What's for dinner?!

Isn't that the age old question. I hear it at least once a day from miss drama queen, and now the middle has started it! I think it's in the handbook when children are born. (Yeah, that's my theory... There is a handbook for children entitled "How to Drive your Mother Crazy".) My kids probably add to it and pass it down as one comes up with a new method to make me loony. I digress...

Dinner!

I always have kept the notion that Sunday dinner should be a big to do. Okay, not too big, but still bigger than the rest of the week. Or maybe more effort put into it? That's what I'm getting at. Our family eats dinner at the table together just about every night. We'll have a movie night now and again where we'll eat in the living room, but usually it's at the table. I try to cook as often as I can but work and extra curricular's take their toll occasionally and we do grab a fast bite or order pizza. We still eat at the table. It's just one of the things that "is" in our house! Our family dinner's occur no matter what we're eating, because it is a priority. We love the time spent with our girls! We discuss our days and things we did. We also share the pit and peak of our day. The "pit" being the worst part of the day, "peak" being the best. It's nice to make this a part of our routine. We even ask our little whirlwind though she doesn't have coherent responses! Yep, our dinner routine is always the same. With the exception of weekends. My husband works until 6:30pm, so come Sunday, the kids have to be ready for bed by the time he gets home at 7. I still have the kids to feed and I sit with them at the table so they still get that family time. Hopefully we can continue our family meal time around the table for years to come!

Anyway, one day a week we typically do breakfast for dinner. My kids love it, and we do too! I mostly love it because it's pretty easy... Especially with my go to casserole recipe!
*NOTE*: This dish is very versatile. For this reason, I'm simply giving basic ingredients and how to's. Make it your own and add whatever you like!

Here's what you'll need for this easy, pleasey, more for me-sey dinner:
-Frozen tator tots
-Eight eggs (or more depending on the size and appetite of your family!)
-1/2 cup of milk
-Your choice of breakfast meat
-Your choice of cheese (about 1 cup)
-Veggies of your choice (if you like!)
-Butter or cooking spray for the pan


Grab a casserole dish (I use a 2qt but you can use any size!) butter the bottom and sides of your dish or use your cooking spray. You'll also want to pre-heat your oven to 350!

Cook your meat! Brown the sausage, fry up the bacon. Or not if you choose the meatless route!

Next, you'll need to get a mixing bowl and whisk. Crack your eggs into the bowl and add the milk. Whisk the eggs/milk until combined. Set the bowl aside and get your casserole dish.
Grab your tator tots and fill the bottom layer of your pan. (Just one layer, enough to cover the bottom).

Once you've got the first layer started, pour the eggs over the tator tots. Top the eggs with the cooked meat, then add your veggies. (I sometimes make two small casseroles, one meat and one veggie).

Pop your casserole in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the egg is no longer watery. Once it looks about right, pull the dish out and top with your cheese. Put the dish back in the oven for about 5 minutes, just enough to let the cheese melt.

That's it! You're ready to serve!

I love this dish because of it's versatility. I adore veggies, so I'll chop up spinach, peppers, onion and mushrooms whenever I make two different casseroles. (Let's be honest, my kids will tolerate veggies, but they far from love them...) So their casserole will have maybe a sprinkling of veggies, but also some meat. Do what you like, add what you feel like. Make it your own and I'm sure your family will scarf it down!

Happy Sunday! :) Enjoy some family time around the table tonight!