Somewhere, I got hold of a packet of Colman's Shepherd's pie mix. I
thought it was English, but my spouse (Who can read fine print) says
that it was made in Dublin.

A few days ago, I decided it was time it was used.

It says "Just Grab:"

1 sachet Colman's Shepherd's Pie Seasoning Mix

check.

450g lean mince

A one-pound chub of 83% ground beef should do.

1 large onion, diced

I wanted to save my large onion for slicing,
so I used two and a half small onions.

2 Carrots, sliced

Whoosh, that's a lot of carrot.
I substituted a can of whole-kernel corn for one of the carrots,
and sliced the remaining carrot with my mandoline set on medium.
I wished, when eating the pie, that I'd gone to the trouble of
cutting it into small chunks with a knife. It said sliced, so I
sliced, but I think Irish carrots must be thinner.

175g frozen peas (optional)

That's about six ounces; the old scale will measure it neatly,
and serve as a prep dish while waiting for time to dump it in.
I believe that I put the carrot into the scale's bin too.

700g cooked mashed potato

Shouldn't that be mashed cooked potato? Ah, well, this isn't alt.english.usage.

Here I come to a screeching halt. I know all about starting with raw
potatoes; I began with peeling and dicing and beating with a mixer,
and came to know the superiority of boiling them whole, then peeling
with a ricer, and nowadays I'd probably do the zap-and-bake bit
instead of boiling -- perhaps I should try riced potatos in my potato
salad. But in my old age, I find that mixing equal parts by volumne
of potato flakes and water gives perfectly acceptable results,
particularly when I'm making an ingredient rather than a side dish.

But how dense are mashed potatoes? How dense are potato flakes? And
I get a headache just setting up the equations I'd need to solve if I
did know the densities. Eventually I decided that the pie is supposed
to serve four, so I'll make four servings of mashed potatoes. It
turned out a trifle scant; I should have noticed that a cup and a
third is nowhere near 700 ml.

300 ml cold water

At last an easy one, and an important one. All the other measurements
are "in the general neighborhood", but the water must balance the
flour in the seasoning mix.

By good luck I have a half-liter Kodak measuring glass. I poured all
liquids drained off other ingredients into it, then added enough water
to make 300 ml.

-----------

I skipped "place into an ovenproof baking dish", and baked it in the
iron skillet I'd cooked the filling in.

Saying "Cooks in 30 minutes" is cheating a bit. Quite a lot of
cooking takes place before the dish is put into the oven.

I'll look around for another shepherd's-pie packet the next time I'm
in Meijer's furrin-food aisle, but I'll read the ingredient list. I
don't like a big bait of sugar in my shepherd's pie. "BARLEY malt
extract" would have been quite enough.

Gasp! Does this mean that the fad for over-sweetening savory dishes
has spread to other countries?

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at centurylink dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 10/6/2021 7:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:

700g cooked mashed potato

Shouldn't that be mashed cooked potato? Ah, well, this isn't alt.english.usage.

Cooked mashed potato is a quantity of mashed potato, probably with milk, butter, cheese etc.

Mashed cooked potato is potato, only.

Tim

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Wed, 06 Oct 2021 19:04:24 -0400, Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

I'll look around for another shepherd's-pie packet the next time I'm
in Meijer's furrin-food aisle, but I'll read the ingredient list. I
don't like a big bait of sugar in my shepherd's pie. "BARLEY malt
extract" would have been quite enough.

Gasp! Does this mean that the fad for over-sweetening savory dishes
has spread to other countries?

You don't really need a packet of anything. Just use a couple of tbsp
of tomato puree and a big splash of worcestershire sauce. You can add
a few extra herbs and pepper if you want. Put that in the mince after
browning and then add about 450-500ml (a US pint will do) of beef
stock and cook in the oven for about 40 mins (covered for the first
20 mins). Then make the mash and add it to the top, maybe put in some
cheese in the mash as well, and return it to the oven for another
20 mins to brown the potatoes.

--
Andy Leighton => andyl@azaal.plus.com
"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"
- Douglas Adams

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Thu, 07 Oct 2021 04:19:47 -0500
Andy Leighton <andyl@azaal.plus.com> wrote:

On Wed, 06 Oct 2021 19:04:24 -0400, Joy Beeson
<jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

I'll look around for another shepherd's-pie packet the next time I'm
in Meijer's furrin-food aisle, but I'll read the ingredient list. I
don't like a big bait of sugar in my shepherd's pie. "BARLEY malt
extract" would have been quite enough.

Gasp! Does this mean that the fad for over-sweetening savory dishes
has spread to other countries?

