It is hard to believe that we are already through the first week of March! I usually enjoy this month because winter is on its way out and spring is trying very hard to arrive! Thankfully, for us here in the south, winter was very mild, and spring has been arriving slowly for weeks now! My plum tree was in full bloom on Monday…about 3 weeks earlier than normal!
March also brings us St. Patrick’s Day and all its festivities. I am not usually one to celebrate St.Patrick’s Day although I do have Irish roots. My grandmother’s maiden name was Kelly. Originally it was O’Kelly, but the “O” was dropped when the family came to America.
Tonight for dinner I was looking for something fun to make where I could use what I had and not have to worry about missing ingredients. Thanks to the email I received today from the Betty Crocker website, I discovered this amazing recipe for Shepherd’s Pie. I didn’t have all the ingredients that it called for, but I could make substitutions. And it turned out great! The hubs even took seconds! Serve with home made bread and a salad on the side. I will share the recipe with you as it is but also tell you what I did differently.
1 lb. ground beef [I used about 1-1/2 lbs]
8 medium green onions, sliced (1/2 c) [I used 1/2 medium onion, chopped]
1/2 c. chopped red pepper [I added this]
1 c. barbecue sauce
1 can (11oz) Mexicorn (corn with red/green peppers), drained [I used regular whole kernel corn]
1 can (4oz) chopped green chiles, undrained [I didn’t use these]
1/2 package (7-oz size) Four Cheese mashed potatoes (1 pouch)
1-1/2 c. hot water
1/3 c. milk
2 tbsp. butter
[I made real mashed potatoes since I didn’t have the potato mix.]
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. parmesan cheese [I added this]
1 c. corn chips
Cook ground beef with the onions and peppers until meat is brown and veggies are tender. Drain off fat. Stir in barbecue sauce, the corn, and chilies. Heat to boiling; reduce heat, and keep warm.
If using mashed potato mix, cook as directed on package for 4 servings using the milk, hot water, and butter. Let stand about 5 minutes. If using fresh potatoes, peel about 5 medium potatoes. Cut into large cubes and bring to a boil until tender. Drain off water and mash using butter, parmesan cheese, salt, and milk to taste and smooth consistency.
Spoon potatoes onto center of beef mixture leaving about a 2-inch rim around the edge of skillet. Sprinkle cheese over potatoes. Cover and let stand about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle corn chips around edge. Serves 6.
The Cookbook Experiment 