Tater Tot Hot Dish - Comfort Food

Nothing is better than a lazy Sunday!  Watching movies, taking a nap, and eating comfort food.  It is flood season in the Red River Valley and as the snow melts and the water rises, it is nice to sit down to a classic hot dish and some family time.  Today, that hotdish was tater tot hotdish.  

Ingredients:
1 can Golden Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
1 1/2 pounds of browned hamburger
2 cans French Cut Green Beans
6 oz can of French Fried Onions
32 oz bag of tater tots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large skillet cook ground beef, drain and spread into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add soups and green beans. Top with onion rings, then with tater tots.  Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Pepperoni Pizza Dip

Spring is finally arriving in the frozen North!  Looking at the calendar, we have recitals, concerts, graduation parties and birthdays to celebrate.  I love making easy dips for family gatherings.  Even better, I like having a tasty dip to enjoy while sitting on the deck enjoying an early summer evening after a busy week.  This dip is a warm dip, perfect for a cool spring or summer evening.  Super simple to make.  You may want to have enough ingredients for two - because it disappears fast!

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 14 oz. jar pizza sauce

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 6 oz can sliced black olives

2 ounces sliced pepperoni

Your favorite chips or crackers:  corn, multigrain tortilla chips, etc

Preparation:

Press cream cheese in bottom of 9-inch glass pie plate.  Spread pizza sauce over cream cheese, and then top with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and olives.  Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.  Serve with your favorite chips or crackers.

I like to use scoops!

Lemon Cookies

"If life throws you a lemon - make lemonade."

Joan Collins 

It is April 16th, the day after tax day.  Television and newspapers are full of bad news.... blizzards, tornados, fires, and looming floods.  We got a fresh 4 inches of snow on Sunday evening and we anticipate more snow on three out of the next 6 days.  
As I look out my window and wonder about the grass waiting under that thick snow cover, I can't help but think about lemons.  As far as winters go, this has been a lemon!  Too much snow, too much cold, and worry about spring floods.  
So, I ask myself.... "Why not take those sunny yellow lemon thoughts, and make something good?"
Well, here it is!  A simple lemon cookie that will bring a smile to your face and help you forget about the lemons that life throws your way.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 package lemon cake mix
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375º.  In a large bowl, blend the cake mix, eggs, oil, lemon extract and zest together well.  Roll teaspoon sized balls of dough, and coat them in powdered sugar.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake for 7 to 8 minutes.  Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Salad

Even though we have a great deal of snow on the ground and we expect to see some more fall tomorrow, I have been thinking about spring and summer cooking.  We love to grill and eat fresh salads in the summer.  Simple, fresh ingredients tossed together - nothing better than that!  Here is a simple salad that can be made quickly.  Great for supper on a bed of lettuce or on whole grain bread for lunch.
Enjoy!

2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 1/2 cups diced chicken
1 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup slivered almonds

Combine lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt and cayenne pepper and blend well.  Toss with chicken, celery and almonds.  Serve on your favorite bread or a bed of crisp lettuce.

Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients

12 – 14 lasagna noodles (no boil)

1 pound boneless chicken breast, cooked and shredded

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves (minced)

2 cups sliced mushrooms

8 cups raw spinach

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

3 cups tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish by spraying with nonstick spray.

Saute onions in olive oil until soft, about 5-6 minutes.  Then add mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and spinach and cook until spinach wilts.  Add cooked, shredded chicken.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of each cheese.

Lay three lasagna noodles on the bottom of the dish, then layer some of the chicken mixture on top.  Spoon on 1/3 of the chicken mixture on top, then top with the cheeses.  Repeat the entire process two more times.

Bake for 45 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve.