We got home this evening in time for the boys to get some time outside with friends while I went in to cook dinner. Most of the time I will stick to standards of KD (Mac and Cheese) or Spaghetti. They are just easy and after long days at work or running around town I often don’t have the time or energy to make a big dish.

Yet, I also know the value of square meal. So when I have a little more time I cook up some shaken bake chicken or pork chops with rice and veggies, the boys love corn-on-the-cob. One of our favorites is Pirogies and Italian sausage. Quick, easy, and very tasty.

Now, every once in a while it is also important to have a little fun and play with your food. I have never been one to follow a recipe well and tonight was one of those times I took the original dish as inspiration and tossed out the instructions.

Tonights dish … a personal take on Shepard’s Pie. I kept it simple as it is time to go shopping, but still had dinner to made. The I thawed the beef and mashed the potatoes … and prepared to served dinner. “What’s for dinner?” the boys asked. I told them it was something I mostly just made up, but that is was kind of like Shepard’s Pie. “So it is Daddy’s Pie then?” followed by, “We are having pie for dinner?”

2 lbs – ground beef
3 mashed potatoes
1/4 cup BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup of chopped onions
2 sticks of chopped celery
sprinkling of parmesan cheese
small slices of cheddar cheese

Fried up the ground beef with BBQ sauce of your choice, then add the chopped onions and celery to the fry pan as the beef is nearing completion. Lay the beef as the first layer in oven-cookable dish and layered the mashed potatoes on top. I then sprinkled the parmesan cheese on, and laid the cheddar cheese on top. I then tossed the dish in the oven at 350° for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.

Seconds were had, which to me means success.