Cloudy, mild and a great pie recipe

Good Morning Augusta

This morning it’s partly cloudy with an expected high of 47ºF. Winds will be from the NW at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight we’ll have mostly clear skies with a low of 21ºF. Winds will be from the WNW at 10 to 15 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 82%, the dew point is 26ºF, outside it’s -0.6ºC and 31.2ºF.

The wind direction is Southwest between 1.1 MPH and 2.7 MPH, generating a wind chill of 31.2ºF.

The Barometric pressure is 29.83 / HPA 1010.2 and falling with a weather graphic indicating clouds.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is at 6:39 a.m. Sunset is 6:53 P.M. Moon rise is at 2:33 p.m., Moon set is 12:15 p.m. and the moon phase is in its last quarter.   

The RAW METAR reading from the airport in Augusta, Maine is:

METAR KAUG 211053Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM OVC070 02/M10 A2982 RMK AO2 SLP101 T00171100

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with overcast to 7,000 ft / 2,133 m.

We didn’t receive any rain or snow here over the past 24 hours.

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 70, the solar wind speed is 539  Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

Hey vegetarians, how about some “pie” for dinner tonight?

SHEPHERD’S PIE   

Serves:  8 – 1 cup

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 (16 oz.) can black beans rinsed and drained

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (10¾ oz.) can low-fat, low-sodium cream of chicken soup

½ cup 1% milk

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup fat-free sour cream

2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium saucepan, add 4 potatoes and enough water to cover by 1 inch.  Cook over medium heat until tender, about 20 minutes.
• In a large nonstick skillet, add the carrots, onion, red pepper, celery and 2 cloves of garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender by firm, about 10 minutes.  Blend in can of soup, ½ cup milk, and 1 cup corn.
• Add the 1 cup sour cream to the drained potatoes; mash until fluffy.
• Spread the vegetable mixture in the prepared pan.  Spread the potatoes evenly on top.
• Bake, uncovered until heated through and the potatoes are browned, about 40 minutes.  (For crustier potatoes, place under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes after baking.)  Sprinkle with parsley.

Note:  cheese is a good addition to this recipe.  Put cheese on top of potatoes the last ten minutes of cooking and allow to brown.

Exchanges:  1½ starch, 2 lean meat, 1 vegetable

Calories:  204; fat:  2 g; cholesterol:  38 mg; sodium: 233 mg; carbohydrate:  31 g; fiber:  3 g; protein:  17 g