Alfredo Style Tater Tot Casserole

Last night for dinner I threw together a tater tot casserole. The great thing about tater tot casserole is you can customize it however you want. The meat, veggies, sauce, and add ons are all your choice! The only constant is using tater tots for the topping before it's baked. In this variation I used alfredo sauce and Italian herbs. All of my measurements are approximate since I just cook enough for my family. This fed 3 kids, 2 adults, and left one large portion leftover when made in a 9x13 dish. I attempted stuffed breadsticks and the cheese oozed out. They were still delicious, haha!

1cu chopped onion
2tbsp garlic
1lb lean ground turkey
14oz frozen veggies
16oz alfredo sauce
2cu skim milk cheese
2lb bag tater tots

1. Preheat oven to 425*. Take tater tots and veggies out the freezer. Sauté onions and garlic in a small amount of olive oil until translucent.

2. In the same skillet brown the turkey and season as you want then add in the frozen veggies. Cook for about 5min before pouring on alfredo sauce. If you want to use some on the top only use half the jar.

3. Place turkey mixture into casserole dish, sprinkle on cheese, and  cover with a layer of tater tots (I used all but about 3cu of the bag). If you saved some sauce drizzle it on top.

4. Place in oven uncovered and bake for about 30min or until the tots are as brown as you like.

Skillet Lasagna

You know those boxes of helper for ground meat that shall remain nameless?? Well, I wanted something quick for dinner without resorting to that and came up with the idea of using those quick cook lasagna noodles in an untraditional way. This is what I came up with. It was done in less than 20 minutes and that includes the time it takes to brown the meat. Definitely awesome for those times when you want a pasta dish and don't want the extra steps of boiling the noodles...

2tbsp evoo
8oz chopped mushroom
2tbsp minced garlic
1-lb ground meat
Seasonings of choice (I used italian herbs, pepper, and salt)
24oz jar tomato sauce
1 box oven ready lasagna noodles, broken into 1in pieces

1. Heat the evoo in a large skillet then add mushrooms and garlic. Sautee until fragrant and the garlic starts to brown.

2. Add in meat, season, and cook until brown. Add in pasta sauce plus 2cu water and noodles. Cover and stir every five minutes for about 15 minutes until the pasta is as tender as you like.

3. Serve and enjoy!

Homemade Pizza Rolls

If you want to incite excitement, cheers, and dancing just by telling my kids what's for dinner pizza rolls is the way to go. The pizza dough is incredibly easy to make and if your kids are old enough they can definitely help with the most labor intensive part of making the actual rolls. This is another recipe that can be customized as you like. I enjoy the extra flavor the dough gets by using garlic salt, but you can use regular salt in it's place. If you don't like pepperoni then go for just cheese or maybe a bbq chicken bite. You can also use the dough to bake you own pizza. Just stretch a piece to your desired shape, bake until slightly brown, add your toppings, and continue baking until it reaches your desired doneness. I will include the recipe for a single batch of dough. The pictures however are a double batch. I don't own a stand mixer, so this is done completely by hand with great results. I will include directions for both stand mixing and by hand. I make separate ones for the boyfriend and the kids due to a difference in cheese. These are a favorite leftover for lunches.

1/2 cup warm water (comfortable bath water temp, 110*)
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp. salt
olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing the bowl and baking pan
16oz block cheese cut, into bite sized pieces
Parmesan or pecorino romano (goat's milk) cheese
pepperoni
italian seasoning
Dipping sauce

1. Into a small bowl or large measuring cup measure the warm water and sprinkle in the yeast, stir immediately.  After the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5-10 minutes, stir in the room temperature water and the oil.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in the measured flour and salt.  Briefly mix at low speed, using the paddle attachment.  Continuing to mix at low speed, add the yeast mixture slowly. Once the dough is formed, stop the mixer and attach the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough will probably be a bit sticky. Brush the inside of a large bowl with olive oil.  With floured hands, form the dough into a ball, and place in the oiled bowl. Allow to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until double in size. Punch down to deflate.

    If mixing by hand, mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl with a rubber spatula/bowl scrapper. While mixing slowly pour in the yeast mixture. Once the flour and liquid are all incorporated sprinkle flour onto a clean countertop, turn the dough out on to the counter and sprinkle with another 1/4cu of flour on top. Flour your hands and begin to knead with the heel of your hand. Press the dough into the counter, fold the side over, and press again. Continue doing this for about five minutes, reflouring your hands as the dough gets too sticky. Place into oiled bowl and allow to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until double in size. Punch down to deflate.

3. Preheat oven to 425*. Sprinkle italian seasoning, garlic salt, and parmesan onto the greased baking pan. Pull a small piece of dough off and flatten into a circle. Place a piece of pepperoni and cheese onto the circle, press the edges together, and place seam side down on the pan. Continue until all the ingredients are gone. This step is best done sitting because it takes a bit. If you run out of cheese and pepperoni you can press the rest of the dough onto the pan in the shape of breadsticks or tightly wrap in plastic wrap, place into a ziploc, and freeze for a later time.

4. Sprinkle the top of the rolls with the same italian seasoning, garlic salt, and parmesan. Place into oven and bake for 10minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until golden brown about another 10 minutes.

These are the ingredients you will need for the dough.

This is what the yeast looks like when you mix it into the water.

This is 5-10 minutes later after it swells. It will have risen to the top.

Your dough will look like this once the flour is incorporated. This is when you switch to the dough hook or turn out onto your floured counter to knead.

Well floured counter and a little flour on top when you're hand kneading.

This is how the dough should look when its ready to go into the greased bowl and rise.

Double in size.

Punch to deflate.

The ingredients for the pizza rolls. Mozzarella and pecorino romano are made with goat's milk, so they're perfect to cook for someone who is lactose intolerant.

The size of the cheese versus the pepperoni.

Placing the pepperoni and cheese onto the dough.

Press the seams together.

Place seam side down into the baking pan.

Sprinkle the finished bites with cheese.

Golden brown and ready to enjoy!