au revoir mes amis

today we are wishing the pruitts [thomas & sallie] farewell as they take the next step in their lives and move to richmond, virginia. their journey begins with thanksgiving and once they depart for that will not be coming back with the exception of fun vacations & weekend getaways.  we are so sad as they are two of our best friends and we will really be missing them bunches. 

thomas & joe at our wedding

so to go out in style, we are hosting a little bon voyage party at our house tonight!  I have let go of some control (ha) and sara, whitney, and nicole are brining over some appetizers and desserts to share. for dinner though we are having a recently bonnie inspired shepherd's pie! 

tried to think of something that was easy enough to make so that all i had to do was pop it in the oven when it was time and not miss out on the bonding! i'll put in parenthesis what ideally i would want to use too since this is for boys and they don't appreciate me cutting out the "good stuff" normally haha

joe & pat's birthday...which reminds me, we still have a door to fix!

shepherd's pie

what you need...

1-1/2 pounds ground beef (ideally i would like to use extra lean ground turkey)

1 onion chopped

2 cups chopped veggies (i buy frozen of these...mixed veggies & yes i do pick out the lima beans)

1-1/2 pounds potatoes (russet potatoes please!)

1 stick of butter (you can use light butter here)

1/2 cup beef broth (99% fat free and low sodium kind is what we use regardless)

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

salt/pepper

parm cheese (optional)

what to do...

-clean (scrub well), peel, and quarter potatoes and then boil in salted water until soft (depending on how many in the pot...about 20 min)

-precook the veggies in the microwave or on the stove according to the freezer bag for about 1/2 of their time to give them a boost so you aren't over doing the onions

-saute onions over 1/2 a stick of butter and then add veggies--cook for about 3-5 minutes

-add ground beef (raw) and saute until you dont see any more pink--drain the grease out of the pan well

-add salt/pepper if you like that sort of thing, the worcestershire, and 1/2 cup of the beef broth and cook for 10 minutes uncovered (if the broth dries out, add a little more...you want it to be moist)

-mash potatoes and season according to taste with butter and milk (gradually adding)

-put beef/onion/veggie mix at the bottom of the dish and then cover with mashed potatoes (lumpy is better so that it can brown)

-sprinkle if you like with Parmesan cheese lightly

-coke for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. you may have to push broil to get the tops brown if you like it that way for about 3 min