Mass Appeal

***Mass Appeal*** is an American media and news company based in New York City. Its publication covers pop culture. Lupe Fiasco was featured in one of their 2006 issues (#38), where he shared his Shepherd's pie recipe. The article was written by Briahna Gatlin with photography done by Mireya Acierto.

## Recipe

Ingredients
* Tillamook Cheese (Cheddar, Colby)
* Miracle Whip
* Margarine
* Lean Ground Turkey
* Salt & Pepper
* Italian Seasoning
* Garlic Powder
* Magic Seasoning Blends
* Oberweis Dairy Milk
* Bag of Potatoes

Instructions
Fill a pot halfway up with water. Place peeled potatoes in water and boil until they soften. Season ground turkey with "Magic Seasoning Blends," garlic powder, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cook ground turkey beef in a skillet until meat is brown. Grate the whole cheddar and Colby blocks and cheese into a bowl. After potatoes have softened, place potatoes, margarine, half a container of Miracle Whip and milk slowly into a bowl and mash until they are soft. Place the layer of mashed potatoes in the bottom of a glass or aluminum container, covering with a layer of ground turkey. Spread grated Cheddar and Colby cheese across ground turkey until it's covered and place in the oven at 400-450 degrees until the cheese melts. Be careful to watch the casserole. Once the cheese has melted and slightly browned, take the casserole out of the oven, let it cool for about ten minutes and get ya grub on.

## Article

Chi-town rapper Lupe Fiasco sticks to the simple pleasures in life. So although he was hard at work finishing his Atlantic Records debut *Food & Liquor* (with Jay-Z handling co-executive producer duties), it's no surprise that the 23-year-old found time to cook up some good for the soul—Shepherd's Pie. "It's the easiest, most favorite thing I know how to make," he eagerly explains. "It's just casserole with a layer of mash potatoes, a layer of seasoned ground turkey and then cheese on top." His interest in the special cuisine originated from his visits to the local mosque, where he would feast on Shepherd's Pie after service. "I actually learned how to make it from a lady at the mosque," he recalls. "Every Friday she would make these big humongous pans of it and we would just eat."

While grating cheese, Lupe reveals his secrets to a tasty Shepherd's Pie. Aside from his special seasoning, he places a high importance on cooking slow and making sure to watch the casserole closely while it's cooking. "I make the potatoes first and then the ground turkey, but you could actually do it at the same time." After a delayed reaction to the realization that he hadn't washed his hands, Lupe walks away from the counter to indulge them in soap and water then goes back to grating his Tillamook Cheese. His special seasoning called "Magic Seasoning Blends", along with Italian seasoning and a touch of salt and pepper, helps brown the ground turkey.

It might be unusual to hear Lupe rapping about the virtues of skateboarding on his lead single "Kick Push", but the rapper born Wasalu Jaco has never followed the pack. The self-proclaimed "nerd" even gives an educational lesson on the difference in the cheese that he uses: "I try not to use cheese that has animal sources, but I try to use good cheese—I know this sounds nasty—with microbial sources. Make sure you use a good cheese—you can't use Velveeta or slices of American cheese. You have to get block cheese or shredded cheese." He starts on the potatoes using Miracle Whip, butter and Oberweis Dairy milk, a.k.a. "The Champagne of Milks." He pours the milk slowly over the potatoes to secure a measurable amount that will enhance its thickness. "You mash them, put the milk in—mash, mash, mash—make sure you add the milk very slowly. You don't want to add too much milk and not enough potatoes."

With no set time frame involved in his process, watching your food carefully is the only option according to Lupe. "I don't know about time. My mama taught me how to cook, so it wasn't like a time thing. It was more like a watching thing." Lupe grabs the aluminum pan, preparing to layer the casserole. "Lay a layer of mash potatoes first, then the ground turkey second and then you just put a layer of cheese. Put it in the oven, let it cook and that's it."

With the last sprinkle of cheese on the casserole, the pan is layered and put in the oven. After minutes of waiting, Lupe checks on the casserole, looking for a sign of light brown melted cheese. After what seems like forever, the casserole is finally ready and cools for a couple of minutes. After dubbing himself the Shepherd's Pie King, Lupe digs in and approve of his self-made masterpiece. With *Food & Liquor* in stores this winter, Lupe is sure to stir up a buzz and give you a good meal all in one. "Anybody buying the album will get a free pan of Shepherd's Pie," he says. You'll probably get hungry while waiting, so maybe you should just make your own instead.