Shepherd's Pie is an old time recipe for a great meal using leftovers. It was a Monday night special intended to use up the leftover roast and gravy from Sunday dinner. In days past, home cooks were as frugal as we are today. Using the leftovers was, and still is, practical, nutritious and delicious.

This first recipe is for the old fashioned 'finishing off Sunday dinner' type of casserole. Many of the recipes I consulted include a tomato ingredient, such as the tomato paste listed below, or diced tomato, tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes. I am not sure I have ever known that this was a possibility - just plain gravy is what comes to mind when I think of Shepherds Pie. Leave in the tomato paste if that sounds good to you; leave it out if it doesn't. The ingredients in italics are a list of seasonings from many different recipes. Use what appeals to you, but stick to only one or two seasonings. You might also have a favorite seasoning blend you want to experiment with. Some that come to mind would be Cajun or Creole seasoning, Italian herb mix, Mrs. Dash or even chili powder.

Cut the meat into 1/4" cubes and set aside. There should be about 3 cups. Heat the butter in a saucepan and add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring, until the onions are soft but not brown. Sprinkle with flour and stir. Add the tomato paste, wine, stock and seasonings, stirring well. Let simmer 10 minutes and stir in the cubed meat and the corn. Cook 5 minutes longer.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Put the meat and sauce in a baking dish or casserole. Spread the potatoes with a spoon neatly and evenly on top of the meat mixture, covering it completely. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until piping hot throughout and the cheese is melted. If necessary, run the dish briefly under the broiler to brown the top. Makes 6 servings.

Next is my creative 'I want something good for dinner but I don't want a big fuss' recipe. The potatoes should be pretty stiff.

In a skillet, sauté the onions and celery in a small amount of oil until soft but not brown. Remove onion and celery from the pan and brown the ground beef. Cook the frozen vegetables in a sauce pan according to the package directions. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and beat in the egg thoroughly. Following the gravy packet directions for the amount of water, stir gravy mix with water into the ground beef; heat to boiling stirring often. Add the sautéed onions and celery.

Spray a three quart casserole dish with non-stick spray and pour in the meat mixture. Drain the vegetables well and pour into casserole dish. Mix all together and spread the top with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake for 30 minutes. Serves 6.