Happy Halloween!

I hope that this holiday brings more treats than tricks to you all. It’s been a busy day, but we stuck to our tradition of making Ghostly Sheperd’s Pie! It’s our favorite and soooo easy to make. We used a basic Sheperd’s Pie recipe, then instead of spreading the potatoes out, we piled them up into little ghost shapes with peas for eyes. It’s a really hearty meal that’s great to fill kids up with before sending them out trick-or-treating. I have included the recipe and a picture for you dining pleasure.

Ghostly Sheperd's Pie
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/ italian herbs, undrained
1 (12 oz.) jar homestyle beef gravy
1 3/4 cups water
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 cups instant mashed potatoes
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12-inch skillet with cooking spray. Cook beef and onion over medium heat 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.
2. Set aside 12 peas for garnish. Add remaining frozen veggies, tomotatoes and gravy to beef mixture. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are crisp-tender.
3. Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, bring water, margarine and garlic powder to a boil. Remove from heat; add milk. Stir in potato flakes and cheese. Add egg; blend well.
4. Spoon ground beef mixture into ungreased 8-inch square (2 qrt) or oval (2 1/2 qrt) glass baking dish. With large spoon, make 6 mounds of potato mixture on top of beef mixture to resemble ghosts. Place 2 reserved peas on each mound to resemble eyes.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are set and mixture is thoroughly heated.
6. Enjoy!