Casseroles are one of my favorite types of dinners! Combine everything in a casserole dish and bake and there you have it dinner is ready! Tater Tot Casserole is a super easy recipe to make, with only a few ingredients, its perfect for families on a busy night! 

I know we have busy nights during the week and sometimes preparing dinner isn't something I want to spend a lot of time doing. Or creating a lot to clean up either. This is where simple meals come in SO handy! Another great one is my Broccoli Cheddar Casserole. 

This Tater Tot Casserole comes together easily and is super cost effective to make. Bonus, its large enough that you might have leftovers for another meal. 

Tater Tot Casserole

PRINT RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Tater Tot Casserole 

2 lbs ground beef, browned

1/2 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 - 15 oz cans green beans, drained

2 - 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 cups frozen tater tots

salt and pepper to taste

Directions for Tater Tot Casserole

1. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. 

2. Brown the ground beef and drain off the excess grease. 

3. Add the diced onion and saute until translucent. 

4. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 2 additional minutes. 

5. Add in the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper and mix in well. 

6. Spread out prepared ground beef in the baking dish. 

7. Next add the layers, cream of mushroom soup, then green beans, then the shredded cheese. 

8. Lastly, top off the casserole with the tater tots layed out on top. 

9. Bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees F. 

10. Ready to serve. 

                This post is sponsored by the Glass Barn, Indiana Soybean and Corn Farmers, but                                                            all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

With cooler temperatures brings chili season! This hearty and flavorful Crock Pot White Chicken Chili doesn't disappoint for nice pot of chili. It is deliciously savory, but also has just the right amount of spice that blends with all the flavors to make it oh so good! 

In the Fall and Winter season my crock pot gets used so much. With busy days helping in the field with harvest, picking pumpkins, and the kids in sports, easy crock pot meals are perfect for dinner. Just dump everything in and let the crock pot do all the work for you! Sounds good to me! 

This recipe is so so simple and who doesn't love chili? This white chicken chili is a fun twist to  the traditional chili. 

White chicken chili is made up of White Northern Beans, chicken breasts, chicken broth, and jalapeno and green pepper. Combined with cheeses and a variety of seasonings you'll enjoy all the amazing flavors in one bowl when it is ready to serve! 

Simply prepare the veggies, and place everything in the crock pot, add the spices, pour in the broth and you're good! Set on HIGH for 4 hours. Then your meal is almost ready!! Remove the chicken breasts to shred the meat. Return the shredded meat to the pot and add the cream cheese and milk. Give the chili a good stir and then dinner is ready!! 

We always look forward to chili for dinner in the cooler months! Rather its this Crock Pot White Chicken Chili, Instant Pot Chili, or traditional stove top chili, we our are enjoying comfort food for some of our family favorites!

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili 

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Crock Pot White Chicken Chili 

1 green bell pepper

1 jalapeno

1 medium onion, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 15 oz cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

3/4 oregano

1/2 tsp chili powder

4 oz. cream cheese, softened 

1/4 cup milk

Topping ideas: 

dollop of sour cream 

cheddar cheese

tortilla chips or strips

sliced jalapenos

sliced avocados

Directions for White Chicken Chili 

1. Add chicken breasts to bottom of the crock pot. 

2. Add dice onion , minced garlic, beans, diced peppers, corn, and chicken broth to the crock pot insert. 

3. Top with the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. 

4. Cover crock pot with lid and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. 

5. Remove chicken to cutting board and shred. Then return to the crock pot. 

6. Add cream cheese and milk. 

7. Stir well until everything is well combined. 

8. Serve with toppings. 

This post is sponsored by the Glass Barn, Indiana Soybean and Corn Farmers, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Skillet Mac & Cheese with Ham and Bacon

Skillet Mac & Cheese with Ham and Bacon is a yummy all in one meal! Creamy macaroni and cheese with bits of flavorful ham and bacon packed in makes for a tasty dinner.

This recipe makes for a crowd, so for my family, we make once, and are able to enjoy some leftovers.

Every year, the kids show a couple pigs in as part of their 4-H experience. They enjoy taking care of their pigs from early Spring until later Summer! Every day is morning and evening chores and working with them to prepare for show day at our county fair. They love to give them marshmallows for a treat.

We always feed one out to have processed after fair season for ourselves, to have a freezer full of different cuts of pork.

We like to cook a large smoked, bone-in ham in the slow cooker . With the large ham, we can use can enjoy it for several meals. We generally have the ham for dinner the evening its cooked in the crock pot, then any leftovers are fun to mix into other meals, like this Skillet Mac & Cheese with Ham and Bacon.

I am a big fan of cooking with cast iron and I am loving this new large cast iron skillet! It is great for making large meals.

