Caramelized Chicken Wings

Servings: 6

1 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
12 large chicken wings, tips removed and wings cut in half at joint
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, or to taste (optional)

In an electric skillet or a large skillet over medium heat, mix together the water, sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, wine vinegar, and garlic until smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Place the wings into the sauce, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer until the wings are tender and the sauce has thickened, about 30 more minutes, spooning sauce over wings occasionally. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

**These were really good. Everyone enjoyed them. I recommend giving the recipe a try.

Burrito Pie

Servings: 16

2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (2 oz) can black olives, sliced
1 (4 oz) can diced green chili peppers
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with
green chile peppers
1 (16 oz) jar taco sauce
2 (16 oz) cans refried beans
12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
9 ounces shredded Colby cheese


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 5 more minutes. Drain any excess fat, if desired. Mix in the olives, green chile peppers, tomatoes with green chile peppers, taco sauce and refried beans. Stir mixture thoroughly, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 4 quart casserole dish. Cover with a layer of tortillas followed by more meat mixture, then a layer of cheese. Repeat tortilla, meat, cheese pattern until all the tortillas are used, topping off with a layer of meat mixture and cheese.
4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

German Chocolate Cheesecake

I have been making this recipe for a few years now. I originally made it for my parents since my dad's favorite cake is german chocolate and my mom likes cheesecake. Now every time I make this recipe, I make an extra one for my parents. I made my own shortened version of the original recipe to make it easier. It is really good and easy to make.

Ingredients:

Oreo or chocolate flavored ready made pie crust

3 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 pkg. Baker's German's sweet chocolate, melted
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 can coconut pecan frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and flour in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add chocolate and vanilla, mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over ready made crust. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Let cool and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Spread frosting over cheesecake just before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Spinach and Cheese Casserole

I got this recipe from a parenting magazine about five years ago. I make it every Thanksgiving and we love it. This is a recipe that you can prep and bake the day before.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 75 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

Cooking Spray
4 eggs
2/3 cup flour
Two 10-oz packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
24-oz container low-fat cottage cheese
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
salt, to taste

1. Coat a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with flour until smooth.
2. Add remaining ingredients and stir well to blend. Spoon into prepared dish, cover, and refrigerate.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 75 minutes.

Tip: To prep and bake the day before, shorten oven time by 10 minutes. Cool, wrap, and refrigerate. Reheat in the microwave, checking at 10-minute intervals, until heated through.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Serves: 6

3 cups chicken broth

1 (32 oz.) large package frozen chopped broccoli

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic 

1/2 cup butter or margarine

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 pound process American cheese (Velveeta), cubed

In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add frozen broccoli, cover and bring to a second boil, lower heat and simmer 7 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of the broth. In another large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Whisk in flour until blended. Stir in milk and add cheese. Cook on medium-low until cheese is melted, stirring frequently. Stir in broccoli and reserved chick broth.

** I made this recipe last night instead of the potato and broccoli soup that I was originally going to make. I found the recipe online and changed it a little. This came out really good. There was more than enough for my family. I slowed cooked a whole chicken and used the broth from chicken. Instead of the butter, I cooked the onions in chicken fat and added a couple tablespoons margarine in with the milk and cheese. I will definitely make this broccoli soup again. I think I might try adding bacon next time and cook the onions in the bacon grease. 

Tex-Mex Alfredo

Serves: 8
Cooking Time: 15 min


Ingredients
1 pound uncooked fettuccine noodles
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
2/3 cup picante sauce
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish


Instructions
In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until tender. Drain and set aside in a large bowl; cover to keep warm. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine butter, picante sauce, and Parmesan cheese; cook over low heat, stirring, until butter melts. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and salt. Pour picante sauce mixture over warm fettuccine noodles, and toss. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve.


***I got this from MrFood.com. This would make a good side dish. You could make it into a main dish by adding your choice of meat. I think the addition of browned ground beef or turkey with a taco seasoning packet added to it would be a good dinner. If you want to go even farther with this dish, you could add black olives, onions, and red or green peppers. 

