Cheesy Tater Tot Chicken Casserole

This recipe is not my own...but its simple and tasty, and I will be making it again.

Ingredients

32 oz. frozen tater tots

12 0z. bacon cooked/crumbled

1 1/2 lb. chicken cut into small pieces

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. milk

S&P

Prebake the tater tots for a bit in a 400 degree oven

spray non-stick cooking spray onto a casserole pan. Layer 1/2 the tots in the pan in a single layer.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the crumbled bacon over the tots, followed by 1/3 of the grated cheese.

Next layer on the chicken.

Follow with 1/3 the bacon, 1/3 the cheese and remaining tots. Next the remaining bacon and cheese. Finally pour a cup of milk slowly over the entire casserole. Cover and bake for one hour at 350 degrees.

ENJOY ENJOY!!!!

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COLCANNON

For those who don't know, Colcannon is a hearty and buttery combination of very coarse mashed potatoes, bacon, cabbage, and a few other things. It is traditional Irish fare, originally at Celtic Halloween (Samhain) but also around St. Patrick's Day, as well as just all through the chilly months of the year. It is truly "comfort food"

Ingredients

*2 lb. red potatoes chopped for boiling with SKINS ON

*6 slices bacon

*1 T. oil

*8 scallion greens chopped in 1/8-1/2" pieces

*1 onion chopped small

*2 tsp. minced garlic

*3-4 cups shredded cabbage

*2/3 c. butter

*1 c. hot milk

*salt and pepper

*1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

First boil your potatoes. Remember...SKINS ON...red potatoes have nutrients in the skins you really don't want to lose, plus this is a dish with TEXTURE :-)

Next fry up your bacon until very crispy. Blot between paper towels, then crumble (stubborn portions may have to be crumbled with your fingers)

After you've taken the bacon out of the pan/pot (I use a pot due to the larger capacity to hold when it comes to adding the cabbage) add the oil, and your chopped onion, scallion/green onion tops, and garlic.

Saute until getting soft and then add your cabbage as well, and continue to saute until cabbage is soft.

In the meantime, your potatoes are ready to be mashed. Mash them with the butter and hot milk.

When mashed add in your bacon as well as your cabbage mix, and some salt and pepper if desired. 

Blend, with mixer.

Spread into a casserole dish and sprinkle with cheddar. Warm at 250 degrees until the rest of your meal is complete.

Enjoy Enjoy!!! Even better heated up as left-overs, smothered in butter!

(I never claimed to be health conscious when it comes to cooking...I believe you should enjoy eating...there are worse things in life that can and will kill you)

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CARAWAY CORNED BEEF

Before I post this recipe, I think we need to clear up a myth...and then pay respect to the Irish, for although corned beef and cabbage ISN'T truly native of Ireland, it IS an Irish dish beginning in America when the Irish were able to have access to more beef, instead of fatty bacon. The Irish DID make this dish, just not exactly the same as the immigrants were able to, and not the same as our American made tradition dictates...

Corned Beef & Cabbage - The Feeding of A Myth
by Bridget Haggerty

What's the national dish of Ireland? Corned Beef and Cabbage, you say?  Let's first explore the truth behind yet another Irish myth.

Corned Beef first turns up in the Vision of MacConglinne, a 12th-century poem which describes Irish food as it was eaten at the time.

The poet tell us that Corned Beef is a delicacy given to a king, in an attempt to conjure "the demon of gluttony" out of his belly. This delicacy status makes little sense until one understands that beef was not a major part of the Irish diet until the last century or so.

True, cattle were kept from very early times, but it was for their milk - not their meat. Said one bemused sixteenth-century traveller and historian,"They make seventy-several kinds of food out of milk, both sweet and sour, and they love them the best when they’re sourest."

So, what meat did the Irish eat? History tells us that pork was always the favorite. In ancient times, cattle were prized as a common medium for barter. The size of one’s herd was an indication of status, wealth and power -- hence all the stories of tribal chieftains and petty kings endlessly rustling one another’s cattle.

Long after the cattle raids were a distant memory, the majority of Irish people still didn’t eat very much beef because it was much too expensive and those who could afford it, consumed it fresh.

Corned Beef again surfaces in writings from the late 1600's as a specialty, a costly delicacy - expensive because of the salt - and made to be eaten at Easter, and sometimes at Hallowe'en. Surprising to this writer, was learning what the term "corn" really means. The name comes from Anglo-Saxon times when meat was dry-cured in coarse "corns" of salt. Pellets of salt, some the size of kernels of corn, were rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it. Today, brining -- the use of salt water -- has replaced the dry salt cure, but the name "corned beef" is still used, rather than "brined" or "pickled" beef.

