Tater Tot Casserole Recipe with Allens Veggies as I am a Proud Allens Ally

I decided to let everyone know this month that sometimes I love to eat things that taste awesome and may have a “few” extra calories in the ingredients. Hey I am a proud Allens Ally but, I am human too! I don’t always cook the healthiest meals, but that is okay. Especially if I chose wisely and don’t over indulge all the time. What can I say….I am a rebel…and bend the rules every now and then.

But even some of these indulgences contain healthy veggies thanks to Allens. By the way, how many of you knew that Allens also packages veggies under other labels? Have you ever seen these brands at your local grocery store?

Princella, Sugary Sam, Trappey’s, Veg.all, Wagon Master, Freshlike, Popeye, Alma, Royal Prince, East Texas Fair and Crest Top to name a few. Yes these ARE Allens products!

Okay one more fun and important fact about Allens. They are an American family-owned and operated company that has been making safe and quality vegetables since 1926. Wow! Thank you Allens for supporting LOCAL American farmers and helping our economy!

Back to me falling off the health wagon…One of my recipes that my family and I love to indulge in is my Tater Tot Casserole. But this is not your mother’s casserole. I need to WARN all the readers right now…..If you try this recipe you will never go back to boring old flavor less Tater Tot Casserole.

Well if you are still reading here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

Large bag of frozen tater tots

1 ½ pounds browned ground beef

1 can Allens green beans - drained

1 can Allens peas - drained

1 can Allens corn - drained

1 – can condensed cream of mushroom or celery soup

1 cup chopped onion

1 – 16oz container sour cream

12oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon season salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a large mixing bowl add all ingredients except the frozen tater tots. Mix well.

Place mixture in the prepared pan. Line the frozen tater tots on top of the mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Now that I have shared my deep dark secret, I think it is time to work out (yes, my knee is still gaining strength and I have been able to slow start working out again!!).

Old Fashioned Fried Grufa Bow Ties Recipe - Dare you to just eat one!

Last weekend my husband was having a craving for a childhood sweet treat his Mom use to make him.  It is called Grufa.

I can just imagine those reading this post asking themselves what is Grufa?  I had the same question many years ago.  Trust me one you try these..you will not forget the name of the heavenly taste.

It is very special moment when I think about this recipe and the history.  My husband's mother had help from many women making LOTS of batch of this goodness for her Bridal Shower.  What a Labor of "LOVE".  Once you see the recipe, you will understand why I say "Labor".

Ingredients:

8 Egg Yokes
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Whiskey
2 Cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Directions:

Place all the wet ingredients in a large bowl.

(Photos are from a batch and a half)

Add all the other ingredients and blend well.

Dough is very stiff and tough to work with - but well worth your time an effort in the end.  ****Burn off the calories before you eat them :)****

On a lightly floured work surface, knead the mixture for a good long while into a smooth dough.


Roll out 1/16th inch thick.  This will take awhile as the dough likes to retract - Excellent work out - or a great work out for your husband!



Love using a pizza cutter to make the long cuts.

Slice into 1 1/2-inch wide strips. Cut the strips diagonally into 5-inch lengths. In each strip, cut a one-inch slit the long way, in the middle of the strip.

Pull one end of the strip through the slit so that it looks kind of like a bow tie.

The dough is tough enough - that I even let my 5 year old help out tying with no problems.



Check out the flour covered arms :)

Heat the frying oil to 350 degrees.

Fry the bow ties in small batches until they turn light golden, turning once.

Drain on paper towels or a wire rack and allow to cool.

Dust with confectioners sugar.

Grufa is tender and crispy .  Light and sweet with the powdered sugar (hope you don't mind the sugar raining down on your shirt - it will happen).  It is soooo hard to stop eating this pastry like sweet.

Crockpot Chili and Halloween Perfect Recipe 4 a Wonderful Evening

I just finished putting my Halloween Tradition Crockpot Chili  on so it will be ready in perfect time for tonight.  I also put on a second batch so my husband can take it to work tonight for everyone to enjoy.

 It is wonderful to head in with our children after a cool night of Trick or Treating to a warm bowl of this delicious chili - with cinnamon rolls.  I is a great way to counter-act all the sweets from their exciting night.

I tried this recipe 3 years ago on a Halloween Night and it was an instant family favorite.  I am just excited to be healthy this year to enjoy Halloween with our boys.  The last to years I have been recovering from major surgery dealing with Cervical Cancer. 

This recipe is perfect as I can put it on in the morning before work and it is ready for supper when I get home after a busy day. Here is my recipe.


Ingredients:


2 pounds of ground beef (can use 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of ground turkey)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

¾ cup water

1 can (10 ¾ oz) Condensed Tomato Soup

1 can (14 ½ oz) diced tomatoes

2 cans Allens Kidney Beans

1 can Allens Carrots, finely chopped

¼ cup chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Directions:

Brown ground beef in a skillet – pour off fat.

Mix ground beef, garlic, onion, water, soup, tomatoes, beans, carrots, chili powder and cumin in crock pot

Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours or high 4 to 5 hours.

* I love to use crock pot liners as it makes the clean up effortless*

Do you have any Halloween Recipe traditions?  If so please share.

And Happy Halloweennnnnnnnn!

Seneca Crisp Onions Gridiron Challenge

***Welcome all who are finding me from the Seneca Crisp Onion Gridiron Challenge Blog.  I am so excited that my recipe has been choose as 1st Runner-up in the Recipe Challenge.  What a great honor and I win 1 case of these great Seneca Crisp Onions!!!!  Please let me know what you think of this easy and delicious recipe.  Enjoy and happy cooking with Seneca Crisp Onions.****

I am a firm believer that football food should be portable and easy to make and enjoy. The Stuffed Helmets I created are perfect football finger food. The helmet packs a huge burst of flavor which explodes inside your mouth. The contrasting soft and crunchy textures, along with the salty but a hint of sweetness from the Seneca Farms Crisp Onions combines to create a culinary Touch Down!

