Shepherd's Pie vs. 3 Teenaged Boys (It Wasn't a Fair Fight!)

Didn't I tell you about teenage boys yesterday?? My afternoon centered around taking 6 teenagers (3 girls, 3 boys) shopping. Insanity probably runs in my family, but we hide it well from the general public. I was smart, but not smart enough. I dropped the boys off at the mall and they had a grand time talking to strangers (some were not amused), yelling at benches (they won't be doing that again!), playing hide & seek and hanging upside down from the "inversion tables" at Sears. (David and I came up with that name. Neither one of us is really sure what they are called). They were smart (or dumb) enough to take some videos... good evidence for later, I guess. I kinda wish I had gone with them instead of the girls. I am not much of a shopper :)

The girls and I hit Target - Kami has been trying to find something to spend a $10 gift card on for a while and can't quite settle on anything. I feel another trip up there in the not too distant future. This one was trip number 4. Still left empty handed. Me, I would have hit the chocolate aisle and called it a day. Or a scarf... nah, it would have been chocolate.

Ali met us there since we were "in the neighborhood" and then we headed to TJ Maxx. Kami found a few cute things and one thing that I put the old "Mom Kibosh" on. Lord have mercy!! Honestly, one lucky shorts manufacturer out there would make a killing if they realized the apparently untapped market for modest shorts that may not come all the way down to the knee, but somewhere decently in between there and what she put on! Gracious! So the shorts were a "no-go" but a cute dress and a cute top later (plus the athletic shorts I bought for her and the washcloths for Jessica) we dropped Ali off at her truck and headed over to Kohl's. She managed to spend every last penny of her babysitting money (plus a little bit of MY money) on jeans and another top.

Next we headed to the mall, nabbed the boys, had a snack, a quick trip through American Eagle and I shuffled them out to the car - it was late and I had kids to return to their homes. David worked on dinner at home while I played taxi driver. It was nice to come home to dinner ready and waiting. It is one of our family's favorites and I am pretty sure if you don't already make it, you will, and you will add it to your regular monthly menu. It is simple and not quite like the British version, but more like what you had in the school lunchroom of your childhood. I had leftover mashed potatoes from the other day, which saved a lot of time and made it easy to throw together. All he had to do was brown the meat and make the layers.

SHEPHERD'S PIE

1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
1 med. onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1 can cream of celery (or whatever kind) soup (low-fat works well in this recipe)
1 1/2 c. frozen corn (or 1 can) (really, any veggie works great - use what is leftover in the fridge)
1 c. shredded cheddar
3-4 cups mashed potatoes
salt/pepper

In large skillet, brown ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream of celery soup and heat it through. Pour this into the bottom of a casserole dish (David did it in an iron skillet last night - they do everything in iron skillets at the fire hall). Top this with the corn, then the cheese and finally top with the mashed potatoes. If you want to be really nostalgic, sprinkle on some paprika and you will feel like you are back in grade school "back in the day". Throw it in a 350' oven for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Add a green salad and you are good to go! You can brown the meat right in the same iron skillet that you bake it in and save a dish or two!

I don't have a photo... did I mention I had 3 teenage boys in the house last night??

Until next time, stay warm and safe, my friends!