugula is DELICIOUS! It is so easy, quick and light and your kids will eat it because it is tangy and salty and sweet.  I adapted this recipe from Tyler Florence- a chef I LOVE.  His recipes are always easy and just “normal”. Nothing fancy, but always tastes fancy.

Paillard just means pounded […]

Ok, Ok, Ok I know I have said I am not a huge fan of slow cookers and instant pots and for the most part I am not, but I have been playing around with the Instant Pot and have come up with a few recipe that are really delicious.  This recipe for Korean Beef is so fast and is so good! It took me about 40 minutes from start to finish with only 10 of those minutes being hands on. So you can get these ingredients into the pot and then go do a few other things or just sit your butt down and have a glass of wine.

My family loves this dish and have asked for several times since I first served it.  I have a few people in the family that don’t love spicy food so I kept the spice down and just served Sriracha on the side for my son who likes is SPICY! I serve this over Jasmine rice, but you can serve over lo Mein noodles or rice noodles or brown […]

Keeping with the theme that life is crazy ass busy right now I have put together another one-pot dinner.  Its the Unstuffed Bell Pepper and it is so good! It is even easier if you use all the amazing short cuts the grocery store offers now. Items like pre-cooked rice, pre-chopped garlic and pre-chopped parsley make this recipe even easier. You can whip this up in about 30 minutes from start to finish and your family will love it! It tastes just like the traditional stuffed and baked bell peppers without having to bake them for 45 minutes.

Casserole! That is either a comforting word or a word that brings up memories of church suppers with dishes all made with cream of mushroom soup. I am not opposed to canned items like tomatoes, chilies, beans… but I avoid at all costs the cream of ______ soup cans.  They are just gross to me, but I do love a lot of the dishes that are made with those cans of cream of ______ soup. So, I decided to come up with a recipe for a classic Chicken and Rice Casserole that does not use those icky soups.

This recipe is one of those that you can make in advance and either keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days until you are ready to bake it or you can keep it in the freezer for up to a month.  If you do decide to freeze it I suggest lining the dish with foil then transferring the uncooked mixture (this recipe uses cooked chicken so it safe to freeze) to the foil lined casserole dish then freezing the […]