Shepherd's Pie Recipe

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I'm sharing my favorite Shepherd's Pie recipe. Although presentation is lacking with this dish, it is absolutely delicious and the recipe allows for a wide array of variation. I hate peas and mushrooms; they are commonly included with carrots and onions but I opted to leave them out.

Prep Time: 45 minutes // Bake Time: 45 Minutes // Serves: 8 (large portions)

Step 1: Prepare the Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients: 8 Russett Potatoes // 4 Tbsp. Butter // 1 cup Milk // Black Pepper

1. Boil Potatoes with skin on for about 30 minutes (until soft)
2. Peel (I leave a few bits of skin on) and dice potatoes
3. Add butter and mash, slowly adding milk into the mix. I prefer chunkier mashed potatoes so I use slightly less milk and mash without blending
4. Add a dash of black pepper

Step 2: Prepare the Meat and Vegetables

Ingredients: 3/4 cup diced Red Onion // 4 peeled, diced Carrots, 2 lb lean Ground Beef // 2 packets of Colman's Shepherd's Pie Seasoning // 2.5 cups Water

1. Brown the beef in a skillet over low heat, draining fat
2. Add the diced onions and carrots to the meat
3. Pour the contents of the Shepherd's Pie packet into 2.5 cups water and stir 
4. Add the mix into the skillet with the vegetables and meat and stir while bringing to a boil and let cool

Step 3: Prep and Bake

Ingredients: 2 cups shredded Extra Sharp White Cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 385F
2. Shred cheese
3. Spread meat and vegetables 1/2 inch thick in a baking dish (I used two baking dishes)
4. Spread a layer of mashed potatoes over meat and vegetables 
5. Spread a layer of shredded cheddar over the mashed potatoes
6. Bake at 385F for 45 minutes 
7. Cool for 15 minutes
8. Slice and serve 

Bain taitneamh as do bhéile! (Enjoy your meal!)

Inspiration: Eugène Delacroix

Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) - Romanticism

Delacroix's early works indicate Neoclassical influence under tutelage of Pierre-Narcisse Guérin and the preeminent French painter of the era, Jacques-Louis David. However, by 1820, Delacroix's reverence for Peter Paul Rubens became apparent as he moved away from the predominant focus on clarity and outline of Neoclassicism and began to incorporate the movement, color, and sensuality synonymous with the Flemish Baroque style which Rubens led.

With his contemporary, Théodore Géricault, Delacroix commanded the movement of French Romanticism, which married Neoclassicism's symbolic subject - stories of historical significance reflected in the tumultuous French politics of the day - with the emotionalism of Baroque, and introduced exoticism and a demonstration of movement more violent than preceding styles.

By 1840, Delacroix's focus of color over clarity became even more evident, giving rise to the assertion that he was the fore-bearer of Impressionism. The founders of Impressionism certainly admired Delacroix, and several of his paintings have been interpreted by masters of not only that movement but its successors as well.

Eugène Delacroix, the Death of Sardanapolis, 1827

Eugène Delacroix, the Death of Sardanapolis, 1844

A comparison of two versions of "the Death of Saradanapolis" painted in 1827 and again in 1844 clearly depicts Delacroix's distancing from Neoclassical influence and towards the origin of Impressionism. His palette is bolder, his clarity of subject less manifested, emotionalism more obvious.

Edgar Degas (1834-1917) - French Impressionism

Eugène Delacroix, The Entry of the Crusaders in Constantinople, 1840

Edgar Degas, Entry of the Crusaders in Constantinople, 1860

Edgar Degas is most closely associated with the Impressionist movement although he incorporated less bold color in his painting, opting instead to utilize light to give form and shape, which sets his work apart from that more obviously aligned to the movement. Degas personally owned over 200 of Delacroix's works as he held his contemporary in great esteem.

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) Impressionism/Post-Impressionism, early Cubism

Eugène Delacroix, Medea About to Kill her Children, 1838
Paul Cézanne, Medea, 1882

Cézanne painted "Medea" during what is known as his "Mature Period" (1878-1890), which marked a less turbulent time in the artist's life. His early paintings were in the style of Impressionism but by the mid 1870's Cezanne had come to reject the use of naturalistic color and light, leading to his Post-Impressionist era.

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Post-Impressionism

Eugène Delacroix, Pieta, 1850
Van Gogh, Pieta, 1889

Eugène Delacroix, The Good Samaritan, 1849
Van Gogh, The Good Samaritan, 1890

Van Gogh utilizes the short, distinct, brush strokes and thick relatively unmixed paints popular with Impressionists but employed the use of geometric shaping and color surrealism in his interpretations of both the "The Pieta" and "The Good Samaritan." While Van Gogh includes even more subject detail than Delacroix, it is more interpretive and emotional, which combined with utilization of un-natural color palette and distinct brush strokes marks the distinction between the work of the two masters.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Cubism, Surrealism

Eugène Delacroix, the Women of Algiers in their Apartment, 1834

Picasso, Women of Algiers, 1955

Picasso's surrealist interpretation of Delacroix builds on the three-dimensional, multi-view point cubic work of Paul Cézanne. The women have been deconstructed and reassembled in abstract fashion, and color is entirely reflected through emotional execution.


