Libby Klein It seems our weather goes from unseasonably warm to blizzard overnight these days. It's hard to know how to plan in advance for what you'll feel like eating. On a cold night, I want something cozy like a casserole. I made this Shepherd's Pie a few weeks ago and froze it right in the casserole dish - double wrapped in plastic wrap and foil - ready to bake at a moment's notice. And since as I type this I'm dealing with the flu, Covid, and a side of self-pity - or as Michel from Gilmore Girls would say, ennui - today was the day.
I'm sure with all the Irish cooks in the kitchen there are more authentic recipes for Shepherd's Pie on the blog, but I used leftover mashed potatoes and gravy with a bunch of leftover carrots from a roast I'd made. You could even use store bought mashed potatoes to keep things very easy. Then I added a jar of store bought gravy so mine is super easy sorry not sorry. I do have a secret ingredient that really ups the umami in this dish. Gnom Gnom Paleo Magic Mushroom Powder. If you're a child of the 70s you may be having funny ideas right about now. Calm yourself. You can bake this right from the freezer like you would one of those Stouffer's Family size meals. This makes six servings, but for my husband who loves Shepherd's Pie, it made three. Let me know in the comments how many it would serve at your house.
Shepherd's Pie
6 servings
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 cups cooked or frozen carrots
1 Tablespoon Magic Mushroom Powder
3 cups beef gravy (or beef mushroom gravy)
2 cans creamed corn
4 cups mashed potatoes
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Bake right away at 350° for 40 minutes, or freeze it for later. You can either thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and bake it at 350° for 50-60 minutes, or you can Bake it frozen at 350° for 80-90 minutes or until it's hot in the center.
Layla is taking her new life one day at a time from the Lake Pinecrest Trailer Park she now calls home. Being alone is how she likes it. Simple. Uncomplicated. Though try telling that to the group of local ladies who are in relentless pursuit of Layla as their new BFF, determined to make her join them for coffee and donuts.
After her first career ended in a literal explosion, Layla’s trying to eke out a living as a rock musician. It’s not easy competing against garage bands who work for tacos and create their music on a computer, while all she has is an electric guitar and leather-ish pants. But Layla isn’t in a position to turn down any gig. Which is why she’s at an 8-year-old’s birthday party, watching as Chuckles the Clown takes a bow under the balloon animals. No one expects it will be his last . . .
Who would want to kill a clown—and why? Layla and her unshakable posse are suddenly embroiled in the seedy underbelly of the upper-class world of second wives and trust fund kids, determined to uncover what magnetic hold a pudgy, balding clown had over women who seem to have everything they could ever want. Then again, Layla knows full well that people are rarely quite what they seem—herself included . . .
classes revolved mostly around the Culinary sciences and Drama, with one brilliant semester in Poly-Sci that may have been an accident. She loves to drink coffee, bake gluten-free goodies, collect fluffy cats, and translate sarcasm for people who are too serious. She writes from her Northern Virginia office where she serves a very naughty black smoke Persian named Sir Figaro Newton. You can keep up with her shenanigans by signing up for her Mischief and Mayhem Newsletter on her website. www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/
