Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie

Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie, page 246
(if you look closely to my left arm, you can see the beginning of a cycling jersey tan line. lovely.)


On St. Patrick's Day I kindly kicked the boys out of the house for a couple of hours and had a GDI (Girls Day In) pre-party. The kitchen was quickly buzzing, glasses were toasting and laughter was happening. I am so very thankful to have found this group of women. So very thankful.

Together, we prepared a couple of dishes, Aly's grandmother's Corned Beef recipe and Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie. Before they arrived, I boiled & smashed the potatoes, browned the turkey and chopped the onion and tomato. A little more mixing and assembly was required. Chandi and I put it together, but before putting it in the oven, I skimmed the recipe again. Oops, we'd forgotten to add the sauce. I wonder how that could have happened? Any guesses? We had a couple of different ideas about how to add it, deciding on this:

We would place a cookie sheet over the baking dish, flip it and drizzle the sauce in the bottom. We would then place the dish quickly back on the turkey and potatoes, hoping it would hold its shape. Brilliant! It totally worked. 

It was DELICIOUS! I will make it again and I believe others who were at the party will too. 

Kitchen Action:

Lacking in Pantry:
nothing
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes:
We added pats of butter to the top as well as a sprinkle of paprika for color. Chandi needs to cook for Jonathan. Remember, he needs color on his plate. Color was all her idea.
What I'll try next time:
I'll try mixing the sauce with the meat and I'll add the dash of cinnamon. I love cinnamon. (It's the secret ingredient in my chili.)

How it scored:

FIVE's all around! 

How did you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Did you run in a shamrock shuffle? Throw a party? Attend a party? Consume your yearly dose of green food color? Did the leprechauns visit your house? Did you make Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie? If not, you could have a St. Pat's redo and make it for dinner tonight. 

Spring Pea and Herb Bruschetta

Spring Pea and Herb Bruschetta, page 119

I prepared this and served it as an appetizer at our St. Patrick's Day party. It was fresh and easy and paired just fine with green beverages. I had my camera ready and snapped these photos as I prepared the appetizer. 

blanch

pack

 blanch

 toast

 blend

share

Kitchen Action:
Lacking in Pantry:
I remembered my grocery list, so I had it all.
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes:
I added a little extra pesto. I did serve it as pictured above on toast, but I also wanted a GF version. I served it in a bowl and had rice crackers in a basket near. It could be used as a dip or a spread on the crackers.
What I'll try next time:
It would be pretty topped with fire roasted peppers around Christmas time.

How it scored:

'becca: 4

Jonathan: 3 

Friends: I don't know numbers. I had 2 pieces of the bruschetta topped bread at the end of the night and had to refill the bowl that was being used as a spread on rice crackers twice. I did hear that it was a nice spin on traditional tomato bruschetta and a great spring dish.