Early St. Patrick's Day

I thought today was St. Patrick's Day. It's only mid march and I still can't read my day calendar correctly! Oh well! I'm glad I sent Chris to work wearing green anyways! But, he was home shortly after - he's got a rough spring cold. It seems to be going around. Anyhow, I do enjoy him home with us...even under the weather!

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day I made Shepherd's Pie. I've never tried it, but I know that Chris likes it...and he's home to have dinner with us...so I was determined. I have this fantabulous cookbook that my aunt gave me when I got married. It's called the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. If I'm not mistaken, it's suppose to be one of the first real cookbooks ever put together in the United States. I love it because there is so much I can make from scratch! Plus, it does give a bit of history behind some of our favorite foods. And, there's all the techniques and lots of variations to many recipes. Ok, that's my endorsement of the Fannie Farmer cookbook. I can honestly say that I use it more than any other!

Back to the Shepherd's Pie...mercy. It was a lot of work! It calls for lamb or beef...obviously, we're using beef. The recipe said it works great with leftover meat. Well, we didn't have leftovers, so I had to start from the beginning. I chopped my sirloin pretty well and cooked it with onions, garlic, and rosemary (a new spice for me to use with meat). Anyhow, to make it fine, I ran it through the food processor. I was VERY nervous about this. But, it worked great! And, I used instant mashed potatoes! Go me! It's in the oven now and I sure hope it's good. There was quiet a bit of elbow grease put into it!

We're also having Blackberry Cobbler (not homemade) for dessert. Don't tell Chris! It's his favorite!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day...tomorrow! I'm sure we'll just enjoy leftovers!