Tyent USA’s Tasty Thursday Recipes

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Rhona Reid

It’s About Time for Some Comfort Food!

While the temperature is still a little warm in some areas, in others, it is beginning to cool down a bit, especially in the evenings.

Originally from the mid-west, I grew up with warm Springs, hot Summers, beautiful Falls and bone chilling Winters. Needless to say (but I will), I love the changing of the seasons. Aside from the aesthetic beauty each season holds, with a change in the weather comes a change in the menu.

Springtime offered a welcomed, lighter fare than the heavier food of a cold winter with salads and sandwiches and the like. Summertime brought on anything that could be grilled from burgers to steaks to barbecued chicken, while the Fall and Winter gave way to heartier, more rib-sticking foods such as good soups and casseroles.

Today’s recipe is a combination of traditional Summer food with a transition into Fall food. With this clever recipe you’ll enjoy the taste of a good cheeseburger and French fries all rolled into one dish.

I encourage you to try this fun and different recipe because not only is it pretty easy to throw together, it tastes surprisingly good. Kids really eat this up too (pun intended).

So let’s go.

Cheeseburger & French Fries Casserole

Cheese burger & Fries

Ingredients:

2 pounds of lean ground beef

½ medium onion, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

1 (10.75 ounce) can of condensed golden mushroom soup

1 (10.75 ounce) can of condensed Cheddar cheese soup

1 (16 ounce) package of frozen French fries

2 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Combine the ground beef and onion in a skillet and cook over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink and the onion is translucent. Drain off excess grease and season with your salt/pepper/garlic.

Return to heat and stir in the golden mushroom and cheese soups until well blended. Heat through, and remove from stove. Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover the ground beef mixture with a layer of frozen French fries (different huh?)

Place the baking dish into your preheated oven and cook for 25-30 minutes. When the fries are golden brown remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Stick it back in the oven just until the cheese has melted.

This fun meal is not only really tasty and different, but it is interesting to watch what the kids put on it. They dress it up as they would a regular burger with everything from catsup, to mustard, to pickles, or whatever fits their fancy.

I think the kid in you will really like it too.

Hey, last week I mentioned that you can make your own Vanilla Extract and so today I’m going to tell you how.

This is so cool to do and is absolutely delicious. Store-bought cannot compare and a little bottle of homemade vanilla makes for a unique and memorable gift.

This recipe requires whole vanilla beans which you can find at your local wholesome or natural food stores or in the specialty section at your favorite supermarket.

Here’s all you do. Simply delicious describes the process and the resulting product.

Home-made Vanilla Extract

1-8 ounce bottle or glass jar

7 vanilla beans

1 cup of vodka (Tip: Cheap vodka works just as well as expensive vodka comrades)

Directions:

Slice the beans open length-wise and place in the bottle (if you need to cut them into smaller pieces to fit, go ahead).

Pour one cup of vodka over the beans and be sure they are submerged completely.

Now once or twice a week shake up the jar. That’s it. It takes about 6-8 weeks for the transubstantiation from vodka to vanilla. When the color is a rich brown, your vanilla is ready! Store at room temperature and out of the sunlight.

Begin now and you can impress your friends with this delicious gift for the upcoming holidays.