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Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Easy Tater Tot Casserole

Posted in Comfort Food, Easy Recipes, Fast Recipes, Main Dish, Recipes, tagged , , on November 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

 

Easy Tater Tot Casserole

In the grand scheme of things, I realize on a scale of one to 10 the healthiness of this casserole is somewhere down in the single digits, but sometimes don’t you just crave some good ol’ delicious comfort food that you know is adding five pounds to your thighs while you eat it?

Well, the craving overtook my better sense the other day and I made Tater Tot Casserole. I think I pilfered this recipe from one of my aunts way back when Hubby and I were in newly wedded bliss, toned and fit. Goodness, but that was a long time ago.

Sorry, I digress.

Anyway, this casserole is super easy to make and so comforting on a cold, blustery day. Add a salad and you’ve got a nice, simple meal.

 

The ingredients - I think I managed to include them all in the photo this time!

 

Mix the seasoning, onion flakes, salt and pepper into your ground beef as you brown it.

 

 

While you brown the ground beef, put the tater tots in a casserole dish in the oven and start getting them warmed up.

 

 

Mix mushroom soup into ground beef. I'm lazy and mix mine right in the skillet.

 

 

Sprinkle cheese on top of meat mixture. I realize I did not measure out the cheese and am eyeballing it. It was just the way things were rolling that day.

Gooey cheese, all hot and ready to be devoured.

 

Ready to eat. Yum!

Tater Tot Casserole

2 pounds of ground beef

1 package of tater tots

1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese (or cheddar)

1/2 tsp onion flakes

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

all-purpose seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put tater tots into a 9 x 13 casserole pan (I lightly spray mine with PAM first) and place in the oven while you brown the ground beef. I add the onion flakes, seasoning and salt and pepper to the ground beef. When the hamburger is browned, mix it with the two cans of cream of mushroom soup and spoon over the top of the tater tots. Layer on cheese and cover with foil. Bake for about 20 minutes or until soup is hot and bubbly. Remove foil and bake for a few more minutes until cheese is a melted layer of luscious gooey-ness. Remove from oven and serve. I like to sprinkle the top of my casserole with a bit of chopped parsley. Hubby likes his straight up “without any of that weird green stuff on there.”

Happy Entertaining and Enjoy!

Shanna

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Banana Bread

Posted in bread, Breakfast, Recipes, tagged , , on November 5, 2010| 2 Comments »

Once in a blue moon, when I have a a bunch of overripe bananas, I will get inspired to bake banana bread.

Hubby is pretty excited when this happens and will eat half the loaf, still warm from the oven, slathered in butter – if I let him. (Have you ever tried stopping a hungry man from eating warm bread? Not an easy task, I assure you!)

This recipe isn’t hard to make and always turns out well.

Cast of characters for banana bread. Please ignore the fact I forget to include butter in the photo.

 

Mix dry ingredients together.

Mash two to three ripe bananas.

You need a cup of smashed-up, gooey bananas.

Add bananas, butter, milk and vanilla to dry ingrdients.

Beat in eggs and flour.

Then the cinnamon.

Add chopped nuts. If you need to chop (or smash to pieces) a meat tenderizer and a ziploc bag works well.

Pour batter into the pan.

Bake at 350 for almost an hour.

Golden brown and ready to enjoy!

Banana Bread

1 3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1/3 cup butter or shortening

2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup nuts

1 tbsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda,  and salt. Mash two to three ripe (or overripe bananas, the riper the banana the stronger the flavor) bananas to make 1 cup. Add banana, butter, vanilla and milk to dry ingredients. Mix on low until blended then beat on high for two minutes. Add eggs and remaining flour, beat until blended. Add cinnamon and nuts. Bake 55-60 minutes or until golden brown and starting to pull away from the edges of the pan.

 

Happy Eating and Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

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Baked Custard

Posted in Comfort Food, Desserts, Recipes, tagged , , , on October 29, 2010| 2 Comments »

If you are looking for a simple, comfort-food type of dessert to finish off a meal, Baked Custard is a great option.

It is one of the few desserts that Hubby actually likes and has been known to beg for. I usually don’t mind, because it is so easy to make.

So without further ado…

Baked Custard Ingredients

Beat eggs until combined but not foamy, mix in sugar, flour, vanilla and milk.

Pour custard into cups.

Optional - top with cinnamon before baking.

You know the custard is done baking when a knife inserted comes out clean.

 

Baked Custard

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Beat eggs until well combined but not foamy. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well. Using an 8×8 glass baking pan, place in four custard cups (or ramekins or small oven-safe bowls). Pour boiling water into pan until it is standing about 1 inch.

Pour batter into custard cups and then carefully place pan in an oven preheated to 325 degrees. Bake about 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of a custard cup comes out clean.

We like to sprinkle cinnamon on top of the custard just before baking. So good and so simple!

Enjoy!

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

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Easy Herb Bread

Posted in bread, Easy Recipes, Recipes, tagged , on October 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Today’s recipe is hard, lengthy and whole bunch of work to make. Aw, just kidding.

This is so simple, you could have your 5-year-old make it for you. It’s the next best thing to sliced bread. Really!

Easy Herb Bread

Sliced Bread (your choice – I used white and, yes, I do realize the nutritional value, thank you very much)

Herb Seasoning or Powdered Dip Mix (I used a Parmesan peppercorn mix)

Butter (melted)

Butter slices of bread, sprinkle liberally with seasoning. Use a fun cookie cutter shape and cut out pieces of bread then place on a baking sheet (I used varying sizes of leaf cookie cutters).

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven until edges are crispy and tops are starting to brown.

Serve and enjoy! Now wasn’t that easy?

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

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