Joe's Version of Church Cookbook Food

Comfort food. Gramma's famous casserole. Church potluck. Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy and good inside. Around our house we don't normally make those "church cookbook" kind of dishes. But every once in a while we get that serious craving for really good comfort food. And what fills that bill better than Tator Tot Casserole ??

Everyone has a version of their own. Some people use tomato soup, others cream of mushroom soup. Some add veggies, some don't. My version and Joe's version are also vastly different. Tonight Joe shares his version.

Joe's Tator Tot Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup frozen green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms
1 small bag cheese
tator tots- enough to cover pan

Brown ground beef and onion, drain and season with salt and pepper. Combine with mushrooms, green beans, mushroom soup and just a splash of milk.

 Mix well and turn into 9x9 baking dish. Bake at 400 degree 20-30 minutes until heated through and beans are cooked. Meanwhile, place tator tots on cookie sheet and bake until almost done.

Remove casserole from oven, cover with hot tator tots.

 Sprinkle cheese over.

Return to oven until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown and sauce is bubbly.

Sooooooo yummy !!  Cut through the cheese, scoop the yummy casserole onto a plate and KEEP AWAY FROM ME !!!!!

The Best Part of Summer- Dinner From the Garden

Seems like we can't even use the dining table these days !!!! There are vegetables everywhere !!! The hot peppers are growing like weeds and every day, sometimes twice a day, we are picking peppers. Our herbs have all gone crazy as well.  Our "suffering" means you guys get yet another recipe using our garden vegs !! Sorry about that.......



The Chef's Stuffed Peppers
.....
large bell peppers (he used 5, use whatever quantity you need, you may need to make additional filling)
1 lb ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper
The Chef's red sauce (use whatever spaghetti/marinara sauce you like)
additional small peppers and tomatoes
mozzarella cheese
pasta of choice, cooked
parmesan cheese for serving
.....
Begin by browning ground beef and onion, season with salt and pepper. Drain off fat and set aside. Prepare peppers
by cutting off the top and removing seeds and membranes. If you prefer, cut peppers in half and stuff the halves. Arrange
in baking dish, fill with meat mixture. Surround with additional small peppers and small tomatoes (he used banana peppers, Jamaican yellow mushroom peppers, cherry tomatoes and small romas). Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-45 minutes or until the peppers are done to your liking (we like crisp/tender so 30 minutes is all we needed). Remove from oven and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, return to oven until cheese is melty and starting to brown. Serve peppers and roasted vegetables alongside pasta with red sauce over all. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.


Soooo delicious !! Made me wish I had baked some homemade bread to go with !! Now we're both just impatiently waiting for the weather to cool and the "winter food" season to begin.