I’m hoping everyone is ready; it’s hard to believe Christmas is only a couple of days away as I write this column. My grandchildren are very excited.

We are on vacation for two weeks. The crew from Jay’s dental office hopes everyone enjoys the holidays and is able to spend lots of quality time with their families and friends.

My co-worker, Zaza Andrews, gave me this idea. My husband loves Shepherd’s Pie. I’m not that fond of it; I don’t care for frozen corn, can corn or cream corn. Not a big fan of mashed potatoes, either. So Zaza brought in Shepherd’s Pie made with sweet potatoes instead of mashed potatoes. I took it a step further --- I was thinking, what I can use besides corn. I looked in my freezer and found some frozen spinach, so I started building.

First, I cut up a big onion sautéed it in extra virgin olive oil, then added one pound of burger (you could also use ground turkey, pork or ground chicken even more healthy). After both were cooked, I drained the fat off, then added one cup of water and two tablespoons of beef paste. I hate dry Shepherd’s Pie. Then I took two tablespoons of corn starch with half a cup of water (I always put in a small Tupperware and shake) to thicken the meat and poured in a greased casserole dish. I toss a half cup of whatever cheese I have in the fridge on top of the meat mixture then added the bag of spinach to make it look like a beautiful Christmas dish. You could add some cherry tomatoes to make it look even more festive. It’s a beautiful looking dish the colors are very welcoming. Then top it off with your cooked smashed sweet potatoes. I peeled two sweet potatoes, boiled, drained, and smashed them up and only added salt and pepper. I added another handful of cheese and baked it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes or so and eat. It’s unbelievably delicious.

Merry Christmas to everyone from the Hallinans, Ornes and Greenleafs. May the holidays bring joy and comfort to you all near and far.