In the kitchen with Charla.....
            This is such a hilarious statement.... but to really understand you have to really know me..... A bit of background.... 
            My mom... Her name is Lena Jewel Braswell Teel, aka "Judy".  Sadly we lost her to cancer in 1988.  But between the years of 1918 and 1988, she truly lived.  There is a poem entitled "The Dash"... and it is about the life lived between the year a person is born and the year they die. Here is a glimpse of her dash and how it has influenced me in just one small minute way.
       Judy  was one of 6 daughters.  Only 4 grew to adulthood.  But the 4 Braswell girls could C O O K!   And everything they did was by "scratch".  Now this is not so unique to the era of which they were born and raised.  But it is unique to me.  I was  and still am, the baby of the family.  (I use this to my advantage quite often...ask my brother...)  I would rather play outside in the dirt... ride horses and mow the grass as to learn any type of good housekeeping skills.  My mom tried to teach me to cook... but opening a can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup was fine with me. And you would think with a family of my own, I would be more interested in cooking... but no... I would rather play in the dirt (or the playground at school with my students), ride horses or mow the grass...... 
           Then 1988 rolled around and Mom was diagnosed with a type of lymphoma cancer.   I wanted to keep her.... and now I wish I had paid closer attention to the things she wanted to pass down to me.  I did pay attention to the most important things, the love of God, the love of family.... but the cooking thing.... sadly no.... and now my family and friends have SUFFERED through my dismal efforts in the kitchen.
           So now for the quest of improving my  culinary skills...(It is a bucket list thing...)  Tonight I attempted to make "Shepherd's Pie".   The original recipe is from a Southern Living cookbook (and if you could see all my cookbooks...that's another story) and as I am famous for substituting and bombing a recipe... I still substituted.... One of the ingredients was lamb.... I do NOT eat "Mary's favorite pet...you know.. he followed her to school one day.... how would I ever exsplain that to my Pre K class???   I used hamburger... Not just any hamburger...but lean 93% fat free from Ridley's in Duncan, Oklahoma.  I'll post my revised recipe a bit later.  I also do not care for peas.... so I substituted again.... but the rest of the recipe remain the same..  oh wait..no it doesn't.. I didn't put carrots in it either.... I love fresh carrots... I love carrots cooked with a roast (momma style) and that's it...  so the rest is original to Southern Living's authors.  
           It looked really good coming out of the oven.... It looked good on the plate.....and according to Rick... it is something I can make again!  Success!

           So here is the "In the kitchen with Charla" version of Shepherd's Pie

1 pound of very lean ground beef             1/2 chopped onion (or dried minced onion)
2 T butter                                                3 T flour
1 (14.5 oz) can Beef Broth                       1 large egg slightly beaten
1/3 Cup bread crumbs                              1 can sliced green beans drained
1 can corn  drained                                  1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper                                  2 packages of "loaded' mashed potatoes
                                                                   (yes the instant stuff!)
Finely shredded Cheddar Cheese ... probably about a cup and a half.... Oh and a really important ingredient...GARLIC!  I use Tone's Minced Garlic.. I like fresh better but Tone's is great in a pinch!

1.)  Brown the ground beef, onion and garlic...drain (if it is Ridley['s...you won't have anything to drain)
2.)  In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the flour... Wisk constantly till flour and butter is smooth and browns.
3.)   Add the beef broth to the flour/butter mixture and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes.This should thicken up. It did for me... if It doesn't for you... I don't know what to tell ya!
4.)  In a large bowl, combine the hamburger mixture, the broth misxture, the slightly beaten egg, the vegetables, bread crumbs, salt, pepper.. in other words... everyting else EXCEPT  for the mashed potatoes.
5.)  Make the potatoes according to the package directions. I made mine in the microwave....
6.)   In a 9 x 11 pan, spread half the potato mixture on the bottom.  I first sprayed the pan with olive oil.... 
7.)  Pour the beef mixture in, spreading evenly..... top with the rest of the mashed potatoes.
8.)  Add the cheddar cheese to the top....AND BAKE!

I baked mine in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 45 minutes.... till the cheese is all nice and bubbly.... let it set up about 10 minutes before cutting into it... 

And as a side note...after I calculated this recipe... if you divide it into 8 pieces... it is about 7 WW points per serving!!!!   
 For a picture, check out my Facebook page... I will try to learn how to post pics to this... but not tonight...

And by the way..... If you visit Ridley's in Duncan... tell them that Elton Teel's daughter sent you.... Mr. Ridley used to call on my dad when he was in the grocery business,.  Mr. Ridley and I had a nice walk down memory lane about how things used to be... and he remembered my dad and mom... 

And that is the first edition to "In the kitchen with"......