Tasty Tuesdays

This should have been posted yesterday, but I didn't remember until I was snug in my bed, and I wasn't going to get up!

This recipe did not live up to the Tasty Tuesday name...it was okay, but not great.

Sous Chef: Zachary

Recipe: Scary Skillet Shepherd's Pie (by Kraft)

1 pkg. (16oz.) frozen mixed vegetables

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup beef gravy

4 oz. cream cheese

1 cup milk, divided

1 cup water

2 cups instant potato flakes

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook vegetables as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in gravy; simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Microwave cream cheese and 1/4 cup milk in medium bowl on HIGH 30 sec.; beat with whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in remaining milk and water. Microwave 2-1/2 min. or until hot, stirring after each minute. Stir in potato flakes and Parmesan until well blended. Spoon into resealable plastic bag; cut 1 corner from bottom of bag.

Remove 12 peas from mixed vegetables; stir remaining vegetables into meat mixture. Squeeze potato mixture into 6 mounds on meat mixture to resemble ghosts. Add 2 of the reserved peas to each for the eyes.

Critiques:

Anna and Zachary loved it and said they would eat it everyday! However, everyone else didn't enjoy it quite as much...Brian and I thought it was a little dry and could have used a bit more gravy....we recently had Shepherd's Pie at a friend's house, that was really good, so we were comparing her dish to this recipe, and it didn't compare at all!

And then there was poor Amelia who was overwhelmingly anguished because she had to finish eating the "yucky dinner"! (Brian got some pretty good candid shots of her finishing the last nasty bites...Drama, Drama, Drama!! ;)