Ghostly Shepard's Pie

I made this recipe last year and shared it with a few of you. It's so yummy and I'm excited to have it again, so I thought that I would share it with all of you!!!

Ghostly Shepard's Pie

1 lb ground beef
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 bag (12 oz) frozen mixed vegetables
2 C. diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained (from 28-oz can)
1 jar (12 oz) beef gravy
1 3/4 C. water
2 Tbsp. butter/margarine
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 C. milk
2 1/4 C. Potato Buds mashed potatoes (dry) or any other dried potatoes
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten


1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 12-inch skillet with cooking spray. Add beef and onion; cook over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain.

2. Set 12 peas (from frozen vegetables) aside for garnish. Add remaining frozen vegetables, tomatoes and gravy to beef mixture. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

3. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat water, butter and garlic powder to boiling. Remove from heat; add milk. Stir in dry potatoes and cheese. Add egg; blend well.

4. Spoon beef mixture into ungreased 2 - 2 1/2 quart 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 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are set and mixture is thoroughly heated.

Enjoy with your little ghosts & goblins!!

YUMMY RECIPE!!!

One of my favorite things on Sunday are Crockpots! I love throwing stuff in before church (since it's at 1pm) and when we get home - dinner's ready!!! This is what we made today and OH was it GOOD!!!

"Baked" Potato Soup
3 3/4 lbs. Russet Potatoes, peeled & chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 C. chopped onion
3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth with roasted garlic
1/4 butter
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. pepper
1 C. whipping cream
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in crock pot. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. (Make sure you have a BIG crockpot, mine is a 5 or 6 quart, and it was plenty big).
2. Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened. Stir in cream and cheese.
3. Top with cheese and sour cream if desired.

I couldn't find the chicken broth with garlic, so I just put in regular chicken broth and I threw in some minced garlic I had in the fridge. I also added a pound of cubed ham (one of those packs you can buy that is pre-cut). Oh it was SO good. It makes a ton, but I'm happy to have a yummy soup to eat this week! Yeay!

Crunchy Asian Pasta Salad... YUM!!

How tasty does this sound?? I can't wait to make it!!


1 box Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad classic pasta salad mix
1 package (3 oz) Oriental-flavor ramen noodle soup mix
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 cups coleslaw mix
1 cup snow pea pods, strings removed, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces (I thought you could use soy beans instead... easier to find!)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 can (15 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained

1. Empty pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.
3. In large bowl, stir together seasoning mixes from pasta mix and soup mix, sugar, oil, vinegar, water and soy sauce. Add pasta, coleslaw mix, pea pods, almonds and oranges; toss to combine.
4. Just before serving, coarsely crush dry noodles from soup mix; stir into pasta mixture. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.