Tater-Tot Casserole

Tater-Tot Casserole
serves 4

What you will need:
*1 LB lean ground beef
*1/2 medium onion, chopped
*1 10 1/2 ounce can condensed cream of celery or cream of chicken soup 
*1 16oz package frozen tater tots
*1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
*salt and pepper

Directions: 
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef, season with salt and pepper.
3. Add chopped onion, cook until tender.
4. In a casserole dish, combine ground beef mixture & cream soup. 
5. Top mixture with tater tots.
6. Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes till bubbly and Tots are golden brown.
7.Remove from oven & top with cheese, return to oven until melted.
8. Enjoy! 

Side note, this dish also freezed great if you want to make extra and throw some in the freezer for another quick meal later on! 

*When I made this for dinner I simply cut down the recipe a little bit so I would only make a smaller pan for Matt and I. Really its just what you think looks good or what you like, try it out and see what you think! 

Orange Chicken

 Okay I know I say this about every recipe but this is seriously the best orange chicken you will ever have.  I started making this a few years ago and have now mastered it! This is one you HAVE to try at least once, I promise you wont be disappointed.  Side note, I am not a fan of orange chicken at Chinese restaurants at all, they are to spicy for me and just taste funny.  These are not spicy at all and taste nothing like nasty restaurant orange chicken!
This recipe is perfect for an evening at home, you could even get someone to help you make it, which makes it a lot easier and is much more fun that way!

Ready for this awesomeness? Here it is:

3lbs Chicken breast (or however much you are making, I always do more because I am always making this for a ton of people at one time...)

Defrost the chicken then cut them into small squares 

Drop the cut up chicken and put it in a bowl with 1-2 beaten egg

After dipping chicken pieces in the egg, shake chicken in a bag of:
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 C corn starch
1/2 C flour
**I always double this because I like more breading.  Another trick I have learned over the years... After you cut up the chicken and put it in the bag with the flour/corn starch don't mix it up right away.  Put as much chicken in the bag before you shake it, this way the beading will cover it all without getting all nasty and used right away.  The less times you have to shake up the chicken the better they will be breaded. 

 

 You don't have to do multiple bags... Like I said I was making a ton!

 See how nicely breaded these are? :)

 

 Brown floured chicken in oil (any type will work we just like to use Coconut Oil) and place in baking dish (spray it before hand).  Remember don't eat the chicken, its still raw!

 

Combine all your ingredient for the sauce

 Next you are going to make the orange sauce:
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C chicken broth
1/4 C catsup
2T soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt

Combine it all in sauce pan, stirring occasionally (using a whisk works best)

Cook it until it comes to a boil

 Pour sauce over chicken.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.  Stir halfway through.

 

Serve over rice and ENJOY!!

 

That easy! Let us know how it turns out but I should warn you, once you have this you wont be able to stop making it!

Easy Italian Chicken

Okay folk, this is going to seriously be the fastest, easiest, yummiest thing you have ever made.  Are you ready for it? Here it is:

Ingredient:
Chicken Breasts (depends on how many are eating... I normally just do 2)
1 pkg Italian Season mix
1 can Cream of Chicken
1 8oz pkg. Cream Cheese
Butter (I don't do this because it's fine without, why add the extra fat if it still tastes amazing?)

Cream cheese not pictured.

Put everything in the crock pot and turn it on low for 6-8 hours stirring occasionally (if your home, if not don't worry about it!)

** Don't even worry about defrosting the chicken just stick it in frozen and all!

***Serve over rice or noodles

Seriously that's it, what did I tell you easy right? Go a head try it out, tell us what you think!

Triple Chocolate Decadent Delight

This cake is a favorite at our house.  So incredibly yummy!  The original recipe is HERE--and I make it just like they say, with no changes (although we have renamed it!).

 Mine never turns out so pretty as in the magazine, but it's sure tasty!

Make sure you plan to share--it's too rich to eat by yourself!

Potato Bacon Soup (with steamed veggies!)

Friday Food Frenzie:
My mother n law makes TO DIE FOR potato bacon soup, and Matt has officially mastered it as well!  So lucky for me I get to enjoy it whenever  I would like.  

This recipe is all pretty much based on how much you would like to make.  We made a whole bunch because we had extra half and half and potatoes that we didn't want to go bad, so we are freezing the rest to enjoy later.  If you are just dying to try it here's the recipe:

Potato Bacon Soup:

1. Peel and cut up your potatoes (bite size) and place them into a pot filled with water.  

2. Boil the potatoes until soft.

3. Steam your vegetables. This step is optional of course but we really enjoy some carrots, broccoli, and celery in our,  doesn't matter how much!

4. Gather butter, half and half (or milk works fine too), and flour.  Make a simple white sauce with this (you know butter and flour, then add the milk...)

5. Wait for the white sauce to thicken up, stirring occasionally.

6. This is my favorite step... cook the bacon!  You can never have to much of this, crunchy is best! 

7. Place the cooked potatoes (drained) and steamed vegetables into your bowl. 

8. Important! Save some of the potato water to mix in with the white sauce later-this is one of the secrets for making it taste so good! 

9. Pour the white sauce into your bowl of potatoes.

10. Add your potato water, doesn't have to be a lot this just helps it make a little more and a little runnier (don't worry it will still be thick!) 

11. Add the bacon!  If you have to taste a little before hand that's okay... we wont judge you ;) 

12. Stir it all together at salt and pepper to taste and ENJOY! 

Yup it's seriously that easy, and I bet you have everything already in your fridge.  Go go ahead try it, you will be glad you did! Let us know how it turned out.

Oreo Truffes

 

It's as easy as 1,2,3.  Don't believe me?  Try it! 

1. Gather the ingredient (chocolate, Oreo's (doesn't have to be mint...), cream cheese).

2. Crush the Oreo'. (Place about 6 oreo's aside, crush them and save them for later)

3. Place all the cream cheese in with your crushed Oreo's.

4. Stir them together.  You can use a spoon but your hands work best!

5. Melt the chocolate (microwave works fine) I just melted a few chunks of the chocolate bar.

6. Scoop out a little ball worth (I just used a cookie scoop but a spoon would work fine) and dip it into the melted chocolate, and then in the extra oreo crumbs.

7.  Place ball on a tray (I lined it with wax paper for easy clean up!) and put in the fridge to harden.  Enjoy!

Told you its easy, give it a try and let us know how it turns out!