Sunday, August 26, 2012

Tater Tot Casserole

I made Tater Tot Casserole this week. Every time I go to the grocery store, I learn something new about Aussie culture. I headed to the freezer section for this week's learning opportunity to find this:
Yep, tater tots are called potato royals over here. Thank you, Australia, for making me feel better about making Potato Royal Casserole.

Ingredients:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped vidalia or sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound package frozen tater tots

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x12 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Whisk together the cream of mushroom soup and milk until well blended and set aside. Add olive oil to a large skillet and saute onion and bell pepper until softened but not brown. Stir in the ground beef and brown; drain and return to skillet. Add the minced garlic, cook, and stir another minute. Add Cajun seasoning, taste, and add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer meat mixture to the casserole dish and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of meat mixture. Evenly pour the soup mixture over the top. Arrange the tater tots on top and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until tater tots are nicely browned and crisp. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top and return to the oven until cheese is melted. Original recipe from Deep South Dish. We topped it off with Ketchup.

E: 8
A: 8
T: 8
HH: 9

Monday, August 6, 2012

Mexican Pizza

Nothing stops my husband from eating cold pizza. He loves it.

Before heading to work, he came upstairs to kiss me goodbye and he was eating this for breakfast. I had it for dinner the night before and it was fantastic straight out of the oven.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
2 pizza bases (equivalent to medium sized pizzas)
1 can refried beans
2-3 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 avocado, chopped
chopped lettuce
optional: sour cream, black olives, green onions, salsa, cilantro, jalapenos
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown ground beef in large skillet, over medium heat. Add taco seasoning to the ground beef according to package directions. Drain excess grease. Place pizza base on ungreased cookie sheet. Spread refried beans on the pizza base. Top with cooked ground beef mixture, sprinkle with cheese, and place in oven. Cook for 10 minutes or until pizza crust is crisp. Add tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, avocado, and additional toppings to your pizza. Keep avoiding Taco Bell.

E: 10
A: 9 - pizza base had to be purchased
T: 10
HH: 10

Original recipe required baking the pizza crust first, but mine was precooked