Let's Get Cooking...

first of all... yes, i am aware that i may have used this expression as quite possibly the corniest blog title ever. but look at the logo i found. i bet either the title, confession, or logo somehow made you smile or at least half-smile. anybody??    :)

second, i love cooking so much that i thought i might share some of my recipes, as well as some of my cooking experiences, on fridays.  why i picked friday? (maybe b/c today is friday?)  no idea.  but here we go.

easy beef potpie (or what i like to call 'vegetable and beef casserole')
it's super easy and includes vegetables and meat.. which makes it awesome not only for it's simplicity and ease, but also for it's delicious flavor. plus, you're getting your vegetables and beef in one dish.. not to mention, crescent rolls on top and as a side :)

11/2  pounds lean ground beef

2 8 oz pkgs of reduced-fat crescent rolls

2 cups refrigerated diced potatoes (i use fresh potatoes..  peel, cut, slice about 2 or 3, then boil them with    butter, salt, and pepper--just to soften them a bit b/c the first time i made this, i didn't boil them first and whilethe casserole was done, the potatoes weren't quite there yet.)

1/2  onion (can use a whole if you like), diced

2 cups loose-pack frozen mixed vegetables

1 15 oz  can of italian-style or regular sauce

1 14 1/2 oz  can italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained (i use regular petite diced tomatoes instead.. call me crazy for doing it, but i'm not really a fan of tomatoes-there's just great to cook with, as well as required in many recipes. so the last thing i want is huge hunks of stewed tomatoes in my casserole.)

2 teaspoons sesame seeds (i don't use these at all.. neither julius nor myself enjoy sesame seeds enough to actually incorporate them into a meal i/we prepared.)

preheat oven to 400. boil the diced potatoes with butter, salt, and pepper in a medium pot for 20ish minutes. meanwhile,  in a large skillet, pour a smallish amount (think quarter of a cup or so) of olive oil over low heat-just to get it started-and add the diced onion.  allow to cook for about 5 minutes, while increasing the heat every few (to eventually reach medium).  add ground beef and cook over medium heat until cooked through, using a wooden spoon to break up meat as it cooks; drain off fat.  stir mixed vegetables, drained potatoes, tomato sauce, and undrained stewed/petite diced tomatoes into meat mixture.  bring to boiling--i then allow it to boil, while stiring occasionally, for about 5 to 7 minutes.  while mixture is boiling, unroll crescent rolls and fit to baking dish (9 x 13) using fingers to press and stretch and all that good stuff.  spoon mixture into baking dish.  bake uncovered for 15 minutes.  after the 15 minutes, remove from oven and add second can of crescent rolls to the top--just as before, use fingers to stretch, etc so they will cover (or mostly cover) the top of the casserole.  return to oven for another 10ish minutes or until the crescent roll top is golden brown.

be sure to let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. 

also, if you like-and we do like, as we are a crescent roll family-bake an additional can of crescent rolls on a separate pan and brush with butter first... just to add a little side to the casserole :)

i wish i had taken a picture last night, but i didn't. so next time, i'll be sure to do that just for the blog!