Sloppy Joe Casserole: The Un-Shepherds Pie

If you love BBQ, mashed taters and cheddar cheese...  here's the TRIFECTA! 

I say "UN" shepherds pie because this recipe is a sweeter, beefy version of the hearty lamb staple. I had no idea that there was a heated beef vs. lamb debate about Shep Pie? Who cares! After all, shepherds pie, originally known as "cottage pie," is a poor mans casserole for all of the left over veggies and mutton from the harvest. Today, in the middle- class Kertney cottage, I needed to rid the fridge of some taters, celery, corn and peas... and the dregs of a bottle of BBQ sauce.


Prep time: 30min
Serves 4-6
Bake time: 45min

First, set your over to 375 and get yer taters goin'!



5 medium- large red potatoes- halved, cleaned, skin on
1 or 2 large Sweet potato(s)- peeled and halved
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup cheddar cheese (save this for later) 
1 scallion stem- sliced (save this for later, too)
1/2 stick o' butter
2 tsps salt
2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt (I didn't have any sour cream. So I used the Greek stuff. Worked like a charm!) 


Bring a large pot o' water to a boil and drop your bouillon cubes and potatoes. Let it cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes and drain. Mash or whip potatoes together with the butter, salt and sour cream. In that 20 minutes of tater cooking, you can get yer beef goin':



1lb pkg ground beef
1 medium onion- diced
1 large celery stalk- diced
1 small can of tomato paste
1/2 bag of frozen peas
1/2 bag of frozen corn
2 good sized garlic cloves- minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons of your fav BBQ Sauce. (My Favorite? Sweet Baby Rays)
1 teaspoon thyme
2-3 good shakes of Worchestire sauce
2 teaspoons Chili powder
2 teaspoons of Salt and cracked Pepper (S&P)
1.5 cup beef stock


Get your deep skillet on a medium high heat and cook your beef, salt, pepper and garlic. Once browned, add the brown sugar, thyme, chili powder, worchestire, onions, celery, corn, peas and let those cook for 5 minutes. Next add the tomato paste, BBQ sauce and beef stock and let that cook, together, until well Incorporated. For a thicker consistency, use less stock. For a more gravy-like consistency, use more stock.

Grab a casserole dish and a lined cookie sheet to place under it. Trust me... this pie runneth over! Add your meat mixture to the dish and top with the taters. Next, top the taters with your cheddar and scallions. Bake, uncovered,  for 45 minutes and serve!

Curried Pumpkin Chili!

Pumpkin fever is upon us! I have heard of this combination as a soup... but never a chili! If you are looking for a different pumpkin inspired dish, ride the autumn bandwagon with me and try my New Delhi take on a Dallas favorite.  

Slow Cooker Curried Pumpkin Chicken Chili   

Yields: 4-6 servings 

Prep time: 30minutes

Slow cooker time: 6 hrs.

4 chicken thighs

1/4 cup pumpkin butter

2-3 tbsp EVOO 

1 medium onion- diced

2 celery stalks- sliced

1/4 tsp tamarind

2 tsp sweet curry powder

1.5 tsp mild curry paste (Patkas) 

1tsp each- Salt, pepper, garlic salt

1 cup chicken stock

Season your chicken thighs (skin and all) with S&P, garlic salt, tamarind and curry powder.  Pre-heat your LARGE stew pot to med- high heat and add EVOO. Add chicken thighs and brown (5-8 minutes) so you get all of the yummy golden "bits" on the bottom of your pot. Remove chicken, lower the heat (medium) and add pumpkin butter, onions, celery and curry paste. Sautee them together in the bits (2 minutes) and add the chicken stock. You should hear a large SIZZLE! Let that boil down by half (15min) and add: 

1 large sweet potato- cubed

2 med. cloves garlic- minced

1 small sweet red pepper, diced 

1 small green pepper, diced

1/2 cauliflower cut into bite sized chunks 

1 cinnamon stick

1 large bay leaf

1 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated is best) 

1 16oz can of pumpkin puree 

1 16oz can drained northern beans

1 16oz can drained butter beans

Let this simmer for 5 minutes and put into your preheated slow cooker. Take the chicken (and all the yummy juices) and place it into the cooker w/ the chili. Let them them cook on high heat together for 4-6 hours. Before serving, be sure to remove bones and skin from the chicken (they should be falling off of the bone by now) and reintroduce the meat. Don't worry about the bay leaf. Just say whoever finds it gets 10points AND an extra helping!  Add extra salt and pepper (to taste) and serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro. If you like heat, add a sprinkle of chili flakes. I recommend some warm naan bread for dipping!