But back to the myth: It was in the late 19th century that it began to take root. When the Irish emigrated to America and Canada, where both salt and meat were cheaper, they treated beef the same way they would have treated a "bacon joint" at home in Ireland: they soaked it to draw off the excess salt, then braised or boiled it with cabbage, and served it in its own juices with only minimal spicing - may be a bay leaf or so, and some pepper.

This dish, which still turns up on some Irish tables at Easter, has become familiar to people of Irish descent as the traditional favorite to serve on Saint Patrick’s Day. Certainly, there will be many restaurants in Ireland that will be serving Corned Beef and Cabbage on March 17th , but most of them will be doing so just to please the tourists.

The truth is, that for many Irish people, Corned Beef is too "poor" or plain to eat on a holiday: they'd sooner make something more festive. So, what then, is the Irish national dish - if indeed, there is one?

When I was growing up, my dad's favorite on St. Patrick's Day was boiled bacon and cabbage and it would appear that is still true in Ireland today. The "bacon joint"- various cuts of salted or smoked and salted pork - is sometimes cooked alone, or it might be braised with a small chicken keeping it company in the pot; it might also be served with vegetables, or with potatoes boiled in their jackets. For holiday eating, the winner would probably be spiced beef, served cold and sliced thin, with soda bread and a pint of Guinness on the side.

That being said...

Simple Ingredients:

*3-5 lb. corned beef brisket with seasoning packet OR

home-cured brisket

*4 tsp. Caraway seeds

*1 orange stuck with 20 whole cloves

*2 lb. red potatoes with skin on, cut in chunks

*2 lb. carrots in chunks

*8-12 cabbage wedges

* 14 0z. can or a bottle of Guinness Draught

Place the brisket in a large pot, along with the orange stuck with cloves. Empty the prepackaged seasoning packet into the pot, and 2 tsp. caraway seeds. Add the Guinness and add water to cover the brisket to about 1 1/2" above the beef. Bring to a boil, then simmer 3 hours.

Add the cabbage, potatoes and carrots, and 2 more tsp. Caraway seeds...stir around, bring to a boil once again, then reduce heat and simmer another hour and a half to 2 hours.

Enjoy Enjoy...I serve with Colcannon traditionally...also fresh buttered bread, and of course a pint of Guinness ;-)

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IRISH GUINNESS SHEPHERD'S PIE w/ GUINNESS GRAVY

This is an Irish Shepherd's Pie recipe courtesy of an online friend who is Irish and does much ethnic cooking...Irish American Mom (facebook)

As usual, I add or change things here and there, to experiment and also add my own "taste-mark" (like a trademark, only food haha)

So Shepherd's Pie was a dish that originated in England but was adopted into Ireland very early on. The addition of Guinness again gives a distinct Irish taste.

Ingredients

3 T. Canola oil

2 lb. lean ground beef

1/4 tsp. sea salt and pepper

1 large onion chopped

2 tsp. minced garlic

3 T. tomato paste

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 c. beef broth

4 T. Worchestershire sauce

1 1/2 c. Guinness draught

1 T. bittersweet chocolate chips

1 T. light brown sugar

1 tsp. Thyme

1/2 tsp. sage

1 tsp. parsley flakes

1/2 tsp. marjoram

12 oz. frozen mixed vegetables

3 lb. potatoes peeled, cubed

1/2 stick butter

1/2 c. sour cream

2 c. grated cheddar cheese

First peel and cube your potatoes, set them to boiling in a pot, and add some sea salt to the water. You don't HAVE to use sea salt, but the taste is better for cooking some things.

Next, put a tablespoon of oil in a skillet and brown your lean ground beef. Season with some salt and pepper. When done, drain thoroughly and set aside.

Next, put the remainder of the oil into the skillet, and brown your onion and garlic.

Return the beef to the skillet and mix together with the onions and garlic. Then add your tomato paste, dijon mustard,Guinness Draught, Worchestershire sauce, and beef broth.Stir in well.

Add thyme,parsley, sage and marjoram, mixing in well. I use fresh herbs when possible and if available in the store in Winter or from my garden in summer. Keep in mind fresh herbs are more pungent and you may need less.

Now add the brown sugar and chocolate chips. These off set some bitterness of the Guinness and add a richness that is unmistakable. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes until mixture is thick and glossy.

While the meat mixture simmers, mash your potatoes with the butter. Blend in the sour cream.

You are now ready to layer your Shepherd's Pie. In a greased casserole, first place the meat mixture, spreading evenly.

Next spread on your frozen mixed veggies.

Finally, spread your mashed potatoes evenly over the top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Take it out and spread your grated cheddar over the top.

Place back into the oven for another 20-30 minutes. It is done when the top begins to turn golden and it is visibly bubbling.