This is a great recipe to use leftover ham. After you have enjoyed the ham after it is initially cooked, its nice to use any leftovers to incorporate into other meals. This Skillet Mac & Cheese with Ham and Bacon is a family favorite!! Including all 4 of our kiddos!! Plus it comes together pretty easily and quick! Win Win!!

Skillet Mac & Cheese with Ham and Bacon 

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Skillet Mac & Cheese with Ham and Bacon Ingredients

3 cups elbow macaroni 

2 cups of ham, cubed

1/2 cup bacon, cooked and chopped - about 4 slices of bacon

3 tbsp canola oil

2 cups cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 

4 oz. cream cheese, cubed

1 tsp Dijon Mustard 

Skillet Mac & Cheese with Ham and Bacon Directions

1. Add the salt and water to a large pan and bring to a boil. Add the elbow macaroni pasta to the large pot and cook, uncovered, for 1 minute less that the instructions on the box. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water when draining the pasta. 

2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the ham and bacon. Cook the bacon and chop or crumble to pieces and set aside. Cut the cooked ham into cubed pieces and set aside. You can also used precooked diced ham. 

3. Preheat the skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the oil to the skillet to heat up. Then add the flour and whisk it into the oil until there are no lumps and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. 

4. Slowly whisk in the milk, cream, cream cheese, and Dijon mustard. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then let it cook until it is slightly thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat. 

5. Slowly whisk in the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, working in batches, until they are fully melted. 

6. Add in the reserved pasta water and whisk it in to think out the sauce some. 

7. Add in the prepared cooked ham and bacon. Stir the meat into the pasta so it is blended in well. 

8. Top with panko breadcrumbs and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are lighly toasted.


Other pork recipes from the Backroad:

Instant Pot Ham and Beans 

BLT Pasta Salad 

Grilled Herb and Garlic Pork Chops 

Country Quiche 

Crock Pot Cowboy Beans 

This post is sponsored by Indiana Pork, but my 

thoughts/opinions are always 100% my own.

Perfectly Fluffy & Delicious Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled eggs never go out of style for a classic breakfast, brunch, or even breakfast for dinner! This Perfectly Fluffy & Delicious Scrambled Eggs recipe is just that, fluffy and delicious scrambled eggs. A great go to recipe.

This scrambled egg recipe makes fluffy and deliciously flavorful eggs that are perfect by themselves or as fillers for breakfast burritos. This recipe bumps basic scrambled eggs up a notch creating a more fluffy and flavor packed scrambled egg.

We generally have big breakfast on Sunday mornings, scrambled eggs are always included. My family of 6 can easily go through a dozen eggs for our weekend breakfast!

There are so many ways to eat them! They pair perfectly with just about every breakfast food there is; pancakes, sausage, bacon, waffles, fried potatoes, and the list goes on. Enjoy plain, top with cheese, salsa, different herbs, etc.

You can never go wrong with scrambled eggs!

The recipe is simple!

Crack your desired amount of eggs into a mixing bowl and beat the eggs.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the Clabber Girl Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp. per egg. This helps make the scrambled eggs extra fluffy!

Add the milk or heavy cream, 1 Tbsp per egg.

Beat the eggs until everything is fully incorporated

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat

Add the beaten egg mixture to the hot skillet.

Sir often until the eggs are fully cooked.

If I am ever in a hurry or trying to think of what to make for a meal. Scrambled eggs often comes to mind. Pair with other sides and you've got a complete meal, can't go wrong.

Perfectly Fluffy & Delicious Scrambled Eggs

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Perfectly Fluffy & Delicious Scrambled Eggs

Eggs

Milk or heavy cream - 1 Tbsp per egg

Clabber Girl Baking Powder - 1/2 Tbsp per egg

Salt and pepper to taste

Butter - 1/4 tsp

Directions for Perfectly Fluffy & Delicious Scrambled Eggs

1. Crack your desired amount of eggs into a mixing bowl and beat the eggs. 

2. Add salt and pepper to taste

3. Add the milk or heavy cream, 1 Tbsp per egg.

4. Add the Clabber Girl Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp. per egg.

5. Beat the eggs until everything is fully incorporated

6. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat

7. Add the beaten egg mixture to the hot skillet and stir often until the eggs are fully cooked.

Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Clabber Girl but my

 thoughts/opinions are always 100% my ow

Dark Hot Chocolate

Do you love a delicious hot chocolate drink in the winter time? This Dark Hot Chocolate is a great choice! It has a rich, creamy chocolate flavor that is perfect for a warm hot chocolate.

My kiddos love to go outside and play in the snow during the winter. They build forts, have snowball fights, and love to go sledding. I always like to have a nice cup of warm hot chocolate ready for them when they come inside. What a great way to warm up!.....and delicious!

This recipe is simple, and you'll have several cups of hot chocolate mix to have on hand. If your making hot chocolate several times during the winter like I am, it sure won't last long.

