I am sharing a delicious comfort food, store cupboard favorite casserole with you today! What you have here is a delicious base of canned chili and beans, combined with sliced hotdogs and topped with cheese and tater tots in the most delicious way.
There are a few other bits in there as well. This was something that I have had my eye on for a while and a recipe which I have adapted from a page called Spicy Southern Kitchen.
I have downsized the original recipe, which fed 8 people to a smaller size which accommodates two to three people, depending on appetites. Its quick and easy to throw together and is incredibly delicious.
I called it a hot dish because it very much reminded me of the hot dish casseroles that they bake out west. These casseroles are usually main dish, savory casseroles which contain some kind of protein, a starch, a sauce/gravy and a vegetable.
Typically everything that one would eat for a meal containing all of the nutrients required from your main meal of the day. They are very popular out west and are usually topped with tater tots or mashed potatoes!
This recipe that I am sharing today includes things that I always have in my store cupboard and refrigerator. I love meals like this that I can whip up quickly and easily from things that I already have on hand.
Its a very delicious option and makes a great mid-week supper! Especially if you include a salad on the side! You need not make anything else. I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying this tasty dish!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHEESY CHILI DOG HOT DISH
Simple store cupboard ingredients. There is nothing really extravagant here. Its also a great way of stretching simple ingredients to feed more people.
- 2 hot dogs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 can of chili and beans (I use Stagg)
- 1/4 cup (61g) tomato ketchup
- 1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 TBS minced onion
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup (90g) grated strong cheddar cheese (I used a mix of white and orange)
- frozen tater tots to cover (about 1/3 of a bag)
I use all beef hot dogs. It is the only kind of hot dogs I buy. You can use whatever ones that you enjoy. Once I open a bag of hot dogs I will pop the ones I can't use onto a baking tray and freeze them. Then I can pop them (frozen) into a zip lock baggie, ready to remove one or two or however many I need at any given time.
I don't bother to thaw them out to cook. Just slice them from frozen and add them in. They thaw very quickly.
Make sure you mince your onion or it may stay raw in the short cook time. You don't want to leave it out however as it does add an additional layer of lovely flavor to the dish.
I am sure getting plenty of use from my bag of tater tots! This is like the third thing I have made from them and I still have half a bag left. For those of you in the UK, tater tots are like a small potato croquette, or hashbrown round.
They are not much bigger than the size of your thumb from the tip to the first knuckle. If you wanted to you could also use mini potato waffles, or hashbrown patties, or even smiley's.
HOW TO MAKE CHEESY CHILI DOG HOT DISH
Supper really doesn't get much easier than this!! Maximum taste, minimum effort. I love it!!
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 inch round casserole dish. Make sure it is at least 2 inches deep. (I used an enamel pie dish.)
Combine the sliced hot dogs, chili, ketchup. Worcestershire sauce, onion and red pepper flakes together in a bowl, making sure all the ingredients are well combined. Spread this out into the casserole dish.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup (60g) of the cheese over top of the chili mixture. Lay the tater tots over top in a decorative fashion.
Place onto a baking tray and bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining cheese over top and then return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
I really, really, REALLY enjoyed this. But then again, there is nothing in the dish that I do not like on its own. Canned Chili? Check! Hot dogs? Check! Cheese? Check! Tater Tots? Check!
I knew this would be a winner from the get-go! I enjoyed a simple salad on the side and was a very happy camper!
CREAMY PARMESAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE - A bit of this and a bit of that combine to create a really delicious casserole. A can of chicken, some pouches of brown rice, stock, seasoning, cheese, cream and frozen peas. With a cheese crumb topping this is a real family pleaser!
AMISH CHICKEN STUFFING FOR TWO - Another one of those delicious kinds of dishes that you can put together with seemingly nothing. Some stale bread, onion, celery, shredded cooked chicken, stock and some seasonings. This is something everyone loves. I like to serve it with boiled potatoes and a vegetable on the side. Its fabulous!
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Yield: 2 - 3
Cheesy Chili Dog Hot Dish
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 55 Min
Pure comfort food. Quick, easy, and delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 hot dogs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 can of chili and beans (I use Stagg)
- 1/4 cup (61g) tomato ketchup
- 1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 TBS minced onion
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup (90g) grated strong cheddar cheese (I used a mix of white and orange)
- frozen tater tots to cover (about 1/3 of a bag)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 inch round casserole dish. Make sure it is at least 2 inches deep. (I used an enamel pie dish.)
