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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

SHEPHERD'S PIE CHOWDAH


What do you do when it's cold outside and
you are not feeling so well? 
You know those times when you just need some comfort food.  Food that is hot and tasty. 

When times like these roll around, I grab a big glass of this....


And start cooking!

When I think of comfort food and living in New England, I think of Shepherd's Pie.  I never had Shepherd's Pie growing up but since my husband and I have been together, it has become one of my favorite simple, hearty meals to prepare. 

To me, it is the ultimate comfort food.  We traditionally make it with a layer of seasoned browned hamburger, a layer of creamed and whole kernel corn mixed together and spread on top of the beef and then top all of that off with mashed potatoes.  This is placed in the oven and baked until bubbly and nicely browned on top. 

Today, I decided to mix it up a bit and combine the comfort of the Shepherd's Pie with the comfort of a nice hot soup full of vegetables and healthier ingredients than we normally use.  If this sounds like something you and your family would enjoy, come along with me!


I started out with 93/7 Lean White Ground Turkey...vegetarian fed....humanely raised...without antibiotics and growth hormones....


To that, I added chopped carrots, celery, garlic, onion, red bell pepper and jalapeno along with a whole bunch of spices that included turmeric, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder and Weber's Roasted Garlic and Herb Seasoning and sautéed it all together with olive oil.


I added some chopped potatoes....


And sautéed them with the meat and veggies....


Normally, I would add chicken broth but I didn't have any so I added this instead...


I de-glazed the pan, stirred it all together and brought it up to temp...


While I was cooking, I got a wonderful surprise when the grandgirl and her Mom stopped by for a visit.  She is feeling much better today and was ready to help her Granna cook....


I mashed some of the potatoes in the soup to thicken it up and then added some water and a little half and half.  I added some frozen corn, a couple of bay leaves and a couple of more sliced potatoes. 


It just needed a little something more so I took out a couple of slices of bacon from the freezer and trimmed it down so that it didn't have very much fat on it.  I sautéed it in a skillet a little bit before adding it to the soup.




I let the soup simmer for a little while and when we couldn't stand it any longer, it was time to eat.




Sometimes you just need to add a little something to clear the sinuses so my bowl got a couple of shakes of this....


You can take the girl out of Louisiana but you can't take the Louisiana out of the girl!

All of the comfort of Shepherd's Pie and all of the comfort of Potato Corn Chowder. I will be making this again, I'm sure.


I hope you are having a good week!  Thanks so much for stopping by to see me today.

This post is linked up with the following...

H‘nSaModerateLife




Miz Helen’s Country Cottage





Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays


24 comments:

  1. Ineresting. I have had Shepherd's pie before but not as soup.

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  2. My husband loves Shepherd's Pie, I bet he'd love this soup! And it's still so cold, we've been having lots of soup! Adding this to the list, thanks! Your helper is adorable!

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  3. What a great idea!! Why haven't I thought of that? lol Love seeing pictures of grandbabies - so cute!!

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  4. I've never had Shepherd's Pie, but it looks/sounds delish! Glad the little one is feeling better!

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  5. It looks like that Tony spice guy is everywhere this week! Feel better fast!

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  6. Great recipe :). When I think of comfort food for some reason it always goes back to hashbrowns, for me. Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

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  7. I think that is the universal grandma look of happiness because it's the same expression I get when I hold my grandson! :) The recipe looks interesting, Candace! My ex is from Dublin - after 15 years of hell, I mean togetherness (j/k - it wasn't that bad) I learned how to make a kickin shepherds pie. Happy Wednesday!

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  8. I never had shepherd's pie growing up either...but when you top anything with mashed potatoes, it's bound to be delicious! I love the healthy changes you made to this!

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  9. That's it! I'm making you a "Cooking with Candace" Header!!! I have NEVER had Shepherd's Pie...it kind of scares me...

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  10. Candace I am sure this Shepherd's pie/chowder in addition to the visit of your sweet little grandaughter made you feel much better.

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  11. What a nice recipe. The ingredient are such that they would make a lovely filling or soup. The soup is a great idea. I wish I had thought of it :-). Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  12. I really got a craving for grapefruit juice after seeing that picture!! The chowder looks and sounds good. Also sounds like something that would please most people - always nice to be successful in that department. :-)

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  13. Candy, your blog always makes me hungry...lol...Ain't it the truth about Tony Chachere's..I don't think my panry is fully stocked without Tony's....♥U

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  14. I love this recipe! I would have never thought to use ground turkey in a soup recipe! Sounds so good.

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  15. What a fantastic idea! I love shepherds's pie...and I love soup, so what's not to love about this!? And I'm the same way, just something about grapefruit juice that helps to chase the ick away ;) thanks for sharing this w/ the hearth and soul hop this week!

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  16. Love this. It is like a deconstructed shepherds pies.

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  17. I adore Shepherd's Pie, and I adore chowdah -- this is inspired! I never thought to turn it into a soup, but it's perfect!!!

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  18. Hi Candace,
    Amazing...your Shepherds Pie Chowdah looks so delicious. I can almost taste it already, I must have a bowl of this. Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Full Plate Thursday and please come back!

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  19. This looks excellent! Nice and thick! Love the addition of bacon, bacon makes everything better! Thanks!

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  20. I love me some Shepard's Pie!! It's my oldest daughter's number one request! Such great comfort food.

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  21. HI Candace! I wanted to personally welcome you to the hearth and soul hop! I am now following your blog! I am also thrilled you are on board! My husband is from New Hampshire and you must let me know where you are! I have extensive knowledge of the lakes region as my hubby is from Tilton. I love it up there, but never lived there. I also love this shepherds pie soup and I am going to share it on my hearth and soul hop highlights tomorrow at a moderate life so stop by for a visit and say Hi! All the best and thanks again for sharing this great recipe at the hearth and soul hop! Alex

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