Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole

I'm sorry I've been missing in action lately.  Life got away from me and I did take a wonderful trip with my husband as well :)

I'm seeking comfort lately, and this week I'm not worried about carbs or calories :).  So here's another old standby recipe.  In my opinion, this SHOULD work better than it does for getting kids to eat veggies. My mother never mixed my veggies with cheese and hamburger or there would have been way fewer dinner time battles! :)  Instead I was forced to eat things like beef stroganoff (WITH mushrooms) and the like.  Apparently I'm just too nice of a mom in terms of my cooking. So my kids don't appreciate really yummy recipes like this.  There's a lesson there I guess.  Unfortunately my middle son won't eat this because he doesn't like tater tots (or veggies LOL).  The younger son will usually eat most of it and my oldest daughter, husband and I clear our plates and get seconds.  YUM.

Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole

2lbs ground beef
onion powder, garlic powder to taste (~ 1tsp)
salt & pepper to taste
2 cans of Campbells Cheddar cheese soup
a bag of frozen mixed vegetables
a bag of frozen tater tots

Brown the hamburger and season with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.  You may also add chopped onion if you wish - we aren't big onion people so we don't add it.  Drain the excess fat.  Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non stick spray.  Layer hamburger, veggies, and soup and stir lightly together to combine.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Top with tater tots and bake at 350 for additional 45 minutes or everything is melted / bubbly and the tater tots look lightly browned.   I like to make this recipe a few hours ahead and keep in the fridge until it's time to bake for dinner. It will usually cook in 45 minutes or less coming from the fridge instead of the freezer.  Leftovers are equally satisfying :)

Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

There are days or weeks (or let's face it, months!) where you just need comfort.  What better place to find comfort than in a big, cheesy, bacon-y, smooth bowl of baked potato soup?  After all, bacon really does make everything better!  I love my potato soup smooth and creamy so I used my brand new immersion blender to finish it off.  In case you are not aware, the immersion blender ROCKS! I would trade my husband's golf clubs for it in a heartbeat! (Ok, he would not agree, but that's my commitment level).  If you don't have an immersion blender now is the time to invest.  It's only about $30-35 and so much nicer than trying to move hot soup into a traditional blender or food processor.  Ok now the info-mercial is over and on to the recipe...

Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-style-loaded-baked-potato-soup-301754

Ingredients:
6 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion peeled and chopped
1 quart of chicken broth
3 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
1/2 cup of butter
2 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp black pepper

1 cup cream or half and half
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Toppings:
8 sliced of bacon cooked and crumbled
sour cream (optional)
sharp cheese for sprinkling

Combine the first set of ingredients (up to cream) in your slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Mash the mixture (or use your immersion blender!) until it is to your desired consistency.  Add the cream, cheese and chives and stir to combine.  If using the immersion blender, now is a good time to give it another blend just for fun :)
Serve with extra cheese, bacon crumbles and sour cream if desired. Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings for the busy mom

I've adapted this recipe from a similar recipe on Allrecipes.com. Nearly everyone in my house seems to like it, which is a great accomplishment with younger children! :)

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 onion diced
2 carrots peeled and sliced
1 stalk of celery washed and sliced
2 potatoes peeled and diced into big chunks
4 chicken breasts (I usually use frozen)
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
a few good shakes of Pepper
~ 1 tsp Thyme

Dumplings
Bisquick
Water as directed on the box
(as an alternative you can use refrigerated biscuit dough instead)

Combine the above in your crockpot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours (use the longer cooking time if you are using frozen breasts or if your slow cooker is slower than average.  About an hour before the end of cooking time, mix up your Bisquick by following the directions for dumplings on the box.  Drop by tablespoon-fulls into your crockpot mixture and let cook for an additional hour to hour and a half.   Add additional salt / pepper as needed.