Potato and Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

2  tablespoons butter

1   onion, chopped

2   cloves garlic, minced

1 3/4 pounds broccoli, thick stems peeled and diced (about 2 cups), tops cut into small florets (about 1 quart)

1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes (about 5), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3  cups canned chicken broth or homemade stock

3  cups water

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

In a large pot, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, broccoli stems, potatoes, broth, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are almost tender, about 10 minutes. In a food processor or blender, pulse the soup to a coarse puree. Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the broccoli florets and simmer until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan into the soup, and serve the soup topped with the remaining cheese.

**I haven't made this yet but look forward to making it soon. It will be on my next week's menu for sure. I will   add crumbled bacon and some cheddar cheese to the soup. And I will probably serve this with pork chops, salad and some rolls. 

Crockpot Beans and Bacon

Ingredients:
1 lb dry pinto beans
1 lb bacon
seasoning salt
garlic powder
chopped onions

Serves: 4

Directions:
Sort and soak beans in plenty of cold water overnight. After soaking, drain and rinse beans. Place in crock pot with 2 cups water and about one tablespoon or so of each, seasoning salt and garlic powder. Layer the raw bacon on top of the beans. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours. Top with chopped onions on individual servings.

**This is how I have been making pinto beans lately. It is really good. Even my picky son likes this. I usually serve this with corn bread or biscuits. It is just enough for my family of four. Made a double batch the last time I made this and had a lot of leftovers. Enough to even make a chili with afterwards.

Beef and Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
1/2 cup milk
8 oz egg noodles
seasoned salt

Serves: 4-6

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef, drain. Add onion, garlic, and seasoned salt to taste and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Then add and mix both cans of soup and 1/2 cup milk to the meat mixture. Meanwhile, cook egg noodles according to package, drain. Combine noodles and beef mixture. Put into a greased casserole dish and cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes.

**I made this recipe up myself. It tasted pretty good. Worth a try if you have the ingredients on hand.

Tuna Cakes

Ingredients:
2 cans (6 1/2 ounces each) tuna in water - undrained
1 sleeve saltine crackers- crushed
2 egg whites or 1 egg
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons each finely diced red, yellow and green pepper

Serves: 4

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Place crushed saltines in a bowl and add tuna with water, egg whites, soy sauce and garlic powder. Mix until well blended.
Add peppers and stir until well distributed.
Form mixture into 8 evenly sized patties and place on greased baking sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes and turn over. Bake for another 8 minutes.

**You can also fry these. I've made these twice now and they are really good. I changed up the ingredients though and it turned out great. I have a family of 4 but we eat more food for dinner than recipes that usually serve 4 people do, so I end up having to double a lot of recipes. I doubled everything but the saltine crackers.  I used onions instead of the peppers. And I drained all the tuna and only added about 1/4 cup of the tuna water to the mixture. Any more than that and it would not have stuck together as well. I baked them at 12 minutes per side instead. They turned out really good and not too fishy either. I still made 8 patties so they were pretty thick. As for a side, I made macaroni salad and frozen mixed vegetables. Kids had no complaints and ate it all. My boyfriend complimented on how well they tasted. Definitely a keeper. If you can think of anything better to add or have a recipe of your own, please comment below!!

Iowa Corn Salad

Ingredients:

1 package of frozen corn

1 package of frozen green beans

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 red pepper, finely chopped

1 small sweet onion, finely chopped

Directions:

In large saucepan, boil 3 cups water. Add frozen corn and green beans. Reheat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 6-8 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold running water. Prepare dressing in a large bowl with wire whisk; mix vinegar, olive oil, parsley, salt, and black pepper until blended. Add corn and green beans, red pepper, and onion to dressing in bowl; toss to coat. Serve, or cover and refrigerate.

**This is a pretty good side dish. I have made this once. I thought it tasted pretty good, but the kids didn't particularly like it though. 