A delicious Irish gravy, Guinness Gravy, can be drizzled over top if you like. To make this gravy simply place 1 1/2 c. water and 1/2 c. Guinness into a saucepan. Whisk in 2 packets of brown gravy mix, 1 tsp.tomato paste, 1 T. Worchestershire sauce, and 1 tsp. brown sugar. Stir while heating until gravy consistency.

Enjoy Enjoy!!!!

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MY OWN EMERALD ISLE STEW

My Own Emerald Isle Stew

This is my personalized version of Irish beef stew starting with an authentic Celtic recipe and the addition of a few "twists" used frequently in Irish ethnic cooking. Although I use lean to slightly marbled beef cubes, one must appreciate that during the hard times in Dublin, and all over the island, good cuts of beef were enjoyed only by royalty and the rich, and "beef" stews were often made with cuts of bacon or cheap shin meat. Sometimes ox or lamb kidney was used as well.

The use of Guinness draught (pronounced draft) in Irish cooking also goes way back, and gives stews and slow cooked meals a wonderfully distinctive malty flavor. Some recipes used today only use a "token" 8 oz. or so...I like to use a fair amount as this is how it was done across the pond :-)

This stew does have a unique and robust scent and taste, due to the combination of rather heady seasonings such as parsnips, caraway seed, bay leaves and of course the Guinness. Keep in mind as usual with my recipes that I am using a large stock pot. If you are using a dutch oven size pot that routinely comes with pots n pans sets please cut these ingredients in half.

Ingredients

*2-3 T. oil

*5 lb. beef cut in 1" cubes

*4 large onions cut in large chunks

*2 heaping T. minced garlic

*4 c. Guinness Draught

*5 c. water

*4 cubes beef bouillon OR

3 heaping T. powdered bouillon

*4 bay leaves

*2 tsp. Caraway seed

*2 T. salt

*2 tsp. pepper

*3 parsnips cut in 3/4" pieces

*8 large carrots in 3/4" pieces

*3 lb. russet or redskin potatoes in 

large chunks with skin on

*5 stalks celery in 1" pieces

*1 bunch fresh parsley chopped small

(about 2 1/2-3 cups)

*6 T. flour

Heat oil in the pot on medium until it appears "shimmery"...add the meat and brown, stirring often.

Stir in your chopped onions, parsnips and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the onions are on their way to getting soft.

Add your draught, water, bouillon, bay leaves, caraway seed, salt & pepper and bring to a boil. Quickly reduce the heat and maintain at a simmer for 30 minutes.

Add carrots, potatoes, celery and parsley...returning to a boil again, and once more reducing to a simmer for another 30 min. or until veggies are getting tender but not mushy.

Remove the bay leaves. Add flour to about a cup and a half of water and blend well. Then stir it into your stew to thicken your broth.

Serve with Irish Soda Bread, or just plain fresh baked bread and butter...ENJOY!!!!

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My "DAD'S CASSEROLE"

I loved watching my dad cook when I was a kid. He'd been a chef in the army and was an excellent gourmet at home. This casserole is the first dish he ever taught me how to make, and a family favorite. We adoringly refer to it as "My Dad's Casserole."

It's ridiculously easy to make, but so very yummy.
There's just 5 ingredients...

2 lb. hamburger 
12 oz. egg noodles
two 16 oz. cans diced tomatoes
a wee bit less than 1 lb. extra sharp cheese
and a stick of butter.

First, fry up your hamburger, then drain.

Boil your package of noodle al dente, drain, rinse in cool water.

Slice up your cheese, about 1/4" thick slices. Slice the stick of butter into thin pads as well.

Open your cans of tomatoes and place in a bowl with all the juice. You are ready to start layering your casserole into a pan. Place your ingredients around your casserole pan so that everything is easily reachable.

Start by placing some butter pads in the pan first. Then a layer of noodles using half, followed by half the tomatoes, spreading everything evenly. Follow with half the hamburger, and a layer of cheese.

Repeat all the layers over again, adding the rest of the butter just under the meat layer, and finally, pouring the tomato juice that's left all over the casserole. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.

Cover with foil, being careful to "tent" it to prevent sticking, and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Your result will be cheesy, yummy, and hearty...and I'd be willing to bet, asked for again and again just like it is at my house!

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE MY RECIPE ANYWHERE AND WITH WHOM YOU WANT TO>>LIKE ART< RECIPES AND GREAT FOOD ARE NOTHING UNLESS SHARED WITH OTHERS...to pin to Pinterest, click the picture and hit your "pin-it" button :-)

This recipe share is dedicated to my dad, Robert Quinn, who not only created it, but instilled in me my love of cooking, art and music and love of earth and animals. I miss and love you daddy...

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