Winter is Not Just for Soup

Don't get me wrong, I love soups and stews and the bazillion options are really what get me through the winter months. But this month's Bon Appetit magazine has added a new dimension to my winter cooking...the pot pie.

The photo at the top of the post, does not do The Shrimp & Seasoned Sausage Pot Pie justice...then again, without video how does one capture the heavenly moans around the table? I used local Lunenburg Lamb Sausages rather than the Andouille sausages the magazine recommended and so it was a milder, softer dish than the Cajun inspired BA version. One word....AWESOME!!!

Admittedly, I grew up on frozen St Hubert chicken pot pie and these days I swear there isn't a better store bought chicken pie anywhere than the one from Costco...it's worth the trip even if you don't get side tracked by everything else in the store. I'm ashamed to say, that the truth is...I've never made a chicken pot pie of my own. It always seemed like too much work, not to mention my intimidation at making pie crusts.

But something about the cover of this month's Bon Appetit - the comfort food issue (it's the Shepherd's Pie with Cheesy Potato Topping that's on tap for tonight) had me drooling before I even turned the pages.

If you're like me, you have some favorite magazines and even though you love them, there are some months when there aren't really a ton of dishes that you'd want to try. Then again, there are some months which are not long enough to cook everything that make you're mouth water.

So tonight we'll be having Lamb & Eggplant Shepherd's Pie and later this week, Moroccan Style Chicken Pie...not what I grew up with, but the phylo pastry and glorious Moroccan spices will definitely transport me far from winter.