Tater Tot Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (1 ounce) packet taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen Mexican-style corn or regular corn
1 (12 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (12 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots
1 (12 fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce

Servings: 6
Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, taco seasoning mix, frozen Mexican-style corn, and black beans to the ground beef; cook and stir another 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Combine the ground beef mixture in a large bowl with about 3/4 of the Mexican cheese blend and the tater tots; stir to combine.
Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish; lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tot layer.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining Mexican cheese over the casserole and return to oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 minutes more.

**This is how I found this recipe but I changed it. I made it more like the original tater tot casserole I posted before. I used a 2-quart casserole dish instead. I did not combine the tater tots in with the meat mixture. What I did was put a little sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish, then the meat and cheese mixture, then more sauce, next the tater tots, then more sauce with cheese on top. It turned out really good. We liked this a lot. It was a really good recipe find for me. Will be making it again soon.

Simply Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella Cheese, divided
1 (15 ounce) container Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 egg, beaten
1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix 1 1/4 cups mozzarella, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan, parsley and egg until well blended; set aside.
Drain meat; return to skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Add 1 cup water to empty sauce jar; cover with lid and shake well. Add to meat mixture; stir until well blended. Spread 1 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup meat sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce and cheeses. Cover with greased foil.
Bake 1 hour or until heated through, removing foil after 45 min. Let stand 15 min. before cutting to serve.

**This is a very good lasagna recipe. The cheeses are the most expensive ingredients. The recipe is a little time consuming though. I only recommend it if you are able to give yourself plenty of time to make it. You can prep this the night before, so you can just throw it in the oven the next evening.

Sunshine Chicken

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken thighs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 pinch garlic powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Rinse the chicken pieces and place them, single layer and skin side up, in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Mix the soy sauce, ketchup, corn syrup and garlic powder in a small bowl. Baste the chicken with the sauce, reserving some sauce for basting during baking. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven, basting approximately every 15 minutes, for 1 hour (or until chicken is done and juices run clear).
Servings 6-8.

**I have made this recipe twice so far. My son who is a very picky eater loves this. You don't have to use chicken thighs but thighs seem to be the cheapest cuts of chicken. The second time I made it, I didn't have enough ketchup so used half ketchup and half barbecue sauce. I think it was actually better the second time around. I highly recommend this recipe! You could make this with white rice or mashed potatoes and a vegetable of your choice.

Cheeseburger Pie

1 can crescent rolls
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped onion, OR 1 teaspoon onion powder
1/3 cup chopped dill pickle slices
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups shredded American cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375°.
Unroll crescent rolls and press into the bottom and up the sides of an 8 inch pie pan.
Cook ground beef in a skillet until browned. Drain well.
Stir in onion, chopped pickle, ketchup and mustard.
Sprinkle with flour and add pickle juice and milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
Remove from heat and add 1 cup of shredded cheese.
Pour into the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden brown.

Top with 1 cup of cheese and place back into oven for a few minutes longer until cheese is melted.
Serves 4-6

**This recipe was surprisingly good. I didn't think it would turn out at first. My kids didn't mind eating it even with the much hated onions in it...lol. I didn't have shredded cheese so I just used a few slices of cheese. I also used a can of biscuits instead of crescent rolls.  I will definitely make this again and again. It really tasted like a cheeseburger. This is good served with french fries and a vegetable of your choice.
      ~I have made this several times now and we have loved it every time.

Easy Tuna Casserole

2 cans tuna, drained
2 boxes of Macaroni and Cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 small onion
6 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 cup crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni and cheese as directed but do NOT add milk. Add tuna, both soups, and onion to the macaroni and cheese. Put in a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with crushed potato chips. Bake uncovered for 20 mins.
Serves 6-8

**There are several ways to make this recipe your own. You can add spices; like chopped garlic, powered garlic, parsley, seasoned salt, paprika, salt and/or pepper. You can use any combination of cream soups. You can even add chopped peppers and use different flavors of chips. If you don't want to use tuna, you could use canned chicken instead or even chopped up spam. One large can of salmon, de-boned, would work too. Please comment, I would love to hear your ideas on making this recipe better!