I'm curious as to what Delcroix would have thought about the interpretations of his work.The French poet Charles Pierre Baudelaire said about the artist "Delacroix was passionately in love with passion, but coldly determined to express passion as clearly as possible." And as I read more about the life of the man, I'm inclined to believe that especially as he moved from Neoclassical influence and more toward the onset of Impressionism, he would have greatly appreciated the paintings of Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh, and even Picasso as at the heart of each of the different movements reflected in these distinct styles is passion.

Paris and Versailles

Arc de Triomphe

What is left to say about the beauty of Paris that has not already been said....and by commentators far more witty and eloquent than I?

“A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life.” – Thomas Jefferson

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” – Ernest Hemingway

“There is but one Paris and however hard living may be here, and if it became worse and harder even—the French air clears up the brain and does good—a world of good.” - Vincent van Gogh

“An artist has no home in Europe except in Paris.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

Paris, the City of Light, la Ville-Lumière, founded by Celts in the 3^rd century BC along the banks of the River Seine, is truly one of the most beautiful cities I have seen. Nearly every street boasts landmarks rich with history from Gallo-Roman to Medieval to the period of Enlightened Revolution to Napoleonic, and it is almost impossible not be riveted and inspired by the beauty which can be found in every direction.

I went for a week in 2012, and 7 days was still not sufficient to explore all I wanted. But my favorite memories include being awed by Jacques-Louis David’s Le Sacre de Napoléon in the Louvre, getting lost in both Montmartre and the Marais and stumbling upon quaint cafes and beautiful chapels, visiting the Military Museum and tomb of Napoleon I, and walking the gardens of Versailles.

I only got halfway up the Eiffel Tower and didn’t spend much time on the Champs-Élysées as I’m not much of a shopper. But I did spend hours walking along the banks of the Seine and through sprawling gardens and in museums and cathedrals and crypts. And I can’t imagine not falling in love with Paris…..or planning a return from nearly the moment I left.

Champs Élysées

The Louvre

Pyramide du Louvre

Ile de Cite - Notre-Dame

Notre-Dame

Archeological Crypt below Notre-Dame. 4th Century

Army Musuem - Invalides

View from Musee d'Orsay

View from Musee d'Orsay

Jardin des Plantes

Pantheon

St. Etienne du Mont Church - Latin Quarter

Town Hall 6e arrondissement

The Sorbonne

Sacre-Coeur

View from the Sacre-Coeur

Montmartre Cemetary

Montmartre Cemetary

Moulin Rouge - Montmartre

Padlocks on the Pont des Arts

Parisian balconies and side streets

From the banks of the Seine

Palace Gate - Versailles

Palace of Versailles

Grand Trianon - Versailles

View from the bedroom of Marie Antoinette

Petit Trianon - Versailles

The Town of Versailles

Philosophical Inventory

Socrates with a disciple and Diotima, Franc Kavčič, 1810, National Gallery of Slovenia

Philosophy, from the Greek philo (love) and sophia (wisdom), the inquiry into the nature of things through logical reasoning and moral self-reasoning vice empirical methodology, encompasses academic disciplines of metaphysics, epistemology, logic, and axiology (ethics and aesthetics).

The evaluation of these disciplines are the elements which form a Philosophical Inventory, or foundation upon which ideology is established, and the beneficial practice of periodic assertion of theory assists in either refining or re-formulating world view as relentless, continuing pursuit of knowledge is by definition, practice of philosophy.

Metaphysical - What is real?

Epistemological - What is true?

Ethical - How should we live?

Aesthetic - What is beauty?

Studying the significant historical events, scientific discoveries, and movements in art concurrent with the rise of varying philosophies indicates the complex and convoluted relationship of evolution of human wisdom and its impact upon civilization. Study of one field without understanding its context in relation to the others would be futile and in evaluation of theory performed in answering the questions posed in a philosophical inventory, one would need to consider context when making arguments.

From the Archives: My First Philosophical Inventory (3rd Year Undergraduate)

On the first day of class, my professor handed out a syllabus and these four questions, to which we were expected to respond to the best of our ability. It was the first of many inventories we would complete throughout the course of study as our young minds were made familiar with the differing philosophical theories as laid out in the works of the masters as well as the study of logic and rhetoric.

As we worked through the syllabus and Arguments and Their Evaluation, some students would find a radical shift in their views, and some would find their positions bolstered with their ability to argue the validity of those positions improved.
Although I cringe at my lack of cogency and structure in arguing my ill-defined philosophy in my maiden inventory now, my actual views have not changed inordinately and I plan on completing (and posting) a current inventory in the coming weeks which will hopefully show vast improvement in my ability to argue position.

