Tater Tot Casserole

I love good comfort food. I have very good memories of this meal, shared around the table with my family. This is a recipe that my mom has been making for as long as I can remember, and it is one of my favorites. The combination of creamy sauce, crispy tots, and crunchy veggies is very good. My husband had never had it before, but I know how much he loves tater tots, cheese, and beef, so it seemed like a win-win-win. And I was right - he loved it! The best thing about this meal is that kids and adults love it almost equally. Also, it is super easy to throw together, and it makes the house smell great while it's baking. PS- my mom didn't know where this recipe originally came from, but she modified it a bit over the years. And she DID give me permission to share it.

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb ground beef, browned with 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 of soup can filled with water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 small bag frozen mixed veggies
2 lb frozen tater tots
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Steam veggies according to package directions, place at the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Mix the browned beef with soup, water, and Worcestershire sauce. This turns into a delicious, creamy gravy. (I don't like mushrooms, but this doesn't taste strongly of mushrooms at all.)

Next pour the meat mixture over the veggies, and arrange the tater tots in rows on top. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Then pull it out, sprinkle the cheese all over the top, and bake for another 5-8 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

I'm telling you, this is good food. Warm and delicious, with a great combination of textures. Thanks Mom!

BBQ chicken sandwiches

I love my crock pot. During the winter, it is so nice to come home from work to a hot meal, and I love to use it in the summer so I don't heat up the whole house with the oven. After a few mishaps, I have now learned that the cooking time on the recipe is important, and I stick to it. We also love to celebrate birthdays at my work, and it works well to throw all the ingredients together in the morning, and let it cook away in the break room until lunch. So today we celebrated a friend's birthday with BBQ chicken sandwiches and mixed berry cobbler.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
18 oz BBQ sauce (I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 onion, thinly sliced
Hamburger or sandwich buns

Place the chicken and onion in a large crock pot, then smother with sauce. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and stir to coat with sauce, then serve on buns.

These turned out great. Pretty basic (I can hardly call it a recipe) but an easy meal to throw together, and the chicken was moist and tender.

The cobbler was also delicious. I have never made dessert in a crock pot before, but it turned out great! The berries were a tangy contrast to the fluffy topping, and the cinnamon finished it off perfectly. It was good for this birthday because the girl is sensitivte to lactose and it's one of a few desserts that isn't cream-based.

Crock Pot Berry Cobbler

2 bags frozen mixed fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries)
2 3/4 cup baking mix
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup milk

Mix berries, 1/2 cup of baking mix, and 2/3 cup of sugar in a greased slow cooker. Mix remaining 2 1/4 cups baking mix, 1/4 cup sugar, butter, and milk in a separate bowl, and drop onto berry mixture in clumps. Mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Cook on high 3-4 hours or until puffy. Serve warm, good with vanilla ice cream.

Jalepeno Turkey Burgers with Brioche Buns

Ever since I got all this awesome kitchen stuff for wedding gifts, I have been trying to branch out and make new recipes. We also got a free BBQ on craigslist from a very nice man who was looking to downsize his patio. So when I found this recipe for jalepeno turkey burgers, I was excited to try them out because I love turkey burgers and my husband loves spicy food, so seemed like a good combo. Plus, I was feeling extra ambitious with a day off work, so I decided to make my own buns.

Light brioche buns:

1.5 tablespoons warm milk (110 degrees)
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 tablespoon (or packet) yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tablespoon butter, room temp
1 egg, beaten
Sesame seeds

Combine milk, water, yeast, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix on low, slowly add flour. Add butter, put the dough hook and knead for 8 minutes on low speed. Add more flour slowly if dough is sticky (I didn't add any more, it was perfect with just the 2 cups). Lightly oil a bowl and place dough inside, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size. (Little tip: I placed my bowl on a heating pad on low wrapped in a towel - worked really well!)

Separate the dough into 4 equal pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment. Spray the sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and re-cover the pieces, allow to rise another 1-2 hours, until doubled in size again. Lightly brush with beaten egg, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through.

So, mine didn't turn as golden as I hoped, but they were delicious. Really soft and fresh tasting, and I would totally make them again. The only thing is, it's kind of a process to make just 4 buns, so it would probably be something to make for a special occasion.

Jalepeno turkey burgers:

1.25 lb ground turkey
1 jalepeno pepper
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used colby jack, but any kind would be good)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons mayo
Sea salt and pepper
8 strips bacon

Chop the jalepeno, leaving as many seeds as you like (I took out all the seeds and they weren't spicy at all - next time I would leave in a few to add a little spice). Add turkey, cheese, bread crumbs, mayo, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, then form 6 patties, about 1 inch thick. Grill 5-8 minutes per side. Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crispy.

These turned out really good too, even though they weren't spicy. Really good flavor, and so moist that the husband actually referred to them as hamburgers. Plus the bacon adds a good crunch. Yum!

I served mine with oven baked fries and fresh veggies, but Chris preferred his with a side of bacon.

Definitely a hit! I love summertime grilling. Can't wait for the next burger recipe.

Cookie Dough Truffle Bites

Our friend is coming over on Wednesday for dinner and games, and I tried to think of a good dessert that we could snack on while playing Ticket to Ride. Cookies and brownies are good, but I wanted something a little different. Came across a recipe of cookie dough truffles on Pinterest, and couldn't resist. I always want to snack on raw cookie dough whenever I bake cookies (I think I might actually like it more than the finished product) so these seem perfect.

1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 lb semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can also use some white chocolate chips, like I did!)
Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, for garnish (if desired)

Start by creaming the butter and sugar, then slowly add sweetened condensed milk, flour, and vanilla. Add chocolate chips, then cover and refrigerate for about an hour. Form dough into small balls, and set them on a cookie sheet lines with wax paper. Freeze for 1-2 hours until pretty hard. Melt chocolate in a double boiler (I don't have a double boiler, so I used a pot of boiling water with a metal bowl sitting on top - be careful though, it gets really hot fast) or you could use the microwave, but beware of scorching. Dip balls in chocolate, then place back on waxed paper to harden. If you want to garnish, do it before the chocolate sets.

So some truffles will turn out much more beautiful than mine. I just can't figure out how to not have the puddle of chocolate from where they sit on the wax paper. But I'll tell you, ugly or not, these are delicious. I did a few white chocolate because I actually like them better, but my husband isn't a fan of white chocolate. But both are really creamy and sweet, and especially delicious when they are cold. I stuck mine back in the freezer after I dipped them all, just so I could put them in something else for easier storage. But they are yummy, can't wait to serve them to my friend!

Cornflake Chicken Tenders

A few months ago, I had to have a tonsillectomy and tried to make a few meals that could freeze easily so my husband would have some meals while I was down and recovering. Some were not so successful, but these turned out so delicious that I make them at least a few times a month. The seasonings really seep into the chicken so they stay moist, and the corn flake crumbs give them a delicious crunch. We like to eat them with BBQ sauce or ketchup to dip, or soak them in our favorite wing sauce for a delicious boneless chicken dinner. Yum!

What you need:

10 chicken tenders

1/4 c flour

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 stick butter, melted

2 c finely crushed cornflakes

How-to:

Combine flour and spices in a small bowl. Melt butter in another small bowl. Place crushed cereal in a medium bowl. Dip chicken in flour, then butter, then cereal. If freezing: place in large freezer bag. When ready to serve, thaw in the microwave, then bake at 400 for 25 minutes on a cookie sheet.