Tasty Tuesday: BBQ Green Beans

My husband and I both grew up in homes where green beans were a frequently served vegetable. My mom canned her own home grown green beans. In the summer, if I sat down for any reason, a pan of green beans would magically appear in front of me for my snapping pleasure. Small price to pay for home canned green beans year 'round!

We still eat green beans frequently, but over time I have collected a few recipes that give a new twist to the rather tired looking store bought canned beans. The following recipe is from an old church cookbook. I have been making this for over 25 years and they are always well received. The recipe can be tripled and heated in a slow cooker for a large crowd or a pot luck event.

BBQ Green Beans

2 14.5 oz cans green beans, drained

1 can tomato soup

1/2 cup brown sugar

6 bacon slices, diced

1/4 cup onion, diced

Brown diced bacon & onion in skillet, drain well.

Place green beans, brown sugar, & tomato soup in casserole dish and mix together.

Stir in bacon & onion.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

For pot luck I triple the first 3 ingredients, use 1 pkg of bacon, and 1 whole onion. I place into a slow cooker and cook until heated through.

I know this sounds very different, but it really is a delicious recipe. Give it a try.

Bon appetit! ~Marla

Angels in Diguise

I’ve seen and met angels wearing the disguise

 of ordinary people living ordinary lives.

- Tracy Chapman

Angels in disguise. I have seen them, have you? Just the other day, at the airport, a kind employee bumped me to First Class seating. I had not asked about different seating, and when he handed me my new boarding pass and commented that it was a better seat, I still did not understand it was in the First Class area. What a wonderful, unexpected gift! Today I want to share a particularly wonderful story from someone close to me. It is about her angel in disguise.

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

 ~Hebrews 13:2 NIV

It was a particularly difficult morning. Things were piling up one upon the other. Finances had been an issue for awhile now, but today was especially bad. A cashed check that was to be held for awhile had sent the checking account into a tailspin. Checks began bouncing right and left, and the fees began stacking up. She owed money to the kids school and money on a student loan. The charges from the bounced checks had people calling her as well. How was she to pay any of these things when the money was simply not there? Topping it off were the family medical issues, including the surgery of a loved one that very day. How could one person be expected to bear so much?

As she ended a cell phone call from yet another person demanding payment, she began to give in to the despair. Standing in the hallway of her children's school, her world seemed ready to crumble. "Are you alright?", the voice asked. Looking up she saw the face of another parent. "Yes, I'm fine.", she answered, her face belying the truth. "No, really, I want to know if you are alright.", the woman said. And so the words began to pour out, along with the tears. She shared everything with this woman she barely knew, and accepted her arms to comfort her as well. Her story told, the woman asked a question, "What can I do to help?" She began to refuse the kind woman's offer, but the woman was persistent. "No, I am serious, I want to help. I can help you.", she stated. "My checkbook is at home. Let's go there and discuss this.", said the woman.

 Upon arriving at the kind woman's home, she was asked a question, "How much do you need?" Surprised, she said, "I don't know when I can pay you back." "Who said anything about paying me back?", asked the woman. "Name a figure, don't be afraid. What do you need to get back on your feet?" Stunned, she replied, "About $2000." Without blinking an eye the woman began to write the check. In explanation the woman simply said, "I was feeling sorry for myself this morning. My husband has a long commute to work, and I was resenting that. Meeting you and hearing your problems put my own into perspective. It helped me feel better."

You never know when or where your angel will appear, or when you can be an angel for someone else. In Him ~Marla

Tater Tot Casserole, Updated

This is not my first post for Tater Tot Casserole, but this is an updated version that fits my family a little better. This recipe is based on the Duggar's Tater Tot Casserole. With a few tweaks I have made it my own, a little higher in lean protein, and a little lower in carbs.

Tater Tot Casserole

2 lbs lean ground beef &/or ground turkey

Nature's Seasons Seasoning Salt

2 lbs frozen tater tots

1 cup shredded cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove tater tots from freezer. Brown and season meat to taste. Drain any fat and place meat in the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. 

Sprinkle with shredded cheese, variety of your choice, I like a 3 cheese variety. Cover evenly with tater tots.

 Mix soups and milk in a bowl and pour evenly over tater tots. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Serves 8-10.

Enjoy! ~Marla