Cheesy Bacon Ranch Tater Tots

Debbie — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 03:46:43 +0000

Summer is here with us and family moments should get to another level. That said, who is ready for another food moment? I am sure none of us wants to stay behind. It’s really exciting to be here with another super great recipe for you with these Cheesy Bacon Ranch Tater Tots, but first… a story!

Sometimes I wish that I didn’t succumb to the feelings of being so… human. Guess that’s the best word for it. I wish that I could live on a higher plane and always think the best about everyone. Yet, oftentimes my mind is critical. I tend to think about unpleasant things before my conscious desire to always be kind can kick in. And it always makes me feel bad about myself.

So the other day my hubby and I went to Costa Rica. We are great lovers of adventure and traveling to new places. On most of our trips, we are often accompanied by our grandkids. They are such a fun lot and we get so much energy from them. Our young selves are still alive and refuse to get wrinkly whenever they are around.

Mouth-Watering Cheesy Bacon Ranch Tater Tots

How we got to Cheesy Bacon Ranch Tater Tots was from a life lesson.

In our escapade, we only needed to get one item. I know. Costa Rica isn’t the place to go and get one item, but we were close by, and I wanted to get their box of spinach. We got our spinach and started walking towards the exit. It was then that I noticed that the line out the door had like, a bajillion people in it.

Standing on my tippy toes, I tried to find the beginning of the line to see what the hold-up was. I could hardly see two people that were at the front of the line walking super slow. And they hadn’t even gotten to the receipt checker lady yet.

I turned to my husband irritated. I could not help but complain to him about the two people at the front of the line that was so slow in their walking. Adding that they were the reason why the whole population of China was backed up in this Costa Rica line! Once these two people got to the checker, management brought a second checker to help out with the line. It started to go a little faster and we got up to our turn much faster than I thought.

Following the Story?

When we got up the front, the two people that at first had held up the line were still there. This was unbelievable! … how could they still be there? I could only shake my head at this point.

It was then that I saw that it was a middle-aged man helping his elderly father. His elderly blind father. With a white cane. And red tip. Sigh. I was complaining about a blind person. Well, I know that I didn’t know he was blind before I started complaining. But that shouldn’t have mattered. Turning to my husband, I told him I learned a lesson that day that I should never judge. I need to work on being more patient and compassionate before I rush to judgment.

When I got home I needed some comfort food to make me feel better. My spirit was so downcast and felt so bad for myself. Food would make things better for me.

Cheesy Comforting Bacon Tater Tots

One comfort food for me is potatoes. And cheese. Potatoes and cheese. And bacon. Everything is better with bacon.

Did I tell you that I am a foodie? I tend to think I was born for food. Haha. You can trick me with any food, and I will with no doubt fall for anything. Whenever I am low, food works magic for me. With some tasty meal made out of love, my heart always gets comforted. And my mind, relieved of any stressful moment. Food to me is therapeutic. My kitchen knows this well enough and accepts me as I am.

I can play around with all the ingredients and dishes in my kitchen till I feel better. One of my safe spaces is my kitchen. Especially when we are doing a family meal, and my grandkids are watching me do the magic. We tell stories of all kinds and laugh out. My grandkids are super sweet, and it is never a dull moment with them. They always suggest what meal they would love we prepare together. And I can’t say no to them. At least most times.

For this day, cheese, bacon, and potatoes were my choice of things to play around with. And they made good playmates.

What You Need For A Crazy Tasty Tater Tots Recipe

You could be wondering what tater tots are. Wonder no more because I’m here to make them known to you. Tater tots are grated potatoes, formed into small cylinders, and then deep-fried. This is one of the ultimate summer meals we grew up taking. As a grown-up, I always twist it a little bit when preparing it. I bet once you have it ready your grandkids will always want you to make them. And more so coz of their love for bacon. But who doesn’t love bacon? Well, not me! I could do bacon any day anywhere, and my stomach wouldn’t get enough of it.

Guess what! This is such an easy meal to prepare for your family. The supplies you need for the recipe are pretty easy to find in your local store. Or you’ll even surprise yourself you have them on your kitchen shelves.

What Do You Need?

1/2 cup Bacon Bits
1/4 cup Green Onions
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
1 Bag Frozen Tater Tots
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Milk
Salt
Pepper

How To Prepare Savory Cheesy Bacon Tater Tots

This is where it all gets interesting. I always look forward to this moment. When the kitchen has an aroma so pleasant you can make it your happy place.

With your supplies and ingredients all ready, our meal is ready to prepare. This is where I put all the love and work for my meal to be savory.

In five steps, we can get your meal on your table waiting for devouring. The directives are easy to follow through and will make you super proud of your work.

Instructions:

The first step is to cook the tater tots on a cookie sheet as per the package instructions. That’s an easy one because all you’ve got to do is to follow the instructions.
For the second step, in a medium-sized bowl, mix the sour cream, ranch dressing, and milk until well blended. With a manual whisk or an electric one, mixing should take a few minutes.
Once the mixture is well blended then pour the sour cream ranch mixture over your cooked tater tots.
The next step is cheesy. Haha. Sprinkle the cheese, bacon bits, and green onions all over the top of the tater tots. For this one, I always do lots of cheese coz I am that much fun of cheese. To an extent that I eat raw cheese.
The last step is to place the cookie sheet back into the oven until the cheese melts. When the meal is cooking in the oven, you can set the table so that once ready serving will be a minute’s work!

The meal is Ready. Finally!

Our savory meal is ready for sharing with the entire family. It sure looks yummy from the images. The eyes don’t lie! If you won’t be licking your fingers by the time you have cleared your plate, then I don’t know what you’ll be doing. Because my! This is that perfect recipe you’ve been waiting to get your hands on. The smell is perfect and the taste, don’t even mention it.

Something about this meal is that it is simple and quick to prepare. You can still maintain your busy schedule and you still get to enjoy a well-cooked home meal. So for folks who have little to no time to spare between activities, this one is a good option for a quick meal. And above all, it is so much fun to cook it.

Before we get done, I will share my experience of the Cheesy Bacon Ranch Tater Tots I made for dinner. I pinned them from Joanie Simone Media, and they really did the trick. It made me happy to eat them! I have adapted the recipe for my bad days. It really cheers me up and I want the same for you. And just to assure you, no matter how your day went today, having some of these will make you happy too!

Even if you eat the whole pan yourself, I promise not to judge.