Tater Tot Casserole

Based on Tater Tot Casserole recipe from MaryBeth, http://dunkincookingthesemi-homemadeway.blogspot.com/


1 2-lb package tater tots
1 Lb. hamburger
1 lb hot italian ground sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2/3 Cup Milk
2 c grated cheese
2 1/2 Tbs. chopped garlic
1 Cup French fried onions

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Place the tater tots in a single layer on the bottom of a 13x9 pan, bake at 400 for 25 min.
2. Fry the hamburger, sausage, onion & garlic until the meat is fully cooked then season to taste and drain the fat.
3. Place hamburger mix over the top of the tater tots.
4. In a small bowl mix the soup and milk then pour over the meat layer.
5. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 20 min.
6. Uncover and top with the grated cheese then back for another 10 min to melt the cheese.
7. Sprinkle French Onions over top and bake for another 5 minutes.

Turkey Pot Pie

Pot pie is a problem for my family. Doug doesn't like peas. I don't like carrots. The boys don't like vegetables (except carrots!) So, when I found a big tupperware container in the freezer with leftover turkey in it, I became determined to create something that my family would eat.

1 package pre-made pie crusts
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c finely diced celery
1 finely diced onion
1/2 c chopped mushroom
1T chopped garlic
1 can chicken broth
2 to 3c turkey, cut in small pieces
1/4 c flour
splash of white wine
1 to 2 c heavy cream
sage, thyme, salt and pepper

Melt butter. Add celery, onion, mushrooms and garlic. Saute until soft.

Add turkey and stir. Sprinkle flour over mixture and school. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes.

Pour in chicken broth. Add wine and stir. Pour in cream.

Bring to a slow boil and allow to cook and thicken. (My family like the non-soupy version so I also dissolved some corn starch in 1/4 c of the liquid and added it back to the mixture.)

Add herbs to taste.

Place bottom pie crust in pie pan. Pour in filling. Add top crust. Bake 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Potatoe Sausage Casserole

I got this idea from a recipe in my MasterCook software. This version is with my modifications. Family loved it.

1 pound ground sausage
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 c milk
salt and pepper
1 large diced onion
1 package frozen hashbrowns (the diced kind)
1/2 pound shredded mozzarella cheese (or whatever kind you have)

Brown sausage. When mostly done, add onions and cook until soft. Mix soup, milk, salt and pepper. Add sausage/onion mixture and 3/4 of cheese. Put in large casserole dish. Dot with butter. Bake covered pan at 350ºF for 30 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with grated cheese and melt in oven.

Recipe Number 1 from the holidays (i'm a little behind!)

Utterly Deadly Pecan Pie.

This is my mom's recipe. It came out of her recipe box. It's awesome.

4 eggs
1 1/4 c corn syrup (recipe calls for dark. I use half light/half dark)
1 cu sugar
1/4 c butter, melted
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c broken pecan halves(or pieces)
1 unbaked 9 inch pastry shell (yes, I cheat and use the already made stuff)

In a medium bowl, beat eggs slightly. Stir in corn syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla and pecans. Pour into pie crust, Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and continue baking until crust is browned and filling is puffy -- 40 to 45 minutes. Filling will be slightly less set in the center than around the edges. (Don't overcook!). Cool before serving.


That's it. It's very simple. But my husband and in-laws RAVED about it. I made it at least three times over the holidays. This pie is what Doug wanted to take to every Christmas potluck that he had.

Roast Beef Hash

Just something I threw together...

2 onions, diced
5 potatoes, cubed
3 c leftover roast beef, cut up in little pieces
1/2 c gravy
1 c shredded cheese

Saute onions until soft. Add potatoes and continue to cook over medium heat. I covered the pan for the first 10 or 15 minutes so the potatoes would cook and get soft. After that, I took the lid off and let them brown.

Add meat and stir it all up together. Let heat for about 5 minutes, until meat is warmed through. Add gravy. Mix well. Stir in cheese.

It was really good!

Rene's Chicken Korma

I love Indian food. And I really love spicy Indian food. I don't, however, like coconut. And the Chicken Korma (or Kurma) served in a lot of Indian restaurants has coconut milk. However, one of our favorite places, Royal India in Sandy UT, has a version that isn't coconut-y.

After becoming addicted to their version, I decided that I had to try to make it. Tonight was my third attempt. The other two were successful -- but not spicy enough.
The flavor has always been good. (I spent quite a bit of time researching the right spice combination on the internet).

Tonight's version was awesome. Last time we were in Royal India, I asked one of the guys there how to make it spicy enough. He said just keep adding chili pepper. I took his advice to hard and quadrupled what I had used before.

Here's what I did tonight:

2 lbs chicken, cut up in small pieces
3-4 medium onions
Butter
Garlic
ginger
1 t coriander
2 t garam masala (I actually made my own)
1 ½ t turmeric
2 t chili powder
2 t cayenne pepper
6oz plain yogurt
½ cup cashews, ½ of them ground
1 c cream
½ can stewed tomatoes
Cut onions up and sauté ¾ of them in butter with garlic. Remove from pan. Add more butter and garlic and add chicken and remaining onions. Cook until done but not brown. Add ginger (try to use minced fresh ginger)
Remove chicken from pan.
Add onions back to pan and add yogurt and combined spices. Stir well until warm. Add chicken, cream, tomatoes and cashews. Stir frequently. Simmer about 30 minutes (long enough to cook rice).

(Next time, try something to make this saucier…add another cup or so of cream/water or half and half. That may make it necessary to increase amount of spices by ½ or so).

This was spicy!! The flavor was awesome!!

We eat this with basmati rice.

Recent events = upcoming blogs

I am really behind on blogging. I have done lots of cooking lately and I need to get it documented. I thought I'd start with a list of everything that I need to do so I could keep track of it.

• Chicken Korma
  
• Coconut Cream Pie
  
• Pecan Pie
  
• Apple Pie
  
• New Christmas cookies
  
• Christmas cake
  
• Pumpkin cake
  
• Northern beans
  

I think that's it for now. It seems like there is more but I can't think of any more at the moment.