I am contemplating buying my first glue gun. I have never been really big into crafts. Oh, I have all the different things I bought to try new crafty projects such as knitting, scrap booking and jewelry making. But, I never actually purchased a glue gun. To me that was for the people who wore the aprons and had jars of paint brushes in their specially designed crafting room. I never took that leap.

But, my daughter wants to be Frieda Kahlo for Halloween. I need to make a head band with faux flowers on it. After much thought I think it is time to purchase a glue gun. I am just wondering how long it will be before I remove the bed from the guest room downstairs and add a series of shelving units and coordinating boxes.

So, since I spent so much time thinking about Halloween costumes I put off making dinner until the last-minute. We had a bunch of mashed potatoes leftover from the other night. I have been trying to figure out what to do with them when I ran across this Ore-Ida recipe for a Cowboy Meatloaf and Mashed Potato Casserole. My two favorite foods! Yes! I have a package of defrosted ground beef too. Wait, I don’t have bacon??!! So, what? I changed this to the mashed potatoes my family loves the most.

Verdict:

The meatloaf was amazingly delicious and moist. The mashed potatoes, which I changed up by making homemade mashed potatoes and adding garlic, Parmesan cheese, and sour cream, added another whole level of flavor. This dish was amazing! I love that even just changing a few simple things made it even better for my family.

For my mostly gluten-free son this dish was a perfect gluten-free dinner which makes his so happy.

I served this dish with a green salad and a side of

Directions:

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs (I used gluten-free bread crumbs to make ours)
• 1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue Sauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• dash of salt
• 3 cups potatoes, boiled and smashed
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Ingredients:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with non stick spray.
2. In a bowl mix ground beef, onion, bread crumbs, barbecue sauce, eggs, chili powder and salt together until well combined. Spread meatloaf into bottom of pan and bake for 25 minutes.
3. While meatloaf is cooking prepare mashed potatoes. Add potatoes (warmed), sour cream, garlic, Parmesan cheese and butter to bowl and mix until well combined.  Taste and adjust spices including adding salt and pepper as needed.
4. Once meatloaf is baked remove from oven and drain any excess grease.
5. Spread mashed potatoes over meatloaf and sprinkle with sharp cheddar cheese.
6. Heat broiler and place pan under broiler, 1-2 minutes, until cheese melts and starts to brown.
7. Remove pan from oven and let sit for 3-5 minutes before serving.