You don't really need a packet of anything. Just use a couple of tbsp
of tomato puree and a big splash of worcestershire sauce. You can add
a few extra herbs and pepper if you want. Put that in the mince after browning and then add about 450-500ml (a US pint will do) of beef
stock and cook in the oven for about 40 mins (covered for the first
20 mins). Then make the mash and add it to the top, maybe put in some
cheese in the mash as well, and return it to the oven for another
20 mins to brown the potatoes.

Hie thee to a cookery NG!

alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.2toast.largetea.cheerslove

welcomes new noshers

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 6:06:55 AM UTC-4, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

On Thu, 07 Oct 2021 04:19:47 -0500
Andy Leighton <an...@azaal.plus.com> wrote:

On Wed, 06 Oct 2021 19:04:24 -0400, Joy Beeson
<jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

I'll look around for another shepherd's-pie packet the next time I'm
in Meijer's furrin-food aisle, but I'll read the ingredient list. I
don't like a big bait of sugar in my shepherd's pie. "BARLEY malt extract" would have been quite enough.

Gasp! Does this mean that the fad for over-sweetening savory dishes
has spread to other countries?

You don't really need a packet of anything. Just use a couple of tbsp
of tomato puree and a big splash of worcestershire sauce. You can add
a few extra herbs and pepper if you want. Put that in the mince after browning and then add about 450-500ml (a US pint will do) of beef
stock and cook in the oven for about 40 mins (covered for the first
20 mins). Then make the mash and add it to the top, maybe put in some cheese in the mash as well, and return it to the oven for another
20 mins to brown the potatoes.

Hie thee to a cookery NG!

alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.2toast.largetea.cheerslove

welcomes new noshers

Boggle1: That newsgroup exists, and has for a long time.
Boggle2: The content is ... strange.

pt

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 06:16:38 -0700 (PDT), Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 6:06:55 AM UTC-4, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

Hie thee to a cookery NG!

alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.2toast.largetea.cheerslove

welcomes new noshers

Boggle1: That newsgroup exists, and has for a long time.
Boggle2: The content is ... strange.

New to usenet, are you? :-)

I might go and have a look, after a recommendation like that, but I'm not a
fan of fried eggs, to put it mildly, so I'd best be careful!

Alan Woodford

The Greying Lensman

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 11:24:38 AM UTC-4, Alan Woodford wrote:

On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 06:16:38 -0700 (PDT), Peter Trei <pete...@gmail.com> wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 6:06:55 AM UTC-4, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

Hie thee to a cookery NG!

alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.2toast.largetea.cheerslove

welcomes new noshers

Boggle1: That newsgroup exists, and has for a long time.
Boggle2: The content is ... strange.

New to usenet, are you? :-)

I might go and have a look, after a recommendation like that, but I'm not a fan of fried eggs, to put it mildly, so I'd best be careful!

Alan Woodford

The Greying Lensman

Its a weird mix of breakfast recipes, and what is apparently people doxing alleged pedophiles.

pt

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 17:12:30 GMT, djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote:

In article <i44ulgh1lql881tfshuf8igdamrf1cu1e9@4ax.com>,
Alan Woodford <alan@thewoodfords.uk> wrote:

On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 06:16:38 -0700 (PDT), Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> >>wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 6:06:55 AM UTC-4, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote: >>>> Hie thee to a cookery NG!

alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.2toast.largetea.cheerslove

welcomes new noshers

Boggle1: That newsgroup exists, and has for a long time.
Boggle2: The content is ... strange.

New to usenet, are you? :-)

I've been reading USENET since the 1980s, off and on, and it's
news to me.

It was more the idea of parts of usenet being strange :-)

I might go and have a look, after a recommendation like that, but I'm not a >>fan of fried eggs, to put it mildly, so I'd best be careful!

Well, it seems to be a hangout of British foodies (as one would
expect from the group name), apparently with few members, each of
whom posts a whole lot. But the link leads to a string of maybe
twenty, twenty-five posts from three or four people. I have no
way of subscribing to the alt groups, and am not going to try.

As Peter suggested in his later post, the noise to signal ratio is
disturbingly high!

Alan Woodford


The Greying Lensman

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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In article <i44ulgh1lql881tfshuf8igdamrf1cu1e9@4ax.com>,
Alan Woodford <alan@thewoodfords.uk> wrote:

On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 06:16:38 -0700 (PDT), Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> >wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 6:06:55 AM UTC-4, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

Hie thee to a cookery NG!

alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.2toast.largetea.cheerslove

welcomes new noshers

Boggle1: That newsgroup exists, and has for a long time.
Boggle2: The content is ... strange.

New to usenet, are you? :-)

I've been reading USENET since the 1980s, off and on, and it's
news to me.

I might go and have a look, after a recommendation like that, but I'm not a >fan of fried eggs, to put it mildly, so I'd best be careful!

