Spiced Sweet Potato Soup (week of December 14 to 20)

Spiced Sweet-Potato Soup adapted from a recipe in Blue Moon Soup – a Family Cookbook by Goss and Dyer. We kept trying to make this soup because it sounded so good in the original with a melted chocolate garnish, but it was always unpleasantly bitter – until this time when we left the chocolate out – MUCH better! We also substituted garam masala for the curry powder of the original. Preheat oven to 400°. Melt in a soup pot, over medium heat

• 2 Tablespoons butter

Add

• 1 small leek, chopped (1 to 1½ cups)
• ¼ cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced (you will need one more sweet potato later)
• 1 Tablespoon cooking sherry (optional)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

and sauté for 10 minutes. Add

• 1 more large sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cups water

and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Blend or mash half the soup with

• 2 cups milk

until thick and smooth. Return blended soup to the pot and stir. Place soup crocks on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into crocks and divide (to garnish)

• 1 cup shredded Munster cheese
• ¼ cup sliced mushrooms

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.

Shepherd's Pie (week of Nov 30 - Dec 6)

If you think this is just warmed up leftovers, you're forgetting that dinner is 75 %  presentation.

I made this crowd-pleaser twice - the second time I was out of leftover mashed potatoes so rolled out some pie crust and made a pot pie with only a top lid.

Butter a covered casserole and preheat to 350°. Layer in casserole:

• Cooked dressing
• Mashed plain baked sweet potatoes
• Turkey
• Gravy
• Mashed potatoes

Dot with:

• Butter

Bake until top is golden. Great served with Orange-Cranberry Relish.