Memory Lapse

I've been doing some cooking recently, but either I've been making a series of old, already-tried recipes, using up leftovers, or I've just plum forgotten what we've been eating.  Maybe all of the above?

So today's Crockpot Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole was the first new recipe I've made in a while. I think.  As crockpot recipes go, this one has a few steps so don't put this in the dump in and flip the switch category.  Thankfully, I had the time to complete a few of the prep steps ahead of time to make assembly go a little faster, but it still took some time.

I chose to use the mix mixed with milk rather than bottled ranch in my version.  There's something about bottled ranch that never seems quite "right" to me, and I definitely prefer homemade versions.  Actually, the ranch flavor in this dish is not terribly strong.  I expected more.  The other adaptation in our version was to use frozen carrot coins and green beans rather than mixed veggies.  I felt like the carrots held up especially well and didn't yield a pile of vegetable mush.

One other word of note, this recipe make a ton.  We have enough leftovers to feed an army.