Since the weather is starting to get a little cooler, we thought Mondays would be a perfect day to feature some crockpot meals for busy families. Our first entry: Crockpot Tater Tot Hotdish! Yum!!!!
By Heather Lang
When your kid REALLY WANTS tatertot hotdish but we never seem to be home because we are busy going in different directions - you figure out a way to give them what they want.
Crockpot tatertot hotdish: I mean I can't let my kid down!!
Our crockpot just stays on our countertop all school year, because let's be honest without it my family would never eat homemade meals - no time, always running in different directions, never home until late.
After driving school bus I will pick them up from practice, run home let them shower QUICK, then on the road again (where they will be eating their tatertot hotdish) to get them to an FFA meeting while I attend 2 meetings from my car. 
Always remember to be flexible.
I will never win mother of the year EVER, and I'm ok with that! As long as my kids are happy, I'm good.
The hard part is submitting recipes because most of the time I make mine up as I go and just dump things in and wing it. I like to try reinventing leftovers to create a new dinner idea as well. So here is my crockpot tater tot hotdish recipe:
* brown 1lb. hamburger with 1 onion chopped in pan on stove
* mix into the meat mixture: 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (I used 1 can of cream of chicken soup + 1 can of cheddar soup, because that's what I had on hand), salt & pepper to taste & 1 cup chopped mushrooms (optional)
* set meat mixture aside
*lightly spray your crockpot or crockpot liner with PAM
*Layer of frozen tater tots in a single layer on bottom of crock pot
* add 2 cans of green beans (drained) (I've also used corn, really it depends what you have on hand)
*another layer of tater tots (this one doesn't have to be single layer
*pour meat mixture on top of the tater tots
*cover with shredded cheese
* cover and cook on low for five hours. Don't remove lid while it's cooking.
Optional Toppings to serve with (especially if you want to serve more as a tater tot loaded nachos:
*cooked crumbled bacon
* chives
* fresh tomatoes
*sour cream
*additional shredded cheese