Shepherd's Pie

 

My family background is Irish/Scottish/Welsh/English with a wee bit of German.  When I was a child, there didn't seem to be any kind of potato that wasn't served on a regular basis.

On Monday when Beth and I talked about cooking ideas, we both settled on Shepherd's Pie for Tuesday's meal.  Now here's the thing...some foods remind of specific memories.  Shepherd's Pie reminds me of the lack of them.

I had never heard of Shepherd's Pie until I was in my 30s. Even yesterday, I mentioned to my mother that I was making Shepherd's Pie and she said, "What's that?"   This is amazing to me because the pie originated in the UK and was often referred to as "Cottage Pie".   I don't know of anyone in either side of my family that made it.

My Pop-pop's family came from Centralia, the town with the underground fire.  There's really very little to see there anymore.

My maternal great-grandmother had never made spaghetti or heard of lasagna until my Nana cooked it for them.   It got to the point that my great-grandfather would open Nana's front door when they visited and throw his hat in first and yell, "What are you making this time Betty?"  😃 An action that made all of us children laugh.

Nana's family lived in Shamokin, Pa.

After World War 2, many folks emigrated out of the coal regions into other areas.  All 5 of my grandfather's surviving siblings moved out to cities and one even ended up in Saipan (government work).

Anyway, I thought about all these things yesterday as I cooked my husband some Shepherd Pie.  It's funny how things come back to you when you are in the kitchen...or the lack thereof.  Does any specific food bring back memories for you?