Well, it seems to be a hangout of British foodies (as one would
expect from the group name), apparently with few members, each of
whom posts a whole lot. But the link leads to a string of maybe
twenty, twenty-five posts from three or four people. I have no
way of subscribing to the alt groups, and am not going to try.

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

In article <fccd0daa-c389-4437-9212-7e4606605eden@googlegroups.com>,
Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 11:24:38 AM UTC-4, Alan Woodford wrote:

On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 06:16:38 -0700 (PDT), Peter Trei <pete...@gmail.com>
wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 6:06:55 AM UTC-4, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

Hie thee to a cookery NG!

alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.2toast.largetea.cheerslove

welcomes new noshers

Boggle1: That newsgroup exists, and has for a long time.
Boggle2: The content is ... strange.

New to usenet, are you? :-)

I might go and have a look, after a recommendation like that, but I'm not a >> fan of fried eggs, to put it mildly, so I'd best be careful!

Alan Woodford

The Greying Lensman

Its a weird mix of breakfast recipes, and what is apparently people
doxing alleged pedophiles.

Now, that part I missed. Just as well.

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 17:13:05 GMT, djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote:

In article <fccd0daa-c389-4437-9212-7e4606605eden@googlegroups.com>,
Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 11:24:38 AM UTC-4, Alan Woodford wrote:

On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 06:16:38 -0700 (PDT), Peter Trei <pete...@gmail.com>
wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 6:06:55 AM UTC-4, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote: >>> >> Hie thee to a cookery NG!

alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.2toast.largetea.cheerslove

welcomes new noshers

Boggle1: That newsgroup exists, and has for a long time.
Boggle2: The content is ... strange.

New to usenet, are you? :-)

I might go and have a look, after a recommendation like that, but I'm not a >>> fan of fried eggs, to put it mildly, so I'd best be careful!

Alan Woodford

The Greying Lensman

Its a weird mix of breakfast recipes, and what is apparently people
doxing alleged pedophiles.

Now, that part I missed. Just as well.

I missed the detail of that, too, but like most folks here, I learnt over two decades ago not to click links from people you don't have any experience of! :-D

Alan Woodford

The Greying Lensman

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 08:45:27 -0700 (PDT)
Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 11:24:38 AM UTC-4, Alan Woodford
wrote:

On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 06:16:38 -0700 (PDT), Peter Trei
<pete...@gmail.com> wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 6:06:55 AM UTC-4, Kerr-Mudd, John
wrote:

Hie thee to a cookery NG!

alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.2toast.largetea.cheerslove

welcomes new noshers

Boggle1: That newsgroup exists, and has for a long time.
Boggle2: The content is ... strange.

New to usenet, are you? :-)

I might go and have a look, after a recommendation like that, but
I'm not a fan of fried eggs, to put it mildly, so I'd best be
careful!

Alan Woodford

The Greying Lensman

Its a weird mix of breakfast recipes, and what is apparently people
doxing alleged pedophiles.

It's been trolled to death in the past; but some of the regulars have
tried to revive it recently.

Historically I think 'Mack' was being spoofed by someone flamer he's
upset; and the real Mack seems to think that just posting dozens of
CutnPaste recipes means he's "on topic" and any regulars chatting
should clear off.

Just read posts from the last 2 months or so.


--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 06:16:38 -0700 (PDT), Peter Trei
<petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

On Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 6:06:55 AM UTC-4, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

On Thu, 07 Oct 2021 04:19:47 -0500
Andy Leighton <an...@azaal.plus.com> wrote:

On Wed, 06 Oct 2021 19:04:24 -0400, Joy Beeson
<jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

I'll look around for another shepherd's-pie packet the next time I'm
in Meijer's furrin-food aisle, but I'll read the ingredient list. I
don't like a big bait of sugar in my shepherd's pie. "BARLEY malt
extract" would have been quite enough.

Gasp! Does this mean that the fad for over-sweetening savory dishes
has spread to other countries?

You don't really need a packet of anything. Just use a couple of tbsp
of tomato puree and a big splash of worcestershire sauce. You can add
a few extra herbs and pepper if you want. Put that in the mince after
browning and then add about 450-500ml (a US pint will do) of beef
stock and cook in the oven for about 40 mins (covered for the first
20 mins). Then make the mash and add it to the top, maybe put in some
cheese in the mash as well, and return it to the oven for another
20 mins to brown the potatoes.

Hie thee to a cookery NG!

alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.2toast.largetea.cheerslove

welcomes new noshers

Boggle1: That newsgroup exists, and has for a long time.
Boggle2: The content is ... strange.

pt

When I've gone to news servers to find groups to subscribe to I've
noticed some that exist solely for the titles. For instance
successive groups whose titles, when combined, as they are on the list
of available groups, form an ASCII art image.

