Country Sausage and Potato Casserole

2 cups frozen hashbrown potatoes
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
2 T. butter
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage, cooked and drained
4 oz. canned, sliced mushrooms
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Fry potatoes and onions in 2 Tbsp. butter until golden brown; place in greased 8 or 9 inch glass baking dish. Top with cheese. Crumble sausage and spread over cheese; top with drained mushrooms. Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper; pour over sausage. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

For a huge pan (10 x 15) use: 10 cups hashbrowns, 2 lbs sausage, lots of cheese, 12 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk.

Hamburger Pie

This is absolutely one of our very favorite recipes. It just tastes like home.

2 lb. ground beef, browned & drained
1-2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1-2 cans green beans
potatoes, mashed
cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown the ground beef and garlic, then drain. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce (sometimes I just use a few small cans of tomato sauce). Spread meat & tomato mixture in a 9x13 pan or a large casserole pan. Spread the green beans on top of the meat mixture. Make mashed potatoes. I make them from scratch (I'm not an instant potato fan) and use 8-12 potatoes, depending on how many people I'm feeding. Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the green bean layer. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Cheesiest Potato Soup

(I usually double this recipe)

Ingredients:
2 T. butter
1 c. diced onion
2 1/2 c. peeled and diced potatoes
3 c. chicken broth
1 c. heavy cream (I've also used half & half)
1 3/4 c. shredded sharp cheddar (or whatever kind of cheddar you have)
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. ground cayenne pepper

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
2. Puree potato mixture in a blender or food processer or use and immersion blender (I just use my potato masher to mash part of the potatoes--we like some chunks left). Return to pot over medium heat. Stir in cream, cheese, pepper, salt, & cayenne. Bring to a low boil and cook, stirring, until thickened 5 minutes.

I always serve this with some sort of bread for dipping--biscuits, rolls, Navajo fry bread, French bread...