- Combine the sliced hot dogs, chili, ketchup. Worcestershire sauce, onion and red pepper flakes together in a bowl, making sure all the ingredients are well combined. Spread this out into the casserole dish.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup (60g) of the cheese over top of the chili mixture. Lay the tater tots over top in a decorative fashion.
- Place onto a baking tray and bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining cheese over top and then return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
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One thing which I really fell in love with when I was living in the UK was Indian Food. I had of course experienced curry prior to moving over to England. As a young army wife living on a British Army base in Southern Alberta, I had been introduced to it by some British friends. It was love at first bite.
Then when we were living in Fredericton, New Brunswick a number of years later we were introduced to Vegetable Samosas at the Fredericton Farmer's Market which was held every Saturday. I fell in love with those also!
My oldest son and I both loved them and I used to make Samosa deliveries to him after he had grown up and left home and was living in an apartment in downtown Fredericton. Good times!
When I moved to the UK I belonged to an International Women's group in Chester. One of the ladies was Asian and used to make the nicest Indian appetizers. Samosas, pakoras, onion bhaji, etc. They were all fabulous.
A friend of mine, Joy, also made the most beautiful beef/lamb samosas. I enjoyed them at her house many times. You can find her recipe here. We met on Food.com when it was known as Recipezaar and actually spend loads of time in person as well. We share lots of happy memories of time spend together and good food eaten.
My favorite samosas are vegetable ones. I could gobble up a whole plate of them. The recipe I am sharing with you today is a mixture of two recipes. The filling comes from a cookery book entitled World of the East Vegetarian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey.
The method of putting them together has been adapted from a samosa recipe on BBC Food by Anjum Anand from her book Indian Food Made Easy.
There is nothing out of the ordinary except perhaps for the phyllo dough. This is readily available these days in most grocery stores.
For the filling:
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled, unpeeled and cooled
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and minced
- 1 cup (152g) frozen peas
- 1 TBS peeled and grated fresh gingerroot
- 3 TBS minced fresh parsley (or coriander/cilantro)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
You will also need:
- 1 packet of ready made phyllo pastry
- 5 TBS melted butter
I like to use fresh coriander/cilantro, but I know a lot of people don't like the taste of it. You can use fresh flat leaf parsley in its place. You will want to toast the spices before you make the filling. This really brings out their flavors.
This is very easily done in a dry skillet. Just pop them into the skillet and cook, stirring, until they become quite fragrant without burning. Set aside to cool.
I really love the simplicity of these ingredients. There is nothing too extraordinary required, but the flavors and textures when put together are fabulous!
HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE SAMOSAS
These only look complicated. The hardest part is probably folding them up in the pastry. Just follow the instructions and they go together very easily. Once you get the first one done, the rest are simple. Baked and not fried. Quite often I will make the filling a day ahead of time and keep it covered in the refrigerator until I am ready to fill and bake them.
To make the filling, peel the potatoes and dice them into a 1/4 inch dice. Pop into a bowl and set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the ground coriander, garam masala, and ground cumin. Cook, stirring until the mixture becomes very fragrant. Set aside and leave to cool.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently until it turns light brown in color. Add the peas and the ginger, along with 3 TBS water and the parsley. Cover, lower the heat and cook for several minutes until the peas are cooked through.
Add the diced potatoes, salt, and the toasted spices, along with the lemon juice. Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more salt if needed. Take off heat and leave to cool completely.
Unroll the phyllo pastry. Cover with some plastic wrap and a damp tea towel. Peel off one piece, keeping the remainder covered. Lay out onto a flat clean surface and brush with melted butter.
Fold one third of the pastry lengthwise towards the middle. Brush with butter again, and fold in one third from the other side. to make a long strip that is triple layered.
Place one heaped spoonful of the filling mixture at one end of the strip, leaving a 1 inch border. Take the right corner and fold diagonally to the left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip.
Brush the outer surface with additional butter. Place onto a large baking sheet, which you have greased with butter. Lightly cover while you make the rest of the samosas.
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
Bake the tray of samosas in the center of the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve hot with your favorite Indian condiments. I like chutney with mine!
These really are one of my most favorite things. I could eat a whole plate of these and nothing else and be quite happy. You can sprinkle seeds on them prior to baking if you like. Sesame, poppy or nigella seeds are quite popular.
