Shepherd's Pie for Yule

[aisa0]

Kit (Our WWOOFER) and I have just finished baking a shepherd's pie for Yule. I make a few casserole dishes worth every year, and I usually don't take home leftovers. Shepherd's pie is one of my favorite dishes, but it is usually too time intensive to make for an average dinner. This is the only time of year I'm certain to make it.

yarrowkat has been

Comments

[cleotigermom]

*raises hand sheepishly* Ummm, when is "Yule" and how long does it last? *blushes* I know I'm terribly ignorant of these things - but I truly want to know. There is a gift that I am wanting to give your household - but don't know when it's appropriate - and knowing when Yule is and how long it's celebrated will certainly help.

[aisa0]

Yule is on the winter solstice, the date for which is predicted by the US Naval Observatory.

Most years that is December 21st, which is today, Sunday. As it is an astronomical event, it technically lasts only a moment, but we round up to the nearest day and celebrate it all day long.

I'll stop to correct myself here and say that Yule was a Germanic midwinter festival, and wasn't tied directly to the winter solstice. We don't try to reconstruct their exact practice. (Which itself changed over time and across cultures.) Instead the modern holiday is a synthesis of many traditions both new and old.

And finally, next weekend we'll be celebrating LongDance, which observes the same holiday. This is a private gathering instead of a public event. I mentioned it to say that getting the exact date isn't really all that important. If you had a gift to bring by, this Sunday works as well as next Sunday!

[nightbluesprite]

Any chance of a recipe and/or photos?

[aisa0]

I didn't get any photos, but I just posted the recipe for Shepherd's Pie.

LJ tells me you friended me 27 weeks ago, but I don't remember it very clearly. Is this the first time we've spoken?

[nightbluesprite]

I don't believe so, though I may not have introduced myself properly.

I'm a first year law student almost through with fall semester exams. I found you because you have "being fully present" as an interest and friended you because you have a lovely writing style and because I really like hearing about your religious path. I've been intrigued by your take on sustainability - raising animals for food and killing them yourself coincides with my ideas about vegetarianism and is fascinating to hear about. I want to sort of "listen in" on more daily lives of people with similar interests, and I think we share a few basic ones.

I'm sorry if I've startled you! I'm mostly harmless... I think.

(By the way - Happy Yule!)

[aisa0]

I do remember you telling me this, I'm sorry for not recalling it. I find law very interesting, but it never called to me. I'd be happy to read about it, however.

I've friended you back (finally). Happy Yule!

[crankles]

Noms indeed! May I have the recipe for the hypoallergenic Shepherd's pie?

[aisa0]

I've just posted my Shepherd's Pie recipe. You'll either have to be hungry or scale it down. :-)

[aisa0]

You should bring that book, it is the finest vegan cookbook I've ever seen. The cookbook you bought me also has a shepherd's pie recipe, but it isn't a traditional one. (Much like the cookbook, heh.)