Playing Foodie

Tonight my husband decided to grill up some steaks. Normally I'm picky and would have waited until I could get to the store for some fresh mushrooms and garlic before making steaks - but if he's offering to cook, I'm not going to complain. So I looked around to figure out what we could do for a side dish. What I came up with was a really hot (but really good) hash brown casserole.

If you're not partial to hot foods, I suggest at least halving the hot peppers in the following recipe. You could also experiment with your favorite spices and see what you come up with. I haven't tried freezing this one yet, but other hash brown casseroles I've tried have been great for putting into smaller dishes in the freezer to thaw and bake as needed, I doubt this one would be any different.

Ingredients

• Frozen Hash Browns (the ones that come in little squares)
  
• 4 Tbsp Hot Red Pepper Flakes (adjust to taste)
  
• 2 Tbsp Oregano
  
• 1 can Condensed Mushroom Soup
  
• 2 Tbsp Margarine
  
• 1/4 cup Milk
  
• Sour Cream (optional)
  

Directions

1. Pour the frozen hash browns into an 8x8" oven safe dish until it's just over half full.
   
2. If you used a microwave safe dish, put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. If not, you can dump it into a bowl to microwave or thaw ahead of time. They can still be cold after this step, just not entirely frozen.
   
3. Add everything except the sour cream to the hash browns in the oven safe dish. Mix until everything is distributed evenly and the hash browns are coated.
   
4. Bake at 350F for 50 minutes.
   
5. Serve with sour cream, if desired.