There is something about tater tot hotdish that makes it the ultimate winter comfort food. It also sounded tasty to this pregnant girl, so off to the store I went. I'm pretty sure after all of the food I consumed this weekend, I didn't need a dish like this, but it was tasty!

Tater Tot Hotdish
1 lb. ground beefed-browned and drained
1 frozen bag of tater tots
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1/2 bag of frozen peas (or whatever vegetable you'd prefer)
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup


Brown the ground beef (next time I might try ground turkey for a healthier alternative) and drain excess fat. On the bottom of a 9X13 pan, put a layer of veggies. Then, place the browned ground beef on top of the veggies. Mix the soups together with a little water to dilute them a little, then pour the soup mixture over the top of the meat and put a layer of tater tots on top. Cook at 350 for and hour and a half.

I have been slacking, A LOT, lately! Sorry about that. Now that Christmas break has come, I hope to try out some new cookie recipes. We will see how I do. However, this was just a New Years Resolution, so I just have to make it another two weeks and then I don't have to feel so guilty about not posting as often as I promised. I hope I can make it! For my first baking attempt of the Christmas season, I decided to try out some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but I wanted to use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips to give them a little extra chocolate. Not the best picture, sorry!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe Compliments of Betty Crocker

1 1/2	cups packed brown sugar
1	cup butter or margarine, softened
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	egg
2	cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose or unbleached flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	teaspoon salt
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)( I used 2 cups of Chocolate chunks)
1	cup chopped nuts, if desired

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1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until blended. Stir in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in oats, flour, baking soda and salt; stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
2. Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Chicken Enchilada Dip Roll Ups

These roll ups were delicious! I found them on Annie's Eats website and was so happy that I tried them. They were the perfect appetizer and were gone in no time. They were easy to make and prepare and didn't require any crazy ingredients that I didn't already have on hand. 

 

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, pepper jack, etc.)
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
Handful of cilantro, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained well
4-6 8-inch tortillas
Directions:
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned and cooked through.  Transfer to a plate and let cool.
In the meantime, combine all of the remaining ingredients except tortillas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix until well blended.  Once the chicken is cool, transfer to a cutting board and chop or shred into small pieces.  Add the chicken to the filling mixture and stir well to incorporate.
Spread a thin layer of the filling mixture over a tortilla, leaving a small border clear around the edge.  Roll the tortilla up tightly into a spiral.  Place the rolled up tortilla on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut into 1- to 1½-inch thick segments.  Transfer to a serving platter and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Twist on a Classic

Pat made these grilled cheese "sticks" awhile ago and I must say they were tasty. He added chopped jalapenos to the grilled cheese to give it a little extra zing and served it with tomato soup. He cut the sandwich into 1 inch slices so you could dip it in the soup, very tasty and very easy.

Cream Cheese Wontons with a Twist

We are going to a Holiday party tonight and are bringing an appetizer. I decided to make cream cheese wontons, as they don't require a lot of prep and are usually a big hit. I wanted to add something to change them from just being cream cheese wontons, so I added a teaspoon of canned cranberry to the cream cheese. I snuck a few to make sure they tasted okay and they were delicious. We have to stop on the way and pick up sweet and sour sauce, which is why there is an empty dish in the picture.

Cranberry-Cream cheese Wontons
1 tsp. whipped cream cheese
1 tsp. cranberry sauce (from the can)
wonton wrappers
canola oil

Pumpkin Cheesecake....delicious!

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! I have been a terrible and neglectful blogger lately, sorry! I made this delicious cheesecake for Thanksgiving using the Cheesecake Factory's recipe for Pumpkin cheesecake. The picture doesn't do it justice and I forgot to take a picture of it plated, but we ate it up so fast, there wasn't any time. Give it a try, I promise you will be happy you did!

Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:1 1/2 cups graham crumbs
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. sugar
Filling:
3- 8oz.pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
Whipped Cream

Mix crust ingredients together, just till coated and crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 2/3 up the sides of an 8" springform pan. Bake for 5 min. at 350. Set aside.

Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until smooth with an electric mixer. add pumpkin eggs, and spices, beat till smooth and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 min. or till the top turns a bit darker. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature, then refrigerate. After it has thoroughly chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream.