Ray’s Shepherds Pie Recipe
Over the years I have had quite a few people ask for my Shepherd’s Pie recipe. Well, I don’t really have a recipe, per se. The dish sometimes varies depending on the ingredients that I have on-hand. But I use a general overview of the whole thing and here it is:
Ray’s Shepherds Pie Recipe:
- Saute some fresh onions and carrots. Then brown some hamburger meat and mix the two together. Then use some sort of a gravy/sauce making powder like Lipton’s Recipe Secrets beefy onion mix (or Bisto in UK or a Knorr braten sauce in Germany) and some water (of course season to taste. I use some Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, paprika, etc). Let it boil for a while until there is a thick gravy/sauce, as desired. Add some frozen peas to the mix and let set just a couple of seconds more. (Video is below)
- When it is the right consistency for you, add the meat to a baking pan. Flatten it out. Add a layer of corn over the meat. Level this over the meat, too. As the Onions/Carrots/Meat are cooking. Boil some potatoes. How many will depend on the amount of meat/size of pie you want. Let them over-cook a little and then drain. (Video is below)
- As the potatoes are draining. I add some chopped bacon to the pot that I used the boil the potatoes and let it cook for a while. Then, add the potatoes back to the pan with butter, milk and cheese (of course season to taste. I use onion salt, pepper, whatever I feel like). Then mash it all together. You will want to use a bit more milk than usual for a nice creamy texture because you then…
- Layer the potato on top of the meat/vegetables and sprinkle with paprika or whatever you like. It is helpful to use a large metal spoon to layer on the potato. You can’t press too hard or you will push the meat and veggies away from the bottom of the pan. Use a lateral motion. (Video is below)
- Make sure the potato is directly up against the sides and corners of the pan, completely sealing in the meat and veggies. Then bake until the juices start boiling up the sides of the pan and onto the potato!
- Take out of the oven, let sit 10 minutes (the hardest part).
- Eat.
I usually use 500g of hamburger/hachfleish and about 10-12 medium potatoes…
Photos from Jedermanns Musik Nacht
“The guitar player from New York named Ray Pasnen pushed the structural integrity of JederdmannS to its limit.”
Thank you to Bjoern from Jedermanns for the captures of the newspaper in Neustadt from Musik Nacht. That’s me in the middle of the big photo. And a little story for those who read German. :-)
story source: neuepresse.de
New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam
A little New Year’s Eve Tale!
Sarah and I met up with friends from Bermuda, Joe and Marie Bento in Amsterdam on New Year’s Eve and had a blast. Joe is, amongst other things, a great singer and guitarist and I am sometimes able to persuade him to play a set at my gigs! :)
We met at Oriental City at 11:30 am and had a great Chinese meal and then went to Susie’s Saloon in the Red Light District for a few drinks and spent some time in the back room. Woo hoo!
Then we went to the Doubletree Hilton by Centraal Station and watched the sunset from the SkyLounge. Here are a couple pics from the patio at sunset. What a nice place it is. Excellent drinks and food in a contemporary atmosphere. We even had the Amsterdam version of the Dark and Stormy called, Stark and Dormy! It was an interesting twist on an old favorite. We also had some potato balls, cheese spring rolls and crispy chicken bites. It was all delicious!
Then we went to hear a live, classic rock band named, Southern Comfort at The Waterhole in Leidseplein til we kissed at midnight (Sarah and I, not Joe. ) and said Happy New Year. Thankfully, our hotel is very close to the last stop so we walked home when the band stopped at about 12:20.
Only the Good Die Young – Live | Swizzle Inn
I just stumbled across this video from my buddy, Evan, on youtube today. It was shot at The Swizzle Inn in tribute to James “Turtle” Smith, a good friend of ours who had recently passed away far too young. It is particularly hard to watch today as not only does it bring back the memories of James but, now, the memories of Neil. Neil is playing the sax at the beginning and the harmonica at the end of the song. He was taken, quite unexpectedly, last year. Here’s to James and Neil. Always remembered!
Juicing is no healthier than eating raw fruits and vegetables.
If you are like me, you have seen hundreds of advertisements pontificating the health benefits of juicing. Juicing is simply the act of extracting juice from fresh fruits and vegetables. I bought a juicer a couple of years ago and I juice up 3 or 4 times a week. It is nice throwing half a cucumber, 4 apples, 4 carrots, a good chunk of kale, a few broccoli florets, some celery, spinach and grapes into the machine and getting a small pitcher of great tasting, lick-smacking juice.
Supposedly, this was giving us all the benefits of these fruits and veggies and more because our bodies could more easily extract the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (plant chemicals) from of the juice than the solid food. Ok. I can buy that. But the whole time I was thinking, “Hmmm.. does all the fiber leave with the “solids”. I was hoping for over a year that, somehow, some of the fiber stuck around in the juice.
Then, :( I read this from the Mayo Clinic:
Juicing: What are the health benefits?
Is juicing healthier than eating whole fruits or vegetables?
Answers from Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D.
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Juicing probably is not any healthier than eating whole fruits and vegetables. Juicing extracts the juice from fresh fruits or vegetables. The resulting liquid contains most of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals (phytonutrients) found in the whole fruit. However, whole fruits and vegetables also have healthy fiber, which is lost during most juicing.
Some juicing proponents say that juicing is better for you than is eating whole fruits and vegetables because your body can absorb the nutrients better and it gives your digestive system a rest from working on fiber. They say that juicing can reduce your risk of cancer, boost your immune system, help you remove toxins from your body, aid digestion and help you lose weight.
However, there’s no sound scientific evidence that extracted juices are healthier than the juice you get by eating the fruit or vegetable itself.
On the other hand, if you don’t enjoy eating fresh fruits and vegetables, juicing may be a fun way to add them to your diet or to try fruits and vegetables you normally wouldn’t eat. You can find many juicing recipes online or mix up your own combinations of fruits and vegetables to suit your taste.
If you do try juicing, make only as much juice as you can drink at one time because fresh squeezed juice can quickly develop harmful bacteria. And when juicing, try to keep some of the pulp. Not only does it have healthy fiber, but it can help fill you up.
If you buy commercially produced fresh juice from a juicing stand or store, select a pasteurized product. Also keep in mind that juices may contain more sugar than you realize, and if you aren’t careful, these extra calories can lead to weight gain.
With
Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D.
found at: Mayo Clinic – link
So, now I know. I still juice but I take a high quality fiber supplement when I do. I mean, seriously. I would never, at least in one sitting, eat half a cucumber, 4 apples, 4 carrots, a good chunk of kale, a few broccoli florets, some celery, spinach and grapes. But I would drink a glass of it! And getting it into the body is the main focus here!