Quintessential Comfort Food: Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole

My daughter and I have both been battling chest colds/bronchial issues the past week and a half, and nothing puts you more in the mood for "comfort food" than feeling under the weather!  I can't believe I've never made tater tot casserole before, it got such rave reviews I'm definitely adding it to the lineup! I "tweaked" several recipes I found online, so feel free to modify to your liking, too! Here's what I did:

Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole  

a pound of ground beef (or ground turkey)

one small onion, chopped

one can cream of mushroom soup

a bag of frozen tater tots

shredded cheese (I used a new "four cheddar" variety I found at the supermarket)

Brown the ground beef , then drain the grease and put back into pan.  Add chopped onion and cook till soft.  Place meat in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Arrange tater tots on top of meat.  Pour mushroom soup on top of tater tots, stir if you want.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, top with shredded cheese and then bake for 5 additional minutes. Perfection!

There are many variations of this recipe; you could add peas or mushrooms, use sour cream instead of soup, or use hashbrowns instead of tater tots. Just DON'T omit the cheese! That would just be pure craziness....

March Madness Food; aka Crescent Pepperoni Roll-Ups

Every spring, my husband takes two days off work to "sit around and watch college basketball". I'm usually recruited to make a yummy snack, or two (big surprise), and am always looking for something new to make (another big surprise).  This year, he requested a big, baked Stromboli-thing I make (see 2/5/12 post for recipe), but I just didn't have the energy to undertake it this year.  What I did make, though, is practically just as good, and much quicker/easier to make; sort of "mini Strombolis"!

Crescent Pepperoni Roll-Ups (with a nod to www.plainchicken.com)

2 "cans" refrigerated crescent rolls (8 count)

big bag of pepperoni slices

8 pieces of mozzarella string cheese, cut in half

garlic powder

spaghetti/marinara sauce (optional), for dipping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Unroll crescent rolls and separate into 16 triangles. Place 5 slices of pepperoni on each triangle and top with a piece of the halved string cheese. Roll up, starting from the big end and working to the tip of the triangle.  Place on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) and sprinkle each "roll-up" with garlic powder. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve warm with a side of spaghetti/marinara sauce for dipping. This recipe makes 16; I doubled it for the "March Madness" group!

Sooooooo yummy; like tiny, inside-out pepperoni pizzas! 

Today's Brilliant Idea: Freezing Avocados

I've seen this on Pinterest for some time now; freezing avocados for future use! My local supermarket had a great deal: 5 for a dollar! There is NO way I could eat them all before they went bad, so I peeled them, pitted them and "smooshed" them in my standing mixer (with a few tablespoons of lemon juice). 

Now I have "guac starter" in my freezer, ready whenever I want it!  Just thaw and add your choice of spices, and serve!

Thanks to www.sausome.com for the super-cute illustrated "recipe"!