tater tot casserole

tater tot casserole, ©sarampeters

I have very distinct memories of a tater tot casserole from my teenage years. It the was the comfort food meal at diocesan youth conferences at a conference center in Boone, Iowa. Being a teenager, and the experiences therein, were awkward, uncomfortable and exciting. Who were going to be best friends at the conference.... who was going to have a falling out resulting in major drama.... who was going to have a crush on whom.... oh, yeah... how was God going to fit into all of this....

But the constant was the tater tot casserole.

I reached out to a fellow former youth conference attendee trying to find the recipe that has haunted my memory's taste buds. She offered an excellent recipe, though not the same, but it has become a staple comfort food in our home now.

My adult taste buds prefer this "new" recipe, and it is so easy to change up and adapt to your family's preferences.

Below is the recipe as I received it, and then my notes will follow:

TATER TOT CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
1 small bell pepper
3 Tb butter
2 Tb flour
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme*
1/2 - 1 C veggie of choice (corn, green beans, peas, carrots, mix)
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese*
1/2 bag of tater tots (enough to cover casserole dish)*

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375˚
Brown meat, onion, and pepper together with 2 tablespoons of butter, and add salt and pepper.
Cook until meat is no longer pink, and veggies are softened.
In same pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of flour, mixing well.
Lower heat to medium low, and add in 1 1/2 cup of milk, stirring until smooth.
Add in 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon* of dried thyme, and veggies.
Add in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, stirring until melted.
Put meat/cheese mixture in 9x9 casserole dish.
Top with tots and salt & pepper.

Cook for 45 minutes at 350˚.

Throw extra cheese on top of tots and place back in oven for 10-15 minutes.

Take out of oven and let sit for 20 minutes.

Serve.

Serves 4-6 (possibly a little more, but second helpings are a demand, so it doesn't go as far as it could!)


*Sara's Notes:

The vegetable I use for this is a can of green beans (to be added with seasonings). 

**Most often, I will also chop up a summer squash and a zucchini and cook that with the meat, onion and pepper. (It's a great way to get some added veggies into this dish!)

Reduce the thyme to 1/2 teaspoon. (this adjustment was the deal breaker for my husband -- the full teaspoon was too much, and he rolls his eyes every time I tell him we're having this for dinner (ingrained bad memory), but the reduced thyme makes this one of his favorite meals and he won't stop talking about it once it's made.)

Increase the cheese to 2 cups (1 1/4 -- 1 1/2 cups in the mixture, the rest on top)

I buy a large bag of tots, (can you have too many tots?) I will throw some in the bottom of the casserole dish, then pour the mixture, then cover the top with tots. 

The To-Do I Didn't Want To Do

On the first of each month I make a to-do list of things to focus on that particular month. 

I did it a month ago, and from my review, it’s clear I was not focused on the list. I chalk this up to not writing it in a conspicuous place, instead hiding the list of to-dos away in a file on my laptop.

I did get a couple of the items finished. Probably the one that surprised me the most was, by far and away, the one item I did not want to write down.

Even before I typed it, I remember thinking, “What?? I’m not writing that down!”.... and the more I tried to not commit it to paper, the more the voice in my head urged me to do it. 

The task?  Ask for help.

“Ask for help for what?” I thought. But it was clear that I was to type it out.... and wait. (Ugh!)

It is hard for me to ask for help. I prefer to do things on my own, and do them well. But 

God has been drawing Joe and me into a season where we cannot do things on our own, and we have to rely on Him each day for every single thing. 

About a week later, I found myself emailing a respected leader in our life, asking for help. We needed to connect with an advisor to get an objective perspective on something that was overwhelming me, as well as receive much needed encouragement. We met a week or ten days later, and were very uplifted by the meeting, and received the advice we needed. 

Also, during that time, I was reflecting on my performance at work, realizing there was a gap between what I was giving and what I could be giving. I took the store manager at his word and asked him to help me overcome a couple of challenges I had noticed in my job performance. I didn’t take the easy road and ask a question I knew the answer to, I dug and said, “This is where I’m really struggling, how can we change it?”  I’ve continued to do that as we chat at the end of each shift what my opportunities were that day. 

The results of asking for help have been quite interesting. 

The first meeting I mentioned, resulted in a little bit of networking that never would have happened otherwise. 

At work, I have grown my performance and have been just shy of achieving a high honor within the company for attaining certain statistics. Actually, I’ve been just short three weeks in a row, all for different statistical reasons. But I haven’t been close to achieving that honor for at least four months, and then close calls three weeks in a row!

I realized that I am where I am for a reason. If I don’t take advantage of the lessons God has for me at this particular time and place, I won’t be able to move on to the next thing God has for me. 

Too many times in life, I’ve had an opportunity to grow and learn, and I shut the door because of my selfishness or laziness. Looking back on those seasons, I wish I could have taken fuller advantage of what was in front of me. I’m in that kind of a place right now. And I want to take in what I can so that it prepares me for what is to come. 

The last few days, I’ve been overcome with gratitude.... for everything I have.... for the little things I passed by... my appreciation has increased ten-fold or more for things I took for granted. 

I feel the lessons that God is teaching are sinking in. Perspective is shifting and that needs to happen to welcome the next season of life.  

I can now look back with confidence that it was Him leading me to write what I thought was ludicrous -- ask for help. 

Is there an area of your life that asking for help could unlock lessons and blessings?