I love mango chutney with mine, but any jarred chutney works well. I recently purchased a variety of chutney's from Blighty's, which is an online British Food supplier, but if you are keen to make your own, I found some really tasty looking samosa dip recipes here.
If you are as fond of East Indian Flavors as I am, you might also enjoy the following recipes:
COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY - This chicken curry is fabulously fruit and rich, without being overpowering. It is actually a great dish to make when you are first introducing someone to Indian flavors. Its quite simply delicious! Lovely with steamed rice and some naan bread.
LAMB ROGAN JOSH - Lamb lends itself beautifully to curry dishes. This dish starts with a homemade curry paste and is very easy to make. It has a bit of a kick, but not overly so. It smells amazing when it is cooking. It is moderately spiced. The lamb gets melt in the mouth tender. Delicious with pilau rice and crisp poppadoms for scooping up all of that lush sauce.
Vegetable Samosas
Yield: 24 samosas
Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
The filling for these delicious samosas has been adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe in her book, World of the East Vegetarian Cooking. Madhur Jaffrey is the Queen of Indian cookery!
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled, unpeeled and cooled
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and minced
- 1 cup (152g) frozen peas
- 1 TBS peeled and grated fresh gingerroot
- 3 TBS minced fresh parsley (or coriander/cilantro)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
You will also need:
- 1 packet of ready made phyllo pastry
- 5 TBS melted butter
Instructions
- To make the filling, peel the potatoes and dice them into a 1/4 inch dice. Pop into a bowl and set aside.
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the ground coriander, garam masala, and ground cumin. Cook, stirring until the mixture becomes very fragrant. Set aside and leave to cool.
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently until it turns light brown in color. Add the peas and the ginger, along with 3 TBS water and the parsley. Cover, lower the heat and cook for several minutes until the peas are cooked through.
- Add the diced potatoes, salt, and the toasted spices, along with the lemon juice. Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more salt if needed. Take off heat and leave to cool completely.
- Unroll the phyllo pastry. Cover with some plastic wrap and a damp tea towel. Peel off one piece, keeping the remainder covered. Lay out onto a flat clean surface and brush with melted butter.
- Fold one third of the pastry lengthwise towards the middle. Brush with butter again, and fold in one third from the other side. to make a long strip that is triple layered.
- Place one heaped spoonful of the filling mixture at one end of the strip, leaving a 1 inch border. Take the right corner and fold diagonally to the left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip.
- Brush the outer surface with additional butter. Place onto a large baking sheet, which you have greased with butter. Lightly cover while you make the rest of the samosas.
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
- Bake the tray of samosas in the center of the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
- Serve hot with your favorite Indian condiments.
Notes
These can be frozen (unbaked), so long as you have used fresh phyllo pastry. Just freeze on a baking tray until frozen solid and then pop into an airtight container. They will keep for up to six months. When you are ready to cook them, no need to thaw. Brush with more butter and bake until golden brown and heated all the way through.
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I have a hard time comprehending why some people say they don't like salad. I could live off of salads and eat nothing else. I have never met a salad that I did not like, for the most part.
I have seen some very poorly put together salads and some really minging ones. I have been served quite a few of those in restaurants in my life time, and left thinking to myself how could they get something so simple so terribly wrong.
I suppose a person who says they don't like salad quite possibly hasn't had the opportunity to eat a really good one. I do admit when I first moved over to the UK, I was appalled at the quality of salads that was offered in many restaurants.
A lettuce leave with a slice of tomato and a slice of cucumber. Just like it was thrown on the plate at the last minute without any thought towards how it should really be at all. To me that does not constitute a salad.
I have even, most appallingly, had a salad served to me with a slice of tomato on it that had fuzzy mold growing on it. Who does that???
If you are going to go to the trouble of mentioning salad on the side on your restaurant menu, at least take the trouble to make sure that what you are serving is edible. 😕😕😕
This sweet & Crunchy Corn Chips Salad recipe I am sharing with you today is adapted from one I found on Taste of Home, and attributed to Nora Friesen of Aberdeen, Wisconsin.
Called Yummy Corn Chips Salad, the original recipe made 12 servings. I have taken the liberty of downsizing it to make only 2 servings.
I wanted to make it because it seemed to be quite different than a lot of the corn chip salads I had seen out there. There is no ground beef, or corn, or beans.