What is real? What is truly real can never be understood because perception is relative and reality is unchanging, indestructible, and impossible for the human eye to observe without altering the very nature of existence or the human mind to comprehend.

How can we know? We can only know what we perceive and experience. We may accept unperceived truths based upon faith, but doubt in faith will always exist.

How should we live? We should strive to live a good life benefiting both individual and society. We should understand our existence relative to that of others, our identity and purpose within groups, and that consequences of our actions will extend beyond the self.

What is beauty? Beauty in its natural state can serve as inspiration to live a good life. Only true beauty is not that which is perceived, but occurs in a natural state and is enduring.

From the Archives: Alasdair MacIntyre The Virtues, the Unity of a Human Life, and the Concept of a Tradition

Aristotle with the Bust of Homer, Rembrandt, 1653, Metropolitan Museum of Art

I'm revising notes and essays from University Humanities courses as I've forgotten a lot of what I have learned and I find value in periodic philosophical inventory as experience tends to evolve perception, especially that which exists when one is 19 or 20 years old. Although I hold a degree in Computer Information Systems, my love has always resided with Philosophy and History and I supplemented my less than stellar marks in Computer Programming courses with those from these fields.

From the Archives (4th year Undergrad): A Summary of a chapter from Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue

Alasdair MacIntyre was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1929. While attending Queen Mary College, the University of Manchester, and Oxford University, he encountered Marxist philosophy to which he initially subscribed before ultimately rejecting it and all other theories of modern Liberal Individualism in favor of classical Aristotelian Ethics. Raised Protestant, MacIntyre converted to Roman Catholicism in the 1980s and adopted the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas.

The Virtues, the Unity of Human Life and the Concept of a Tradition (pdf)

MacIntyre disagrees with both the modern Atomistic and Existential Philosophies that human life is “broken into a variety of segments, each with its own norms and models of behavior,” or that “human life is composed of discrete actions which lead nowhere, which have no order.” Instead MacIntyre believes that human life is a narrative, subject to temporal status and relativity to those other “narrative co-authors” we encounter.

First, MacIntyre states that all actions and behavior are products of their intentions, which “need to be ordered both casually and temporally and both orderings will make references to settings, references already made obliquely by elementary terms” and also in “reference to their role in the history of the setting or settings to which they belong.” MacIntyre is asserting that all actions are definable by their primary and secondary goals, and their place on the timeline of settings of which they are a part.

Next MacIntyre discusses his ideas of actions that are “unintelligible,” or actions which occur naturally. Intelligible actions create a sort of human life narrative, in which every conversation, every mutatis mundi, is a chapter in the dramatic story we both write for ourselves and in which we become actors. Our narratives have beginnings, middles, and ends, and overlap into subplots intertwining with the narratives of many others. “Someone may discover that he is a character in a number of narratives simultaneously, some embedded in others.” MacIntyre also states that our role in each narrative may be constrained by entering into a plot we did not design for ourselves but are none the less a part….“each of us being a main character in his own drama plays a subordinate part in the drama of others, and each drama constrains the other.” MacIntyre also believes we are not exempt from the history of our identities. “The characters of course never start literally ab initio; they plunge in media res, the beginnings of their story already made from them by what and who has gone before.” We are shaped by every chapter in the history of our identity which has occurred until the present.

MacIntyre disagrees with many other philosophers. Marx, he states, believes that man’s actions are predictable, but in a dramatic narrative, MacIntyre argues that humans will act for the future – the form of telos – and because of this, we never know what will happen next. Sartre believes human actions are existential, having no order and lead nowhere. In contrast, MacIntyre believes that all of our actions are interconnected via personal narrative. MacIntyre also argues against Kant’s Categorical Imperative because he asserts “when men and women identify what are in fact their partial and particular causes too easily and too completely with the cause of some universal principle, they usually behave worse than they would otherwise do.” MacIntyre believes that a universal principle would pull people away from their moral identities and membership in a community of personal narratives.

MacIntyre defines virtues as dispositions which make for success in many situations; dispositions which create success in only one or a few situations, he claims “are professional skills professionally developed in those situations where that can be effective. “Virtue,” he states, “is intelligible only as a characteristic of unitary life.” Human life is a quest – or a compilation of our goals and the hardships endured while attempting to achieve them – and virtues are dispositions which will help us on our quest for life. “The good life,” he argues, “is the life spent in seeking the good life for man.” MacIntyre endorses Aritsotle’s virtues and adds the virtue of “having an adequate sense of traditions to which one belongs or which confront one.” The breakdown of society is caused by the lack of exercising virtue. Because of Individualism, MacIntyre concludes virtue has transformed.

MacIntyre believes that ethics and morality cannot be based upon Kantian Universal Maxims and Categorical Imperatives because of the unique set of inter-weaving personal narratives we encounter and utilizes a classical view of virtue to illustrate his ethical belief.