Pizza Casserole

This recipe tastes just like the boxed pizza pasta home-style bake you can get at the store.

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1/2 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup sliced pepperoni sausage
16 ounces pizza sauce
4 tablespoons milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cook noodles according to package directions.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, garlic and green bell pepper. Drain excess fat. Stir in the noodles, pepperoni, pizza sauce and milk, and mix well. Pour this mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, top with the cheese, then bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.
Servings 4-6

**When I made this, I only had elbow noodles and I didn't have any pepperoni. I omitted the pepperoni and used 2 cups cooked elbow macaroni. It turned out pretty well. We liked it a lot.

Vegetarian Mexican Bake

     This is a recipe from the same person that sent me the chicken and dumplings recipe. It sounds really good.  


1 large can of refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
2 boxes of corn muffin mix
1 cup shredded cheese
1 can green chilies


Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Mix corn muffin mix according to box instructions, adding 1/3 cup more water. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Combine refried beans, salsa, and chilies. Spread over the top of cornbread in pan, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes.


**You can add ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning. It can be added before the cheese. If anyone can think of anything else, please add it in the comment area.

Country Casserole

Ingredients:


1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 (16 oz.) package wide egg noodles
1 (10-3/4 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
1 (10-3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 3-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and saute onion 2 to 3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook. In a large soup pot, cook noodles according to package directions; drain well and return noodles to pot. Stir in ground beef mixture and the remaining ingredients, except the paprika and mix well. Place into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle with paprika. Cover and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until heated through.


 **I serve either biscuits or bread and butter with a salad or a vegetable with this dinner. I always buy frozen vegetables. Usually the ones you microwave in the bag for $1 a piece. I find they are very convenient and serves more than a can would. If you have a large family, I would suggest the bags of frozen vegetables and cook them in the microwave with a little water in a covered bowl. It works as good as the steamable bags. 

Easy Lo Mein

This is a recipe I have recently discovered. It sounds really good and easy to make.


8 ounces cooked spaghetti
1/2 pound cooked ground beef
1 (16 oz.) package frozen stir-fry vegetable blend, thawed
1 (12 oz) jar home-style beef gravy
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper


In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Add the vegetables, gravy, soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cooked spaghetti into beef mixture.
Servings 6


**I use a whole pound of ground beef. I usually don't like using just a half of a pound in recipes. You could also use chicken breast pieces with chicken gravy or ground turkey with turkey gravy. This recipe was actually very good! I suggest you try it out sometime.

Chicken and Dumplings

This chicken and dumplings recipe was emailed to me by a friend who gave me some recipes that she uses for her family. They sound like good recipes. I haven't really experimented with chicken and dumplings yet though.


1 whole chicken, about 4 to 5 lbs
2 cans of buttermilk biscuits not flaky biscuits
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 a stick of butter


Take a whole chicken and boil it for about 2 hours (make sure there is enough water to keep the chicken fully submerged if the water evaporates add more water)
when the chicken is fully cooked remove it from the pan to cool but save the broth (the water from the chicken). Take 2 cans of buttermilk biscuits and cut them in to fourths. Bring the broth to a boil and add a half a stick of butter to the broth. Slowly drop the biscuits into the broth one at a time (try not to drop two in the same spot). Take a spoon and push the dumplings below the broth fully coating the dumplings every few minutes. Shred the chicken and put it back into the broth. Add about a cup of milk, and add flour to thicken slightly ( some where between a 1/4 of a cup to a half cup of flour) Salt and pepper to taste. You can add veggies to add nutrition.


Please post any tips or comments.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

     My family loves spaghetti and meatballs. They get excited when I make this dish. This is another simple recipe that can be customized to your liking. I have come up with this recipe myself after making it a lot. 


