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Cooking With Carnation

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A few weeks ago I was contacted by One2One Network to see if I would be interested in participating in a review campaign of Carnation Evaporated Milk. This looked like a very interesting project to me. I have a tendency to run out of milk, but I always have a few cans of evaporated milk in my baking cabinet. I was ready to have my eyes opened. You’ll see what I mean in a minute.

 

Did you know Carnation Evaporated Milk is called “the cooking milk?” I didn’t, although now that I think about it, it does make sense. Why wouldn’t meals that I normally make with milk be just as good as, or even better, when using evaporated milk instead? And as I mentioned above, it’s so easy to make sure I always have a few cans available.

Carnation has put together a great pdf booklet filled with holiday recipe ideas to help you incorporate evaporated milk in your holiday cooking. Their website also has some great recipes and even a virtual kitchen to answer all of your cooking with evaporated milk questions.

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Remember those crustless quiches I put in the freezer during baking day yesterday? Those were made with Carnation evaporated milk and you can find the recipe here. I tried one before putting the rest in the freezer and they were delicious. I think the evaporated milk adds a subtle richness that plain milk does not.

I also decided to try the evaporated milk in one of our family’s favorite recipes – Shepherd’s Pie. I’ve never shared that recipe because honestly, I’ve never been able to get a good picture of it. But where the dish lacks in being photogenic it more than makes up for in taste.

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Print Recipe

Shepherd’s Pie

Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time50 mins
Course: Side Dish
Keyword: Pie

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 cup Carnation evaporated milk
  • 1 1/2 cup beef stock
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1 lb frozen mixed veggies
  • 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 4 tbsp butter or margarine
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add evaporated milk and beef stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Stir in thyme and veggies. Pour into a casserole dish.
  • Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Drain. Return potatoes to pot and mash. Stir in evaporated milk and butter or margarine until completely melted. Add garlic powder and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread over beef mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly.

Notes

Again, we thought the evaporated milk added a subtle richness to the dish. We really enjoyed it made this way. Since the evaporated milk is thicker than whole milk, I was able to cut down on the amount of flour needed to make the gravy also.
Have you ever used Carnation Evaporated Milk for more than just baked goods? I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have.
Full disclosure: I was asked to do this review by One2One Network on behalf of Carnation. I received two free cupons for cans of Carnation Evaporated Milk and a gift card to cover the grocery costs of making these meals. Regardless, this review is my honest opinion and I was not paid to say positive things.

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