First you'll need to break up the unsweetened baker's chocolate, and add to the food processor. This will break it up more and create a powder out of it. There may be some small chunks, which is ok, it will melt when the drink is prepared for serving.

Add all the ingredients to the food processor to blend and mix well. This recipe makes 4 cups of hot chocolate mix, so there will be plenty to keep for later use. Place the dark hot chocolate mix in a jar or container for easy keeping to make hot chocolate in the future.

What a great idea for a simple Christmas gift as well!!

For one cup of dark hot chocolate, use 2 Tbsp dark hot chocolate mix per 4 ounces of boiling hot water. Make sure to use boiling water, so that it is hot enough to melt any chocolate chunks that are in the mix.

To make a large batch of Dark Hot Chocolate, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add the water to a slow cooker and add 20 Tbsp of the Dark Hot Chocolate mix and stir together well. Use the slow cooker, on keep warm setting, to keep the hot chocolate warm. Ladle out when needed.

Top with your favorite toppings: mini marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, or cinnamon.

Dark Hot Chocolate

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Dark Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate Mix

3 oz. unsweetened baker's chocolate

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 cup powdered milk

1/2 cup Dutch Process (Euorpean-style) cocoa

1 tsp powdered vanilla, optional 

1 Tbsp Clabber Girl Corn Starch 

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Toppings 

-Vanilla Marshmallow Kisses or Marshmallow Bits

-Whipped topping, 

-Ground cinnamon

Directions for Dark Hot Chocolate

1. Add all mix ingredients in a food processor and blend together until well combined. Makes about 4 cups of dry hot chocolate mix. 

2. Use 2 Tbsp dark hot chocolate mix per 4 oz. boiling hot water. It is important to use boiling water, as it needs to be hot enough to melt the baker's chocolate. 

3. Let the mix sit for one minute, then stir the beverage to be sure that all the chocolate is melted. 

4. Top the prepared hot chocolate vanilla marshmallow kisses, or marshmallow bits, whipped topping, and cinnamon. 

5. To make a large batch of dark hot chocolate, bring 5 cups water to a boil.

6. Mix boiling water with 20 Tbsp Dark Hot Chocolate mix in a slow cooker, and stir well.

7. Keep slow cooker on keep warm setting, and ladle out the hot chocolate drink as needed.

8. Top with your favorite hot chocolate toppings.

Note: For 1 cup of Dark Hot Chocolate, use 1 cup of boiling hot water with 4 Tbsp mix. 

This post is sponsored by Clabber Girl but my

 thoughts/opinions are always 100% my own. 

Honey Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

Honey Garlic Roasted Cauliflower is packed full of flavor! The pepper-garlic roasted cauliflower paired with the savory sauce makes for a delicious combination.

The versatility of cauliflower has great increased in recent years, as there are so many creative ways that it can be transformed. For this recipe, the raw cauliflower roasted with the olive oil, pepper, and garlic salt transforms into golden tastiness in the oven. It is delicious as is, but adding the savory sauce.

We love to grow cauliflower as part of our Spring and late Fall garden. It's a cool crop so it loves the cooler weather.

My family is big fans of cauliflower as part of our meal! Everyone likes it. We like to prepare it different ways. We always like to change up our side dishes and this Honey Garlic Roasted Cauliflower doesn't disappoint. It is always sure to be a favorite at dinner-time.

I love honey garlic flavors and paired with the roasted cauliflower makes for a delicious side dish to pair with any meal.

Honey Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients for Honey Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

pepper to taste

6 Tbsp honey

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce 

6 Tbsp water

2 tsp Clabber Girl Corn Starch

Directions for Honey Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

1. Clean and cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces and place into a medium sized bowl. Add the olive oil, garlic powder, and pepper. Mix together so the cauliflower pieces are evenly coated. 

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the cauliflower pieces out evenly. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked tender. Remove baking sheet from oven and allow the roasted cauliflower to cool for about 10 minutes. 

3. Make the sauce while the cauliflower is roasting in the oven. Using a small sauce pan on the stove, add all the sauce ingredients except for the Clabber Girl Corn Starch and the water. Bring to a low boil and stir until well blended. 

4. In a small bowl, combine the water and the Clabber Girl Corn Starch, and stir until the corn starch is completely dissolved in the water. Then add the mixture to the other sauce ingredients in the pot and stir in well. 

5. Bring sauce to a boil again and then cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Cool for a few minutes, it should still be warm, but not hot. The sauce will thicken more as it cools. 

6. In a small mixing bowl, add the cooled roasted cauliflower and pour the warm sauce over. Toss the cauliflower so it is evenly coated with sauce and absorbed. Top with fresh green onions when serving. 

This post is sponsored by Clabber Girl but my

 thoughts/opinions are always 100% my own