Instead it is the perfect combination of salty, smoky, sweet, and crunchy with a lovely creamy sweet and tangy poppyseed dressing. I love poppyseed dressings.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SWEET & CRUNCHY CORN CHIP SALAD
Some very simple ingredients. Tasty and delicious. I loved the simplicity of everything involved.
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) light olive oil
- 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBS mayonnaise
- 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 TBS minced onion
- 1/4 tsp poppy seeds
For the salad:
- 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- a small handful of corn chips
- 2 strips of streaky bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- 1/4 cup (30g) grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup (40g) dried cranberries
The original recipe called for canola oil. I tend to use light olive oil most of the time when I need an oil for things like this, or for frying. Its a healthier option.
It also called for yellow mustard. I used Dijon mustard as it doesn't have as harsh a flavor, but does have a bit of zip. I also find the bright yellow color of ordinary mustard a bit too much.
I had some cooked streaky bacon in the fridge leftover from the weekend. That is what I used. Worked fine. It is not all that hard to cook a couple of strips of streaky bacon in the microwave if you need to do so, or to use packaged real bacon bits.
You can find a really good article on how to cook bacon in the microwave here. This is how I do it. Its really easy.
The original recipe also called for leaf lettuce. I know leaf lettuce is really pretty, but I had romaine lettuce in my refrigerator crisper and that is what I used. I thought it went really well with the other ingredients as well. It has a slightly bitter tone which I quite enjoy and which goes so very well with bacon.
The corn chips I used are an organic brand that I get at the Super Store. Neal Brother's Corn Chips. They come in three flavors. Mexican Street Corn, which are a bit spicy. Nacho which are cheesy and original plain, which is the ones I used.
I really like them. They are the perfect mix of salty crunchy without going over the top with the salt.
I used Ocean Spray Dried Cranberries. There is a Cranberry bog not too far from where I live. I have always wondered if they sell their products to local folk, or if they only sell to retailers. I need to find out!
I used bagged grated mozzarella cheese. I had gotten some in for the weekend for my grandsons to pop onto their pizzas. They made their own pizzas for supper on Thursday night using Naan Breads.
Oh what fun we had making up the pizzas. I dreamt of being able to do this with my grandchildren for over 20 years and it is a real blast being able to enjoy their company in person now! Happy times!
HOW TO MAKE SWEET & CRUNCHY CORN CHIP SALAD
Nothing could be easier to make. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Make the dressing by popping all of the ingredients into a jar or a mini blender. Blitz or shake together to combine. Set aside.
Place all of the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss together to combine. Divide between two bowls.
Drizzle half of the dressing over each bowl of salad and serve immediately.
This would be really easy to make vegan. Simply leave out the bacon and cheese and substitute them with vegan friendly options.
I think you could also make this into a tasty main dish salad by adding some additional protein such as cubed cooked chicken. The dressing would go wonderfully with chicken!
I actually enjoyed this on its own as a nice light lunch. It was the perfect combination of crunchy, sweet, salty, tangy and smoky! I hope you will be inspired to want to try it as well!
Some other tasty lunch type or side salads that you might enjoy are:
CHOPPED SALAD FOR TWO - A mix of chopped lettuce, radish, peas, zucchini, red onion, boiled egg, layered in a dish with a rich and creamy Italian type of dressing and a smattering of cheese and bacon sprinkled on top.
CHOPPED SALAD WITH A TANGY LEMON VINAIGRETTE - This delicious salad is a lovely mix of chopped lettuce and vegetables. Corn, baby gems, three kinds of peppers, two kinds of cherry tomatoes, spring onions, and two type of cheese, tossed together with a beautifully flavored dressing. I love vinaigrette dressings. This one is the perfect mix of tangy, light and spicy!
Yield: 2
Sweet & Crunchy Corn Chip Salad
Cook time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min
This tasty side salad is the perfect mix of sweet, salty and crunchy. It goes with just about anything.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) light olive oil
- 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBS mayonnaise
- 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 TBS minced onion
- 1/4 tsp poppy seeds
For the salad:
- 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- a small handful of corn chips
- 2 strips of streaky bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- 1/4 cup (30g) grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup (40g) dried cranberries
Instructions
- Make the dressing by popping all of the ingredients into a jar or a mini blender. Blitz or shake together to combine. Set aside.
- Place all of the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss together to combine. Divide between two bowls.
- Drizzle half of the dressing over each bowl of salad and serve immediately.
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