6: United Kingdom

Christmas break is over, but I refuse to take down our tree. I convinced Cory to let me leave it up until tonight, at which point I fed him "sleepy" food and reasoned that it won't hurt anyone to keep it up until he gets home from his golf trip this weekend. Three more nights of sitting by the pretty white lights...

Today was my first full day back at work, and I'm feeling it already. I love my job.. particularly on days when I can leave thinking, "Hey -- I contributed to the literature on early signs of autism today." ... but today wasn't one of those days. :) Instead, this week has been filled with lots of organizing, organizing, organizing. My new year's resolution is to live a more healthy, balanced life in 2011 -- which started with organizing my shoes and has most recently extended to organizing our lab. Don't get me wrong - I love putting things in place and getting life together... I just know that once classes start, the fruits of my beloved organization are going to be tested. Big time.

... but back to the sleepy food that I credit for my extended Christmas Bliss. Cory is going out of town on a golf trip this weekend, so I wanted to cook him something yummy and hearty and perfect for a chilly, rainy day. Shepherd's Pie seemed to do the trick! To save a few bucks (and calories), I omitted meat, using lots of fresh winter vegetables instead. Shepherd's Pie is one of those versatile recipes that can be made differently every time you make it. I got the idea to do a semi-vegetarian (other than chicken broth) version from Food and Wine magazine - and with a few tweaks, it was totally delicious.

Winter Veggie Shepherd's Pie
3 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 small yukon gold potatoes, halfed
2 c fat free half & half
1/4 c cheese (swiss, white cheddar, gruye, etc.)
3 T butter, divided
2 sweet onions, chopped
2 T garlic, minced
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 turnips, chopped
2 C brussel sprouts, halved
2 carrots, chopped
2 T thyme
2 C chicken broth
S&P

Boil potatoes in lightly salted water. After potatoes have softened (15-20 minutes), mash with butter, fat free half & half, cheese, and S&P. Stir over medium heat until thickened.

Preheat broiler. While potatoes are cooking, melt 2T butter in dutch oven. Saute onions in butter until lightly browned, then add garlic. Saute an additional 2 minutes, then add parsnips, turnips, brussel sprouts, carrots, and thyme. After vegetables have cooked for 5 minutes, add chicken broth. Cook, covered, over medium high heat for 10 minutes, then remove lid and cook until almost all liquid has been absorbed or evaporated.

Ladel vegetable mixture into 9" pie dish, then top with potatoes (we had a little leftover of both -- can't wait to add the veggies to whole wheat linguini this weekend!). Broil until lightly browned (5 minutes). 

Enjoy!