I have to ask. How many of you remember Eddie Driscoll? Where do you remember him from? The last question this week is … Do you remember the name of his puppet dog? Let me know. I want to hear from you. I am a child (really young teen) of the 1970’s although I tell everyone I was on the cusp of the ‘80s.
OK. Now for the recipes. I had a teen ask me for a recipe for “Tater Tot Casserole”. Jen tells me her grandmother used to make it for her when she visited Maine and she’s hoping someone has it. Now that her grandmother is passed, she wants to try to make it for herself. I found one Jen, maybe someone else has one, too.
Tater Tot Casserole
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 (19 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (32 ounce) package frozen tater tots
Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread hamburger into bottom of pan, covering entire bottom, gently tamping beef down. Sprinkle with diced onions. Layer frozen veggies as next layer. Cover with the soup, straight from the can, carefully spreading with spatula to cover entirely. Layer tater tots on top, covering entire top with tots. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees) for 1 hour, or until hamburger is done. Check after 30 minutes; if tots are getting too brown, turn down to 350 degrees F.
I found this next one while looking for the Tater Tot dish-I have had several recipes for gluten free and finally found what sounds like a good one.
Gluten-Free Pizza
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
6 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 16 oz container of pizza sauce
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a 16 inch pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Place sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring to crumble, until evenly browned. Drain grease, and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss together the hash browns, salt, and 3/4 cup of the cheese until evenly blended. Spread in an even layer on the pizza pan, and pack down.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crust is nicely browned on the top and bottom. Remove from the oven, spread sauce over the pizza. Sprinkle the remaining cheese, mushrooms and sausage evenly over the pizza. Return to the hot oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting into slices. Remember, this is a guide-if you like peppers and pepperoni-add them, too!
Keep writing, have a great week, and we’ll talk more next time. Please contact me at Susieqcooking@ainop.com or c/o Pioneer Times, P.O. Box 456, Houlton, Maine 04730.