The only problem I had creating this recipe was keeping the Seneca Farms Crisp Onions away from my family long enough so I could use what I needed for this recipe. I have never eaten any crisp onions that come close to comparing to Seneca. They are a great stand alone snack, let alone can be used to make an average recipe extraordinary.

I am so glad I found about the Seneca Crisp Onions Gridiron Challenge. I sure hope my new creation will win and be enjoyed by others – I know we will continue to enjoy the Stuffed Helmets at our house.


Stuffed Helmets

Ingredients:

20 oz of fresh mushroom with stems removed

2 Tablespoons of Seneca Farms Crisp Onions – crushed

3 slices of crisp bacon

8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

6 Tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon of chopped garlic

6 drops of Worcestershire sauce


Topping Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons of Seneca Farms Crisp Onions - crushed

5 Tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan cheese



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the mushroom caps in a 9 X 13 glass pan.

Cook bacon until crisp, drain on a paper towel and crumble into small pieces into a bowl. Add cream cheese, Seneca Farm Crisp Onions, Parmesan cheese, garlic and Worcestershire sauce into the bowl. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Spoon the filling into the mushroom caps.

Combine the Topping ingredients and add to the tops of the filled mushroom caps.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until mushrooms are soft and he filling is browned.


**To save time I like to use pre-cooked bacon (only have to crisp it up in a skillet for a few minutes) and packaged shredded Parmesan cheese.**

Autumn Bread

***** Welcome all who are finding me through Gooseberry Patches Blog and or Facebook.  I am a proud winner of The Gooseberry Patch's Halloween book.  Make sure to leave me a comment or follow my blog.  I am planning on posting many more recipes.******

I just entered my recipe in the Safeway Stores Thanksgiving Recipe Challenge
http://apps.facebook.com/thanksgivingcontest/16241/contest_view_entry?&page_id=78143372410&app_id=163287927036679&id=238561 - please follow the link and vote for my recipe.  Thanks a bunch.
I have been baking this recipe for over 15 years now. It is one of the first recipes I make ever year when the weather cools and Autumn arrives. Yesterday was the pefect day to make it again and it turned our perfect.

As of this morning - I went from 3 loaves to 1 1/4 loaves.  My family and I just love this recipe and love Fall.

Everyone always asks for this one bowl recipe after their first taste. If you want to make this more old fashioned - bake the bread in greased/floured tin cans (coffee cans)- is a nice added touch. The white sugar covering is so tasty and added a wonderful sweetness and texture. It is beautiful fall colored and sparkled.

Go ahead and try it for yourself.

Autumn Bread

2/3 cup shortening


3 cups white sugar

4 eggs - well beaten

1 3/4 cups - canned pumpkin

2/3 cup - water

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 coarsely chopped walnuts

(1 cup white sugar - to roll baked loaves in)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients - excluding nuts - beat until mixed well. Stir in the nuts. Add batter to greased and floured bread pans (3 medium or 2 large sized pans). Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean in the center of the loaf. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove from pan and roll the loaf in white sugar to coat. Cool completely and cut to serve.

I entered this recipe on the Gooseberry Patch website - I hope to win one of their great seasonal prizes.  Why don't you try to win to go to http://t.co/3WyrBFB .

My Happy List for the Week :)

I decided this week to post a Happy List like this great Blog I follow - *DandelionWishes* . Check out her link at the bottom of my Blog.

I received a wonderful and unexpected Surprise in the mail this past week from Gooseberry Patch.  Let me explain - I believe around a year ago I submitted a recipe on the Gooseberry Patch website http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/.  If I remember right they were having a contest of some sort for traditional recipes that have been handed down.  I submitted a great recipe for German Anise Cookies that my Grandmother shared with me years ago.  The reason I asked for it was that my mother was talking about these great cookies that she use to eat as a girl and hadn't had them for a very long time.  She didn't have the recipe but believe her mom - my Grandmother would. 

Well I emailed my Grandma in 2006 and asked about it.  This is what she said: "You can buy these cookies anytime in Germany - small little fancy bag for $2 or $3 Quite expensive.

German Anise Cookies (They are touchy but once you figure them out it works).

2 med.size eggs      1 cup white sugar     3/4 tsp.Anise extract       1 cup flour

In small bowl beat eggs on high speed for 4 minutes ..Gradually add sugar ...beating on high for 10 min. until thick ... Add extract and beat in flour on low speed ..

Drop cookie from a rounded teaspoon on greased cookie sheet . Let stand to dry overnight 10 to 12 hr.. Do not refrigerate ....Bake at 350 (on top rack) for 10 to 12 min. .

I spray my cookie sheet lightly and wipe off excess ....I also leave mine set out in the sunroom for about 8hrs. during the day and bake in evening...I bake mine on a air tray and remove them from the tray as soon as I take them from the oven ..

They always taste the same but sometimes they do not get like a pillow top [shiny].

Good luck ..I have had good ones and not so good ..Herta says room temp for the eggs .. You will have to experiment . Love Grandma"
 
 
I am sooooo excited the recipe was selected for the German Anise Cookies to be included in the upcoming cookbook "Sunday Dinner at Grandma's" published by the Gooseberry Patch.

I can't wait to share the great news with everyone!!! I love Gooseberry Patch and can't wait for this great family recipe to be enjoyed by others!  The best part is they will give me a discount if I order five or more of the books - so if any family members are interested - just let me know and I will get the order placed.  It sounds like the cookbook is due out the end of December. 

Did I mention that I am so honor and excited.  This is just great to have the family recipe to be saved for our generations and others to enjoy.