Shepherdess Pie

 A Shepherd's pie dates back to the 1800's by name at least (although a similar dish, the Cottage Pie, dates back to the 1700's).  It seems the two terms are somewhat interchangeable, though as far as I can tell a Shepherd's Pie usually indicates the use of minced lamb rather than beef.
The dish is humble and while filling it is not necessarily attractive.  There are traditionally layers of minced lamb or beef, and onions, all cooked in a gravy and sometimes layered with other vegetables, but always topped by mashed potatoes.  Occasionally it seems this pie would have a bottom crust of mashed potatoes as well.
I am not inventing the term Shepherdess Pie, even though I love it: it indicates a vegetarian version of this dish!
This is a great meal for putting together a few hours before dinner, and that's just what I did.  I had various vegetables suitable for this rather hodgepodge dish: mushrooms, leeks, cabbage, carrots and some green lentils I'd cooked previously.

 I peeled my potatoes and got them on to boil, then began the chop and saute.  It felt like a tarragon kind of day, I wanted a subtle herb to complement the leeks.

 The food processor makes quick work of finely chopping cabbage and carrots.

I simply sautéed all of the vegetables in the dutch oven I was planning to cook the whole lot in, so it couldn't have been easier.  When a dish like this is going into the oven for a final baking I don't like to overcook the vegetables on the stovetop, I like to leave them a little crisp.

 I whip my potatoes in the KitchenAid mixer with the big whisk attachment, adding some of their own cooking water and a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Cashew cream is a nice addition if you have it lying around.

Top the vegetables with the mashed potatoes and smooth them over fetchingly.  Sprinkle a little olive oil on top and then bake in a 325 oven for about 25 minutes or so.  Perfect comfort food, the Shepherdess Pie!

I have various chores and admin tasks to get through today and I'm hoping it won't be too icy for my walk with Scout.  I went out last evening with the fur pony for a walk around the neighbourhood and it was so icy, it was like a balance workout!
Tonight it's my Serious Book Club, and we're discussing a book that I chose: In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.  That link will lead you to a NYT review, and I have to recommend this book even if you're not a fan of non-fiction, it's absolutely riveting.
Have a wonderful day today,
xoxDani

Paisley and Leopard

 I did some slapdash sewing and found new life for my antique wool paisley throw.
The throw is very dear to me because I bought it from Ellie's store, and those of you who were also fans of Ellie and her wonderful blog Have Some Decorum will understand the special qualities of this paisley.  Special because she herself chose it at a brocante in Paris!

Ellie was a big fan of paisley in decorating, and this piece in particular was quite old with a lovely tassel trim.  I used it as a tablecloth for about a year, and then as a throw for this little sofa, but alas Scout had her way with it and it developed a couple of significant holes.

What would Ellie do?  I think she would have kept on using the paisley in decorating in some way, so I've made pillow covers, two quite large ones, out of the best bits of the fabric.

 They really suit the feeling of this room, it is the small bedroom in our house, on the second floor, that we use as MrBP's dressing room.  The room is filled with tweed and books and an ancient rug that MrBP's great-grandfather brought back to Vienna at the end of the first world war.

 I have a portiere hanging in lieu of a door, which while not an excellent choice for a bedroom works perfectly in this kind of space.

The shelves are filled with books and also boxes of ties and baskets of socks and boxer shorts!

Speaking of books, tonight I'll be going to the Christmas potluck for my Fun Bookclub.
I belong to two bookclubs, one serious and one fun.  Why the distinction?  Well for example, the December bookclub for my fun club is a potluck dinner with lots of chatting and laughs, and a book exchange game.  We don't read a book to discuss for this event because let's face it, it won't be discussed anyway.  This bookclub is made up of women who have quite serious jobs, a few psychotherapists, doctors, a woman who runs an estate business, another who sits on various quite serious sounding boards.

My serious bookclub is smaller and made up of women (and one man) who are my closest friends, but we always discuss the book in minute detail and if one hasn't read the book you might consider not attending!  For our December bookclub we're reading a book about the hospital at the centre of Hurricane Katrina (Five Days at Memorial), not exactly a light read.

 I love both of these bookclubs and I'm quite glad they're so different.  It makes for a fun change!

I'm planning to dress up a little bit tonight, and by that I mean wearing my leopard shoes (well, changing into them once I wrangle my snow boots off) with my black outfit.

I think that leopard, like paisley, is a neutral!
Do you belong to a bookclub, serious or fun?
I'll be spending the morning outside with Scout, we've had our first significant snowfall overnight and it's a winter wonderland out there.  We'll go to the park and run around like little kids (or at least Scout will).
Enjoy your day today,
xoxDani

White Noise

 Last night at book club we discussed White Noise by Don DeLillo. Such a strange, darkly funny read! Interesting too to discuss themes of "consumerism as life" in modern America on Cyber Monday.  I recommend, four out of five stars.

So exciting to have my friends over to discuss our book and everything else on a Monday evening.  I went in for some calorie-dense snacks:

I bought some chocolate almond truffle things, threw out some olives and apricots and whipped up this really yummy vegan walnut pate in the food processor:

Raw Food Walnut and Herb Pate Recipe

I varied mine slightly, using fresh basil instead of rosemary, and omitting the Nama Shoyu (which I would typically substitute soy sauce for... but I tried that the last time I made this and even I found it too salty).

I can't say I did any Cyber Monday shopping, well not online at any rate.  I did buy some perfume for my daughters for Christmas, only because I was at the drug store buying shampoo anyway.  I do try to get my Christmas presents all purchased and wrapped before December 1st though, and I'm nearly there.  Once I get that out of the way I can concentrate on more urgent tasks, like baking Piggy Cookies!

Today it's meant to be in the 50's here and sunny! I can't believe it, such warm weather for this time of year.  I'll be going for a long walk with Scout after I attend yoga class with two of my friends.  I wonder if I'll fall down while trying to maintain Warrior Pose... it's highly possible.

Have a lovely day and try to stay upright,
xoxDani