gigglefritz recipe

Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

adminLeave a comment

Hi All!

I just wanted to share a neat recipe I found a few weeks back. I found “Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole” in one of our area newspapers. We’ve eaten this twice now and it’s a keeper with my family.

The recipe calls for tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, yellow mustard, and salt to make the sloppy joe sauce. I made it faster and easier by just using a store bought can of sloppy joe sauce.

Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole with Dill Pickle Topping

Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole – Serves 8

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

2 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp yellow mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1 bag (32 oz) frozen tater tots

2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (8 oz)

1/4 cup chopped dill pickles

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13×9″ (3 qt.) baking dish with cooking spray. Brown hamburger with onion. Drain grease. Stir in tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, yellow mustard, and salt (or can of sloppy joe mix). Cook 2-3 minutes stirring frequently until bubbly. Line bottom of baking dish with half of bag of tater tots. Pour beef mixture on top of tots. Add 1 cup of cheese over the beef mixture. Add remaining tots and top off with last cup of cheese. Bake 45 minutes or until bubbly and tater tots are slightly browned. Top with chopped dill pickles.

Note: I don’t do all of the layers. I put the sloppy joe/meat mixture in the bottom of the baking dish, add a layer of tater tots, and bake. After the casserole is baked I add the cheese and let it melt for 5 minutes, add chopped pickles, and serve.

This recipe works great for my family of three (two adults, one toddler). We eat half and then I freeze the other half for a meal later.

Here is a printable version of the recipe: Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole

You can also find it on my “Recipes” page.

Have you tried this recipe? What do you think? Do you have any special substitutions? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a great day! 🙂

Missie S.

May 29, 2016 – Summer Recipes

adminLeave a comment

Hello Everyone!

How is your Memorial Day weekend going so far?  My family and I are enjoying this beautiful stretch of weather we have been having.  Some rain and thunderstorms have made it all a little more exciting, but right now it is just GORGEOUS!

It is great to have the sounds, smells, and sights of summer back again.  Yesterday (Saturday), we went to my sister and brother-in-law’s cookout.  They live near a lake and while we were outside we could hear the hum of the motor boats, smell the freshly mowed grass, burgers were sizzling on the grill, and the surrounding landscape was vibrant with new foliage.  It’s been a great start to the summer, so far.

We didn’t show up empty-handed to the cookout.  I made two dishes: Deluxe Macaroni Salad and Dirt Cake.  They were absolutely delicious and we even had some leftover for today. Now I don’t have to fuss over dinner! Below are the recipes.

IMG_20160527_190330380 (Medium)
Deluxe Macaroni Salad from Freistadt Cookbook

Deluxe Macaroni Salad

8 oz. macaroni, boiled and drained
½ lb. ham, diced
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
10 oz. frozen peas
4 hard-boiled eggs, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1/3 cup radishes, sliced
¼ cup green onion, chopped very fine
2/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup pickle relish
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and chill.

Dirt Cake
Dirt Cake

Dirt Cake

32 oz. Oreo Cookies (1 pkg. + 1 row)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz.)
3 ½ cups milk
12 oz. whipped topping
Gummy worms, clean flower pot, etc. for decoration (optional)

  1. In a blender, grind Oreo cookies and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and butter. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, mix vanilla pudding and milk with a wisk. Fold in the whipped topping.  Fold in the cream cheese mixture.
  4. In a flower pot or other large container, place some of the whipped topping mixture on the bottom. Add some of the cookies and continue alternating cream mixture and cookies in layers.
  5. Refrigerate for 24 hours and garnish with gummy worms or other decorations.

I served each dish in 13 in x 9 in Pyrex pans because I transported them in a carrying case with lids and ice packs.  The macaroni salad fit perfectly, but I had extra dirt cake that I left behind for us later. Printable versions of these recipes are below.

Deluxe Macaroni Salad Recipe
Dirt Cake Recipe

Enjoy these tasty summer dishes!  I am off to enjoy this weekend!

Missie S.

 

Homemade Chicken Soup Day

adminLeave a comment

Yesterday, I had to pick up my daughter from school, she was not feeling well.  She spent a good deal of time sleeping and trying to feel better.  It was actually a good day to be home sick.  It rained all day long and became cold – perfectly normal weather for Wisconsin in May (heavy sarcasm here).  It was a perfect day for homemade chicken soup.

Homemade Chicken Soup

I’ve been doing more cooking in the past two weeks and it feels great.  It is good to get back to smelling fresh, cut up vegetables and herbs.  The morning sickness was so bad my spice cabinet made me want to retch.  How sad was that!  Back to making soup.  So, I found some frozen vegetable broth and cooked chicken in my freezer, cut up some fresh carrots, celery, and onion, and pulled out some simple herbs and made soup.  Oh, did it smell magical!  The mixed smell of simmering oregano, pepper, chicken, and vegetables made me feel so alive, yet calm.  I was hoping the aroma would help make my daughter a little more cheery too.  Some warm soup, grilled cheese, and an old movie after lunch contributed to a peaceful nap taken by both mom and daughter.  I love it when simple things remedy crappy days and tired souls.

Here is the chicken soup recipe I use:

Homemade Chicken Soup

Prep Time: 25 min                            Cook Time: 34 min

Ingredients:

32oz (4cups) chicken broth

2 cups water

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 medium rib celery, diced

1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges

1 tsp dried majoram, or oregano

1 bay leaf (I don’t use)

¼ tsp pepper (or less)

2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, chopped

1 cup flat noodles, or noodles of choice

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, or 1 Tbsp dried parsley

 

1. In a large sauce pan, combine chicken broth, water, carrot, celery, onion, marjoram, bay leaf, and pepper.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes.

2. Increase heat to medium-high; return to a boil.  Add chicken or turkey, noodles, and parsley.  Return to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cook, loosely covered, 15-20 minutes or until noodles are tender.  Remove and discard bay leaf.

Click here to print or save recipe: Homemade Chicken Soup – Printable

 

Have a wonderful day!

Missie