Also, available newsgroups are a corollary of Rule 34 of the Internet
(if it exists, there's porn of it), to wit, if it exists, there's (at
least one) newsgroup for it.
--

Qualified immuninity = vertual impunity.

Tim Merrigan

--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

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"I am going to translate from one language to another. We talk about 'vout.' What is 'vout?' Well, 'vout' means 'zon.'"
-- Slim Gaillard

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Dorothy J Heydt <djheydt@kithrup.com> wrote:

Alan Woodford <alan@thewoodfords.uk> wrote:

New to usenet, are you? :-)

I've been reading USENET since the 1980s, off and on, and it's
news to me.

That seems no stranger than alt.drugs.i.am.totaly.wasted or the ever-popular alt.flame.hairy-douchebag.roger.david.carasso.

Although strictly speaking the alt groups aren't really Usenet are they? --scott

Hmm, I wonder whatever happened to alt.drugs.bongs.bongs.bongs. My server
does not appear to carry it any longer.
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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- hi; scott dorsey metapemped:

Dorothy J Heydt <djh...@kithrup.com> wrote:

Alan Woodford <al...@thewoodfords.uk> wrote:

New to usenet, are you? :-)

I've been reading USENET since the 1980s, off and on, and it's
news to me.

That seems no stranger than alt.drugs.i.am.totaly.wasted or the ever-popular alt.flame.hairy-douchebag.roger.david.carasso.

Although strictly speaking the alt groups aren't really Usenet are they? --scott

Hmm, I wonder whatever happened to alt.drugs.bongs.bongs.bongs. My server does not appear to carry it any longer.

- the distinction between usenet and the alt hierarchy is of approximately the same
importance - and probably signifies about as much, to the remaining denetzens of
either - as do the proper colour books-ordering of the elements in email addresses.

- and possibly, by implication, of host machines' names and of universal resources'
locations - though yr hmbl srppnt. is rather less certain art these latter.

- hth, hand - tdwsc!!

- love, ppint.
--
''life is sensational!'' - a happy jackie mathews
purely accidentally punning philosophically
in kitchen (a) in 40, regent street, lancaster
summer, 1978

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Thu, 07 Oct 2021 14:54:52 -0700, Tim Merrigan <tppm@ca.rr.com>
wrote:

Also, available newsgroups are a corollary of Rule 34 of the Internet
(if it exists, there's porn of it), to wit, if it exists, there's (at
least one) newsgroup for it.

There is no newsgroup for tatting, spinning, or knitting, but there's
a moderately active one for kit embroidery.

Alt.sewing is dormant, but one can still get answers to questions
there.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at centurylink dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

There is no newsgroup for tatting, spinning, or knitting, but there's
a moderately active one for kit embroidery.

Alt.sewing is dormant, but one can still get answers to questions
there.

Interestingly, knitting and spinning are both mentioned as appropriate topics in the charter for rec.crafts.quilting. There is also, and I realize this is not strictly Usenet but it is gatewayed to Usenet at many sites, the group msn.forums.needlearts.fiber.knitting.hand. Panix doesn't carry that one, though.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Sunday, October 10, 2021 at 10:03:39 AM UTC-4, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Joy Beeson <jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

There is no newsgroup for tatting, spinning, or knitting, but there's
a moderately active one for kit embroidery.

Alt.sewing is dormant, but one can still get answers to questions
there.

Interestingly, knitting and spinning are both mentioned as appropriate topics in the charter for rec.crafts.quilting. There is also, and I realize this is not strictly Usenet but it is gatewayed to Usenet at many sites, the group msn.forums.needlearts.fiber.knitting.hand. Panix doesn't carry that one, though.

Over on Reddit, there are subreddits for all those, with strong followings, 383k on /r/knitting, and 14k on /r/drunkknitting.

Reddit, for all that old Usenet hands hate on it, has occupied our old niche.

Pt

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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In article <c4934b02-d1af-4637-96ea-85ffed87fdd1n@googlegroups.com>,
Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

On Sunday, October 10, 2021 at 10:03:39 AM UTC-4, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Joy Beeson <jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

There is no newsgroup for tatting, spinning, or knitting, but there's
a moderately active one for kit embroidery.

Alt.sewing is dormant, but one can still get answers to questions
there.

Interestingly, knitting and spinning are both mentioned as appropriate topics
in the charter for rec.crafts.quilting. There is also, and I realize this is >> not strictly Usenet but it is gatewayed to Usenet at many sites, the group >> msn.forums.needlearts.fiber.knitting.hand. Panix doesn't carry that one,
though.

Over on Reddit, there are subreddits for all those, with strong followings, >383k on /r/knitting, and 14k on /r/drunkknitting.

Reddit, for all that old Usenet hands hate on it, has occupied our old niche.

I looked at its main page once. Too many groups to make sense
of: it was like the first time I walked into IKEA.

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/

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