Tator Tot Casserole

I promised myself that my blog would not be about my daily happenings, but still sometimes I think it's good to share some of the joys of day to day life. I have been feeling very blessed latey.So as a thank you to my hubby I am making one of his favorites tonight- Tator Tot Casserole.  It's a local favorite around my area but I had never heard of it until I moved here over a decade ago.  I'm going to include the recipe for anyone  who might be interested.

Tater Tot Casserole

2lbs ground beef

1 can cream of chicken soup*  

3/4 cup of milk

2 1/4 cups of cheddar cheese

1 bag of Tater Tops*  

Preheat oven to 400. Brown the hamburger and drain off any grease. Layer the hamburger in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Mix the can of cream of chicken soup with 3/4 cup of milk.  Then pour it over the hamburger.  sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the hamburger and soup.  Layer the tater tots on top of the cheese.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the tator tops are brown and crispy.

* I use Campbells Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup because there is no MSG in it.

* I use Crispy Crowns from Ore Ida instead of regular tator tots because they get crispier than ordinary tator  tots.

Cookies and Creme Brownies

As I've said before I have 5 children and so I am always looking for fun and easy recipe.  Unfortunately I can't take credit for this recipe, I actually saw it on the back of the box. With a name like Cookies and Creme Brownies, how could I resist giving them a try?  They were very simple to make, and my children really liked them.  The brownies looked yummy.  I thought they were a little too sweet, but still think they would make a great dessert to take for a covered dish.

1 box fudge brownie mix (9x13 size)
1 3/4 cup Oreo cookie crumbs
1 container vanilla frosting.

Preheat oven to temperature listed on the box. Mix up the brownie mix as directed on the package. Then add 1 cup of cookie crumbs to the batter.  Pour into a greased 13x9 pan and bake for the time stated on the box.*  Allow the brownies to cool completely.  Spread the vanilla frosting on top of the brownies and then sprinkle the remaining cookie crumbs on top.

*I'm not crazy about gooey brownies so I might increase the cooking time by a few minutes the next time I make them.