Today is National Pie Day

Library ISBN 978-0-7660-3766-3
Paper ISBN 978-1-59845-273-0
Grades 3-4

In celebration of this day, the recipe for Shepherd's Pie is going to be included in this post. This particular recipe is in our Easy Main Dishes From Around the World title. These books are available in both library and paperback bindings.

Shepherd's Pie is a crustless pie, containing meat and some vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes. This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large onion, minced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 pound ground beef or ground lamb
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Salt

1. Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water on the stove for 15-20 minutes, until tender.
2. While potatoes cook, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan. Sauté onion for about 10 minutes and then add carrot. Add ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink.
3. Add garlic, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and beef broth.
4. Ask an adult to help you remove the potatoes from the stove. Drain in a colander and then place in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of butter, sour cream, and a dash of salt and pepper. Mash potatoes until creamy.
5. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Spread beef mixture in a buttered baking dish. Evenly spread mashed potatoes on top of the beef. Use a fork to make small peaks in the potatoes. Bake in oven for 25 minutes and place under broiler for 5 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.
6. Remove from oven. Cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Enjoy!

Free Friday Recipe!

Library Edition ISBN: 0-7660-3765-6
Paperback Edition ISBN: 978-1-59845-270-9

Why save dessert until last? We've decided there's no reason to, so today we're posting a free dessert recipe from our new Easy Desserts From Around the World book. Tie on your apron and find a reason to celebrate.

Celebration Cookies

In Mexico, people hand out small sweet, nutty cookies during celebrations and weddings. Mexican celebration cookes are often wrapped in white, ruffled tissue paper and given to guests.

What You Need

Equipment:
Large bowl
Wooden spoon or electric mixer
2 cookie sheets
Plastic or paper bag
Wire cooling rack

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, left out of the refrigerator until they are at room temperature
1¾ cups confectioner's sugar (Confectioner's sugar is also called powered sugar.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup finely chopped pecans (You can use other chopped nuts, such as almonds or walnuts.)

Let's Cook!

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until smooth. Use a wooden spoon or electric mixer (with help from an adult).
3. Add vanilla extract and blend well. Stir in four and salt; then add pecans. Use your clean hands to blend the dough.
4. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake one sheet at a time for about 20 minutes.
6. While cookies are baking, place confectioner's sugar in a plastic or paper bag.
7. Cool the cookies on a wire rack for 2–4 minutes. While the cookies are still warm, drop three or four into the bag of sugar. Shake the bag to coat the cookies. Return the cookies to the rack to cool completely. Continue until all the cookies are covered by sugar.

Makes 20–24 cookies.

Getting kids interested in cooking

Trying to get kids to eat healthy is a challenge lots of families face. For those elementary age students who are interested in cooking, let them help!

Enslow's Easy Cookbooks for Kids contains six separate titles, covering everything from breakfast to lunch to snacks to main dishes. These recipes are from different parts of the world, with maps showing the country of origin for that particular recipe.

Available in both library and paperback bindings, these titles will pique the curiosity of hungry minds!