Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole ***

I believe I've mentioned once or twice (or a zillion times) that I have a freakish love of tater tots.  I'm always excited to find a recipe that uses them successfully.  This was absolutely perfect.  The cheesy flavor of the tater tots kind of reminds me of loaded baked potato skins.  Just seriously yummy.  Again, nothing mind-blowing, but just simple and tasty.

BACON CHEESEBURGER TATER TOT CASSEROLE

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ PlainChicken)

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

1 (3-oz) package real bacon bits

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 (32-oz) package frozen tater tots

1 (10.75-oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup

16-oz sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cook ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink. Drain fat.

In a large bowl, combine cooked beef, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, tater tots, cheese soup and sour cream. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Spread mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until bubbly.

Deconstructed Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta **

This was just kind of "meh."  It wasn't bad by any means, but it just wasn't anything special.  I was pretty disappointed.  To me, it really wasn't reminiscent of chicken parmesan at all, but that is probably because there wasn't flavoring from any breading.  I don't see myself making it again.

DECONSTRUCTED SLOW COOKER CHICKEN PARMESAN PASTA

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ FoodySchmoody)

1 onion, sweet, sliced

3 garlic cloves, smashed

3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1 tbsp basil, dried

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 (24-oz) jars pasta sauce

16 oz rigatoni pasta

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parsley, freshly chopped

Place onion and smashed garlic in slow cooker.

Season chicken with salt and pepper and place on top of onions. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle dried basil on to the sauce. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

When slow cooker time is up, remove chicken, shred and place back into sauce. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta and stir into slow cooker.

Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over the top of pasta and replace cover just until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Garnish with parsley just before serving.

Crockpot Green Beans ***

These were delicious!  I would definitely use the bacon strips.  I had a pack of bacon pieces to use up, and while it was still great, I think it would have been even better with the real deal.  I had to double the recipe for my crew (growing boys will eat you out house and home), but other than that stuff, I really didn't change much.  Can't beat the simplicity on this bad boy!

CROCKPOT GREEN BEANS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ RecipesThatCrock)

2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian cut green beans
2 pieces of bacon
4 T butter
water (enough to cover your beans)
salt and pepper to taste

Pour your cans of green beans in your crock pot.
Tear up your uncooked bacon into pieces and scatter in your crock pot.
Cut up your butter into pats and place evenly around your crock pot.
Add enough water to cover your beans by a half inch.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
*luckymommy/Amy's notes: I doubled the recipe.

Tex-Mex Beef and Rice Casserole ****

This one just blew our minds.  I mean, it obviously wasn't anything special, but the flavors just go together perfectly.  When I picked it, I assumed it would basically be another version of one of our favorites, Mexican Chicken.  In theory, it is, but they taste nothing alike.  It's still just as yummy, just in a different way.  Hubby is job-hunting at the moment, so he made this one while I was working late one day.  He said he thought it would be good with one of the flavored rices, but I just loved the white rice with it.  I think anything else would pull the attention away from the other flavor players.  The chips give you just enough of a little salty crunch with each bite.  Just a great recipe all around!

TEX-MEX BEEF AND RICE CASSEROLE

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ KraftRecipes.com)

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread

1 pkg.  (1 oz.) TACO BELL Taco Seasoning Mix

2 Tbsp. milk

1 can (14 oz.) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (11 oz.) corn with red and green bell peppers, undrained

1/2 cup chopped onions

3 cups cooked long-grain white rice

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Colby and Monterey Jack Cheeses, divided

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 350*F.

Brown meat in large nonstick skillet. Meanwhile, mix cream cheese spread, seasoning mix and milk until blended.

Drain meat; return to skillet. Add cream cheese mixture, tomatoes, corn and onions; mix well.

Combine rice and 1/2 cup shredded cheese in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; spread to cover bottom of dish. Top with meat mixture and remaining shredded cheese; cover.

Bake 30 min. or until heated through. Top with crushed chips and cilantro.

Little Smokies Croissant Breakfast Casserole ***

It was pretty obvious from the title that I would love this recipe.  I mean, with Little Smokies and croissants, how could you go wrong?  I was right, though.  This thing was awesome.  I did have to go for the full 50 minutes, just to make sure the eggs thickened up enough.  As usual, I subbed Egg Beaters for the eggs.  I'm wondering how it would be with the Southwestern Egg Beaters.  Might have to try that next time.  I did leave out the Dijon and the onion powder.  I never can get into those flavors with pork in general, but the idea of them in a breakfast food makes me kind of gag.  Honestly, even if I liked the flavors, I doubt I would want them in something like this.  Eggs are so good on their own (to me, anyway), and once you add in the croissants and Smokies, the flavor just get even more spectacular.  I would be afraid that the mustard and onion flavor would jsut take too much attention from all the other yummy goodness.  But all of that aside, we loved this bad boy.  Not to mention how much I love being able to throw it together the night before.  My oven has a timer that allows me to set it to come on and preheat at a specific time.  So I set it early, got up and popped that bad boy in the oven, and went back to bed for 50 minutes.  Perfect!

LITTLE SMOKIES CROISSANT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ PlainChicken)

1 (14-oz) package Little Smokies

1 (10 to 13-oz) package mini croissants

2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp Dijon mustard

3 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

5 eggs

Chop little Smokies and mini croissants into bite-sized pieces. Toss together little Smokies, croissants and cheddar cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan.

Whisk together milk, heavy cream, onion powder, Dijon mustard and eggs. Pour over croissant mixture. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover casserole. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Crockpot Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole **

I think my 11-year-old said it best: "This is good, but it's definitely not my favorite."  It was tasty and filling, but it just kind of lacked something.  For one thing, the rice gets too mushy when it's cooked for so long.  If I did it again, I might try it on high for the shorter cook time.  I doubt I'll mess with it again, though.  It just didn't "wow" us enough.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND WILD RICE CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ MostlyHomemadeMom)

6 oz box long grain and wild rice mix (unprepared)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz sliced mushrooms
10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup real bacon pieces

Pour dry rice into bottom of slow cooker, set aside seasoning envelope. Lay chicken over dry rice.
Sprinkle mushroom slices over chicken. In a small bowl, whisk soup, water, and contents of seasoning envelope.
Pour over mixture in crockpot. Sprinkle bacon pieces on top.
Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is cooked through.