Savory Solutions – Stephanie in Suburbia

I have a major treat for all of you of this morning.  Stephanie in Suburbia has written a guest post for my Savory Solutions series.  As a reminder, this series is all about introducing you to some amazing bloggers.  They’ll give you one recipe, (that’s the savory) and one organizing idea, (the solution).  You will love Stephanie because she is a talented writer with great content.  Check out 5 Things to do Before Getting Married and Why Do Mom’s Matter?  One Word: Mascara and I promise you won’t stop there.  Please welcome Stephanie to the Imperfect Home!

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When my husband and I first moved to Suburbia, we were inundated with solicitors. I was able to look past all of the siding and window people, but when a man came to our door with a truckload full of meat, I was intrigued.

We were sold except for one minor detail: we had no freezer space for said meat. My husband did some of the most amazing Tetris-like maneuvering and we fit it all in the freezer, but then and there he declared we needed a chest freezer. A week later we were proud owners of a new storage freezer.

Recently I cleaned out said freezer and was slightly horrified to discover some of that initial truck meat. We moved three years ago.

So I set about to create a system I like to call “No Meat Left Behind.” I created an inventory system for what goes in and out of the freezer. To keep it simple, I made it handwritten, but am considering typing it to make it look prettier.

Here’s what I did:

1. Pulled out all the meat and catalogued by type.
2. Made a list of everything I had and then put slash marks by it. For example “Chicken Breasts: III” so that it is easy to cross off when I take something out, and equally easy to add.
3. Placed like types on the same side of the freezer (e.g., all poultry together, all beef together).
4. Put all other items together: vegetables, ice cream, and cheese. Placed them in the smaller basket of the freezer.
5. Taped list to the freezer and put marker on shelf behind.

In addition to making sure we eat everything in a timely manner, I love that when I am feeling frazzled about what to make for dinner, there is a list right there of what’s available, versus me digging for inspiration.

So, what did I do with that meat? Made my favorite sweet potato cottage pie.

1 ¼ LB sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” pieces

½ C. fat-free milk

1 TBSP. butter

¾ tsp. salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 LB ground sirloin

1 onion, chopped

1 C. frozen peas and carrots

½ tsp. dried thyme

½ C. reduced sodium beef broth

¼ C. red wine

¼ C. tomato paste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 6-cup ovenproof casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a small pot, combine the potatoes with enough water to cover by 3”. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until tender. Drain the potatoes, return to the pot, and add the milk, butter, ¼ tsp of the salt, and 1/8 tsp of the pepper. Mash until smooth and set aside.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sirloin and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Drain the fat from the pan and transfer the beef to a bowl. Return the skillet to the heat and add the onion, peas, and carrots, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

Return the beef to the skillet and stir in the broth, wine, and tomato paste. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the liquid is almost evaporated. Stir in the remaining ½ tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Transfer the beef mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Spread the reserved sweet potatoes evenly over the top of the beef.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are lightly browned