tater tot casserole

Tater Tot Casserole.    

This is a versatile dish that is easy to make and is quite tasty.  I've made it many times and have made it many different ways.  I think the way I am about to show you is the best.

I used:

1 bag Ore Ida tater tots

2.25 pounds of ground chuck beef [you dont have to use exactly 2.25 pounds, that's just how its sold at the store I shop at]

some Kraft sharp cheddar cheese [I didn't measure.  See pictures.]

 1 onion

1 can Campbells Cream of Mushroom soup

about 3 tablespoons of Daisy sour cream

First of all, I like to cook the tater tots in the oven before cooking them again in the dish.  This saves time and trouble.  Cook them about 20-25 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

begin to brown your hamburger while the tater tots bake..

 when it begins to brown, stir it up some making sure it cooks evenly.

dice 1 onion by slicing this way

turn it around and slice it this way again

 turn it over and slice again

 yay, diced onion!

add the onion to the meat and let them cook together for a while

add some garlic powder..

and soul food seasoning, i love this stuff!   You can use whatever spices and seasonings you prefer though.

After the meat has finished cooking you should drain it...

for this I just put a plate under my colander 

............

Return the meat and onions to the skillet and turn the heat down to low.  Add the Cream of Mushroom soup...

and about 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream

stir.

let it cook together for a little bit..

tater tots should be golden brown and fully cooked by now...

line some in a baking dish.  

After you've placed the tots, begin to put the meat mixture on top of them..

even it out..

add some cheese!  add however much looks right to you

arrange the remaining tots on top and bake for about 20-30 minutes on around 350. 

after you've baked the casserole for a while and its heated throughout you should add some ketchup on top.  It makes it even better.  I always use Heinz.

ketchupppp.

After you finish putting ketchup on it, turn your oven on broil and put the casserole back in.  Let the ketchup cook a little bit, I usually take it out after the ketchup isn't shiny but isn't burnt.  Up to you, I just like the ketchup cooked.

done!  :D

spinach stuff

I don't know why I buy the bagged fresh spinach.  I like it instead of lettuce in salads but for cooking reasons I should probably buy frozen or canned.  The bag they put this stuff in is ridiculous.  It is so thin, crackly and loud.  It rips so easily too.  That is why I made spinach stuff tonight.  The bag had ripped and so the spinach needed to be cooked asap before it got all weird. 

I usually just make regular Popeye spinach with some old school pepper sauce.  But this was different and turned out pretty good.

I used:

1 10-ounce bag of fresh spinach leaf

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

fresh grated parmesan cheese

ricotta cheese

1 jar of mushrooms

some garlic powder

After getting the spinach out of the already ripped annoying spinach bag, I put it all on a plate.  Which was way too small for all of it but whatever, it worked. :P

 Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet and tear the spinach leaf up in bunches

add the mushrooms, make sure you drain all the nasty mushroom juice off of them first though.

some garlic powder..

now, let the spinach and mushrooms cook down...

this looks about right to me.

add 2-3 tablespoons of ricotta cheese.  

stir..

its going to look a little weird

add the fresh Parmesan cheese to the top

stir the cheese into the spinach mixture

be careful not to burn the cheese up.

<3

beans & cornbread

Beans & Cornbread

Beans & Cornbread is easy to make and easy to mess up.  It could go either way. 

If you've never made pinto beans before you must soak them before you cook them.  If you don't, its a mess.  Seriously.

So, get about 1 pound of dry pinto beans and about 2 cups of water

  

Pour the dry beans in a bowl and put the water over them, you want them to be covered.  Sort through the beans and get any weird stuff like rocks out.

After the beans soak up the first 2 cups of water [or however much it took you to cover yours] add more water until they are covered again.  Let the beans soak for several hours.  I left mine in water overnight.

After the beans have soaked properly, drain them in a colander. 

The soaked beans should be ready to go into your favorite trusty cooking pot.  This is my favorite cooking pot.  My mother had sent it to me as a gift one year and I called to thank her for it and it turns out the company she sent the pot from had actually sent the wrong item. She never ordered a cooking pot for me, but I kept it anyway. 

Put enough water to cover the beans and turn the heat up to medium..         

cover the pot with a fitted lid and wait for... 

30 minutes!  Mine actually started boiling before then so about 15-20 minutes you should check them.  If they're pretty hot and boiling good enough turn the heat on about 2-3/simmer.  

   

At this point, I add stuff.  I didn't measure any of it either.

  

I also added 3 or 4 bullion cubes.

  

I like to buy pre-cooked meat that is already chopped, it's worth it.  Seriously, who wants a big ole' ham hock in their beans?  Not me.

I took the time to cut it up even more and cook it longer in the skillet before adding it to the beans.  

                                                                      add the ham..

stir it up.

 omg, don't forget the jalepenos!

stir in some jalepenos and cover and continue to simmer the beans.. 

wait it out...               

In the meantime, make your cornbread.  I like to use Jiffy brand mix.  The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of milk and 1 egg along with the contents of the package.  I like to add a little bit of sharp cheddar shredded cheese and jalepenos to the mix.

 plain cornbread..

 add some cheese

 stirrr.

 grease a cooking dish with butter

 smooth batter out into greased dish.

 add some jalepenos ..

 push them into batter with a fork or spoon or whatever you're using.  add some more cheese to the top, bake in preheated 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes

                                                        

yumyum.

back to the beans..  

if they seem to still be too watery after all that simmering, turn the heat up to medium and take the lid off for a while.

........................

these look done. 

 ^_^