Homemade Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

I love, love, love me some au gratin or scalloped potatoes. Seriously, what is the difference between the two? I need to do some research on that. Anyway, the other night when making steak, I really wasn't sure what I was going to make with it. Mashed potatoes again? No way! But I really wanted potatoes and I really did not want to fry them.

Then BAM, it hit me. Duh! Why not make cheesy potatoes? I had Velveeta cheese, which we all know is amazing...right? What more did I need? I'll admit I cheated and googled them to get approximated cook times. However, I really just kind of winged it, which is what generally happens. I think I just lie the reassurance of seeing someone else's recipe and knowing it really is possible.

The turned out amazing. Even my six year-old commented on how good they were, while insisting us father eat them. I had the hubby's approval, too. He ate what little leftovers we had before I got home from work the next day. Talon cutely announced that he knew my secret ingredient. "What is it?" I asked him. "Cheese!" He declared, and I could only laugh. He surely knows my "secret" ingredient.

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 potatoes (depends on size)
• 8 oz Velveeta cheese (about 1/2 a block & you can afford some give/take on this, depending on preference)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 to 2 cups shredded cheese (optional)
• Salt
• Pepper

Recipe

Cut potatoes about this thin.

1. Place pot of water on stove to start heating up.
2. Slice potatoes into desired thickness & add to boiling water.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees while potatoes cook
4. Boil for 8 minutes and check every 1 to 2 minutes after until fork tender (not tender enough for mashed potatoes, remember)
5. Cube velveeta cheese for easy melting.
6. Strain potatoes and put on baking dish.
7. Put in milk, velveeta cheese, salt and pepper.
8. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
9. Stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Add the other 1/2 cup on top.



My Velveeta cheese blocks/slices.

10. Uncover and bake until cheese is melted and potatoes are desired tenderness.

What my taters looked like before the cheese topping!

~ 3 adult servings

Cheese Rolls: An Even Faster Alternative to Grilled Cheese

So in a pinch the other night, I had planned to make grilled cheese. I could have very well made grilled cheese sandwiches. It doesn't take very long and I had all the stuff. Do you know what's even faster? Cheese rolls. With only three ingredients, my microwave, and about five minutes... Gabe and I had supper.

Cheese rolls can be made in the oven or you could even grill them, but I just put one slice of cheese on a corn tortilla and popped it in the microwave for 30 seconds. When done, I rolled them and enjoyed with the tomato soup I made while the cheese rolls were in and out of the microwave. Flour tortillas work just as well, for those who don't want corn torts. Also, for extra cheesy goodness use two slices of cheese and melt for 45 seconds.

Ingredients:

• Cheese slices
• Corn or flour tortillas
• Can of tomato soup

Recipe:

1. Take 1 tort and 1 slice of cheese. Place on plate and pop into microwave for 30 seconds or until cheese is melted.
2. While cooking cheese rolls, pour tomato soup into pot and bring to boil.
3. Enjoy!

Tater Tot Casserole

So, the other day I was feeling very unmotivated when it came to dinner. On most nights like this one, I quickly whip up spaghetti or macaroni and tuna or something just as quick and easy. My sister, however, brilliantly suggested we make Tater Tot Casserole. Simple, easy, classic, right? True on all counts. Except, would you believe that I had no idea how to make it. Yes, yes, I could've guessed and surely figured it out, right? Well, not only do I prefer to stay on the safe side, but it tends to bit me in the rear when I don't. I'm definitely no super chef. I grew up on pork steak and goolosh, so I didn't know much about anything else before I had a family of my own...or how great other food (and cooking it) could be!

Well, believe it or not, I only had about half the ingredients. I don't keep tater tots on hand and I don't like to keep sour cream around very long. After going through the trouble of looking up a recipe and realizing how delicious it sounded, I was having this dinner, regardless. So, I did what I hate to do... I drove to the grocery store in town and bought the tater tots and sour cream. Surely, they were a little overpriced, but still affordable enough where I didn't cringe too much at the register. I despise shopping more frequently than my weekly trip, where our weekly food budget is typically spent. However, I had to have Tater Tot Casserole. That was all there was to it. I'm happy to say that it turned out fantastic! Everyone loved it, including my picky self. It was delicious! The only thing I'll do different next time is I won't use Velveeta Shredded Cheddar Cheese. It's very sharp, very dry. It's hard to melt, as well. It's a very poor choice for melting on thing, like my baked spaghetti or on lasagna. On to the recipe! Which is probably the same as 100 others, but I had to look one up, so maybe you need to, as well?



Estimated Prep & Cook Time: ~1 hour

Ingredients & Supplies

• Bag of Tater Tots, any brand will do
• 8oz+ Shredded Cheese of choice
• Cream of Mushroom
• Sour Cream
• 1-2lb Hamburger
• Pan to fry hamburger
• Baking dish

How-To

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown hamburger in skillet.
3. Mix hamburger, sour cream, and cream of mushroom in bottom of baking dish.
4. Top burger mix with tater tots.
5. Top tater tots with shredded cheese.
6. Pop into oven until cheese is melted & tater tots are done.

Tip: I sliced up some Velveeta block cheese (yum!) and put the slices between my burger mix and my tater tots for an extra cheesy, delicious casserole.