Saturday, November 8, 2008

Sheffer's Pie

-My Chief Recipe Namer-
Riley Sheffer





We all have memories of the type of food our parents used to prepare for us.  Classic dishes, family favorites, even good ol' mac and cheese or cereal dinners when there was not a lot of time to make dinner.  These prepared foods were at the center of what brought our family together at the end of a busy day.  A time to reflect on the day's events and share in thanksgiving to God for all the blessings we had received.  I am thankful for the fact that I was raised to appreciate this opportunity of being together, and that it is a tradition that has now carried into my own family.  As a food lover, dinnertime is an event that I usually spend all day thinking about.  In my mind I pull out virtual recipe cards and think about what I could create that would be satisfying to my family.  I have to admit my main goal is a "clear plate" and begging for "second servings".   Oh and I should mention that there is a group of preparations that I hail to at least once a week that includes all the classics from my mother.

So on Wednesday night I found myself between picking up the kids and having about 45 minutes to prepare dinner before I had to head off to study land.  That didn't leave me much time for being elaborate or trying out anything new-   I had to go with something that was time tested and fail-proof.  So very quickly I put on a pot of hot water and started thawing out some venison burger in the microwave.   Next I scrubbed up about 8 medium sized potatoes and cut them into pieces so they would cook faster in the boiling water.  Thankfully I didn't start crying when I chopped up my onion, I have had some real tear jerkers lately.   Within 10 minutes I had everything going towards my dinnertime goal and sure enough my "Shepard's Pie" was hot and ready when my hard working husband walked in the door. 

 The fun part of this story happened when I overheard the kids talking about dinner in the living room.  They always make me feel good when they travel into the kitchen, noses high in the air with an exclamation of "What smells so good?"  They were both talking about dinner and Riley said to Lauren, "We are having Sheffer's Pie for dinner"  which was followed with "No Riley, its called Shepard's Pie" from Lauren.  All the way through dinner, and second helpings,  Riley continued to call it "Sheffer's Pie" which sounded kind of catchy to me, and so from here on out "Sheffer's Pie"will be the new name of my Mom's old classic dish.

I would love to share the recipe with you all, but I have to admit I don't have a precisely measured one to follow.  I will do my best to come close, and maybe I should tell you that the beauty of this recipe is that it really doesn't need precise measurements only an adventurous cooking spirit to make it your own!  (Please write me and ask for this recipe if you are interested)

 Its pretty quick and easy, especially if you know how to multi task.  This meal is very easy to make healthily, and also as a vegetarian meal with tofu or beans instead of burger.  Its all in the ingredients that you choose!  The possibilities are endless, which is the beauty of it, and we don't mind if you decide to name it your own name.  My Mom thought the name Riley came up with was great!