Fall And Family And Shepherd's Pie

Grandparenting, like most things, is a mix of ups and downs. We've had a good long visit with our two little ones. We did fun things like going to the pumpkin patch just down the road from our farm. Yes. Our neighbors have a pumpkin (and strawberry) farm! Little Lady picked the best pumpkins.

   

Mixed in with the good was the not-so-good. A sick baby, who thankfully is better now. A puny toddler.  And the grownups all got colds.

Shepherd's Pie - recipe at the bottom

Yet, we still had to eat. This was a new-to-me recipe. I've made shepherd's pie before but mostly without a recipe. This one was much more flavorful. And because I could make it in stages, it was manageable while watching the kiddos. This is truly comfort food. See the recipe below.

Because they stayed here longer than expected to recuperate, we needed to find things to keep Little Lady busy while Mommy worked from home (our home.) If you are searching for toddler activities, check your pantry. Scooping dry beans into containers and pouring them back in the bowl kept her occupied for a long time.

And you know we always bake—even with the smallest ones. Banana muffins were fun to make and fun to eat. Even her baby brother could mangle a little muffin and eat the crumbs.

Mommy sent me an Instagram post with this quick and easy activity—Halloween matching. You could also match shapes or colors or animals or fruits & vegetables or Christmas items. Just draw a few simple shapes on a long paper (I used the back side of some pan lining foil) and then make a bunch of post-its with matching drawings. Let the little one match them up. 

When Mommy took a work break she made more post-its and stuck them around the house for a scavenger hunt match game. 

Not sure how, but as busy as we were I somehow managed to make a new hat for Baby Brother. Nap times are a glorious thing. And hats are quick to make. No pattern this time, just knitted round and round,

I doubled the recipe because this night we were feeding 4 hungry adults and we wanted leftovers. Made a 9x13-inch dish and a 1-quart dish for the freezer. In another week or so, when it's only the two of us here, that will be our supper and I'll get a night off in the kitchen.

To manage cooking while tending to babies, I made the meat part early in the morning and put it in the refrigerator. Then late afternoon while Little Lady was eating her early dinner, I made the mashed potatoes for the top. These are really good mashed potatoes, with garlic and parmesan cheese added in. 

This list of ingredients looks so long, but it's a really easy dish to put together. Just pull out all the ingredients before you start. And I like to measure the seasoning before I start cooking.

SHERPHERD'S PIE

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup beef broth

1 cup frozen peas & carrots

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 lb. potatoes, peeled & cubed

1 stick butter

1/3 cup half & half (add more if needed)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large skillet. Saute onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef to skillet and break apart. Sprinkle with parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt & pepper. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Add Worcestershire and garlic, stir and cook 1 minute.

Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well blended. Add broth, frozen peas and carrots and frozen corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set meat mixture aside. (At this point, I refrigerated the meat mixture until ready to finish the dish later in the day.)

Preheat oven to 400º.

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Cook until potatoes are tender.

Drain potatoes and return to hot pot. Let potatoes rest in the pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.

Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mash potatoes and stir until mixed. Stir in parmesan cheese. Add more half & half if potatoes are too stiff to spread.

Pour meat mixture into a 9x9-inch or 7x11-inch baking pan. Spread into an even layer. Spoon potatoes on top and carefully spread over meat layer. (If your pan is full to the top, you can set it on a baking sheet to catch anything that might bubble over.)

Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

This would be a great dish to take to a neighbor. You could take it baked, or take it ready to bake with directions attached. I'm also thinking I could make and freeze the meat part and then thaw and make the potato topping the day of serving. There are so many ways to give yourself a boost in the kitchen.

I am seriously looking forward to pulling our small casserole out of the freezer for an easy dinner.