#MEwx temps at or above freezing again today and Shepherd's Pie

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have areas of fog with partly sunny skies. Visibility one quarter mile or less at times owing to the fog. Highs in the upper 30s with light and variable winds.

Tonight we'll have mostly cloudy conditions with lows in the upper 20s. Winds will be light and variable.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Our outdoor temperature is 31.8°F, the humidity is 67%, the Dew point is 22.1°F with a wind chill of 31.8°F.

The wind direction is North Northwest between 1.0 MPH and 2.5 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.97, the Absolute pressure is 29.77 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun and clouds.

If you want to see real-time instrument readings from my personal weather station click Here. That will take you directly to my weather station.

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers with partly cloudy skies  and patches of fog.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, The moon is 6.4% illuminated, the moon phase is Waxing Crescent, Sunrise is 7:11 am↑ 119° Southeast, sunset is 4:26 pm↑ 241° Southwest, Moonrise is 9:08 am↑ 115° Southeast, Moonset is 7:11 pm↑ 248° West and we'll have 9 hours 15 minutes of daylight today.

We had 0.01 inches of snow melt here again over the past 24 hours.

Pie 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