Mixed clouds/sun and Shepherd's Pie

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have intervals of clouds and sun this morning with more clouds for later today. High near 40ºF. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight we’ll have clouds early giving way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low near 25 ºF. Winds will be light and variable.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 52%, the Dew Point is 17ºF and the outdoor temp is 33.1ºF.

The wind direction is  West Northwest between 0.0 MPH and 0.3 MPH, with a wind chill of 33.1ºF.

The Relative pressure is 30.06, the Absolute pressure is 29.86 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 6:33 a.m. Sunset is 4:12 p.m., Moonrise is 2:19 p.m. and Moonset is 2:45 a.m. The moon phase is waning crescent being 15% illuminated.

The RAW METAR readings from Augusta’s airport are:

METAR KAUG 141153Z AUTO 33004KT 10SM CLR M02/M07 A3035 RMK AO2 SLP283 70001 T10171067

Visibility is 10.0 Miles / 16.1 kilometers with clear skies at this moment.

We received a fair dusting of snow overnight, but not enough to register on the instruments. It’ll melt away soon.

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 73, the solar wind speed is 394  Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

With the weather mix of rain and snow we’ve had you need to make sure your loved ones have a hot, stick-to-their-ribs meal to help ward off chills.

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