2 pounds ground beef or turkey
about 3 slices of bread, crumbled
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dried or fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
approx. half a diced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper 
1 package spaghetti
1 jar of spaghetti sauce


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, combine ground meat, bread crumbs, eggs, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper until blended but not over mixed. Shape into 2-inch meatballs, handling meat as little as possible. Lay out on a greased cookie sheet. Place in oven for 30 mins or until no longer pink inside. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti as it reads on package. Drain. Combine meatballs, spaghetti, and spaghetti sauce in pot and heat on medium heat until heated through. 


**You may need more than one jar of sauce or a larger jar if you like more sauce. My family doesn't like a lot of sauce so we just use one regular-sized jar. I use the little jars of chopped garlic you can buy. A tablespoon of it equals 1 garlic clove. You could use garlic powder instead, if you don't have either. You can also add dehydrated onions instead of fresh ones.


     Please comment and give your own tips if you'd like.


     

Easy Meatloaf

     I have made a lot of meatloaf in the past years. I have always used the seasoning packets that you can get at the store until just recently.  I have found that making meatloaf from scratch is pretty simple.  You don't need to worry about those packets again. It is also a recipe that you can change to your liking. 


2 pounds ground beef chuck
2 large eggs
2 cups fresh bread crumbs (about 4 slices)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
2 teaspoons mustard


     Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a large bowl, combine ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, 1/4 cup ketchup, milk, seasoned salt, and mustard until well blended but not over mixed.  Spoon mixture into loaf pan, pressing firmly. Spread remaining 1/2 cup ketchup on top of loaf. Bake 1 hour. Let meat loaf stand 10 minutes to set juices for easier slicing.


**I have used 2 lbs. ground turkey instead. If you don't use ground chuck, there will be more fat when it's done. I usually cook my meatloaf in a casserole dish. And shape it into a loaf leaving room on the sides for the fat, then carefully drain to after its done. You can also add green onions, green or red peppers, and your favorite spices. I have substituted barbecue sauce for ketchup before.  It wasn't bad. You could even put cheese in your meatloaf if you wanted.

Tater Tot Casserole

     Tater tot casserole is a dinner that my sister introduced to me.  I had never even heard of it.  Now I make it about twice a month for my family.  They love it. It is a versatile dish. I don't use a recipe myself but I will attempt to make a recipe for you to use.

2 pounds ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
half of an onion, diced
a bag of tater tots
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Look at the package of tater tots and set your oven to the time it says. Usually 400-425 degrees. Now brown the ground beef in a skillet with half of a diced onion. Drain the fat. Then mix the soups with the browned ground beef. Pour into a casserole pan. Next take the tater tots and lay them out over the meat mixture in the pan. Put them in the oven for as long as it says on the tater tot package. Around 25 minutes then check to make sure the tater tots are cooked thoroughly. If not, then keep it in the oven until the tater tots are done. When they are, sprinkle the cheese over the top and put it back in for a couple of mins until cheese is melted.


**This dish is versatile because you can change the recipe to your liking. You can do any combination of cream styled soups. I have also tried cream of celery soup. You could even add vegetables like celery, carrots, green beans, or anything you'd like. Just mix the vegetable with the meat and soup mixture. You can use frozen, fresh, or canned. You will have to defrost frozen vegetables though. Also instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground sausage. You can even use different kinds of cheeses. I have used sliced cheese a lot when I didn't have cheddar cheese on hand. 


     Comment and post what kind of tater tot casserole combinations you have tried. I would like to hear your experiences. 

Introduction to Dinner for Cheap

I am a mother of two growing children; ages 10 and 7. I am in constant search of new recipes that I can make that are inexpensive on our budget.  I like to always have certain staples on hand in my kitchen. Some of the things I like to always have is rice, different cans of cream soups (ex. cream of mushroom), potatoes, and frozen ground beef for a few examples. I will be posting recipes for cheap dinners and tips for saving money on food. I hope you come back often to see what cheap recipe is next.