Hearts.

11 whole months ago TO THE DAY, I said that I was saving a dish for a rainy day. See? Well...today was that rainy day. Only, it was sunny and kind of nice outside. What dish did I feel like EVERY kid in the world grew up eating, but somehow never graced my mother's kitchen table and onto my tastebuds?

Tater Tot Casserole. There are a zillion and one (I've counted) different ways to make this, but I've decided to do one that is, well, special to me at the moment.

This week is "DinnerTool Week". To celebrate my recipe landing in the final 4 in the Slow Cooker Showdown, I'm going to be crocking recipes that you can find on the DinnerTool website. Today, I made Ginger's recipe for Tater Tot Casserole (with a few adjustments). Why is it special to me? Ginger Jones is the woman behind the Crock Pot Recipe Exchange. I "like" her on Facebook and SHE'S the one who first posted the link to the contest. Had it not been for her post, I would have never known about the contest. (Thanks, Ginger!)

"Tater Tot Casserole" (6 quart pot)

~1 (10 oz) can cream of mushroom soup (I thought I'd grabbed chicken at the store, but I guess I misread.)
~1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
~1/2 t pepper
~1 t garlic powder
~1 1/2 t salt
~3 c shredded sharp cheddar
~2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (From when I crocked them 2 weeks ago and then stuck them in the freezer.)
~10 oz frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
~32 oz frozen tater tots

Spray inside of stoneware with Pam.
Mix soup, milk, pepper, garlic powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
(OR do what I did: Accidentally grab the pepper and add another 1 t of it when you mean to grab the garlic powder. Make an attempt to scoop out the extra 1 t pepper. THEN, add the garlic powder and salt.)
Add 2 cups of the cheese, the chicken, and broccoli and mix well.
Add tater tots to mixture making sure all tots are coated with the mixture.
15 minutes before serving, sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top.

This was really good. My other half says it was one of the tastier heart attacks he's ever had. It's another recipe that makes a ton, so I can see why it's one of the Duggar family's go to meals. I will freely admit that I've watched ONE episode (and only one) of __ Kids and Counting. The episode I saw was when there were 17 kids and they all helped make this meal. Here's the recipe for that if you want to give your 17 kids a bunch of heart attacks to share. Wait...what?

There are still 11 days left to vote in the contest, but I am happy to announce that IF it was ending today, that $1000 would be mine. Thank you all for putting up with me and voting your hearts out! Haven't voted yet today? Vote HERE!