Winnie Griggs' Stuffed French Bread

Always an avid and eclectic reader, Winnie has dabbled in writing stories for her own enjoyment most of her life.  In the early 90s she gave herself a personal challenge of trying to write a full length novel from start to finish.  It took her a couple of years to complete, but once she’d made it to ‘the end’ she was hooked.  It took several more years to accomplish her next goal - that of becoming published - but in 2000 she received ‘the call’ and saw her first book hit the bookstore shelves in 2001. 

Winnie has now written 14 books for three different lines and is currently hard at work on her 15^th.  A small town girl herself, Winnie’s books focus on family, community and matters of faith - all subjects that are near and dear to her own heart.  In fact, the tagline on her website reads “Small Towns, Big Hearts, Amazing Grace”.  Her writing has garnered enthusiastic reviews and numerous awards, among them a TOP pick rating from Romantic Times, two nominations for a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and an Award Of Merit from the prestigious HOLT Medallion contest.

Winnie has been married for over 35 years to her college sweetheart and together they have raised four proud-to-call-them-mine children and a too-numerous-to-count assortment of dogs, cats, fish, hamsters, turtles and 4-H sheep.  Besides reading and writing, Winnie’s  favorite activities include cooking, exploring flea markets and pretending the growing army of dust bunnies who have invaded her home will disappear if she just ignores them long enough. Winnie loves to hear from readers. You can contact her via her website www.winniegriggs.com or find her on facebook.

Can she drive away not one, but three suitors?

Free-spirited photographer Regina Nash is ready to try.  But unless she marries one of the gentlemen her grandfather has sent for her inspection, she’ll lose custody of her nephew.  So she must persuade them - and Adam Barr, her grandfather’s envoy - that she’d make a thoroughly unsuitable wife.

Adam isn’t convinced.  Regina might be unconventional, but she has wit, spirit and warmth - why can’t the three bachelors he escorted here to Texas see that?  He not only sees it, but is drawn to it.   His job, though, is to make sure Regina chooses from one of those men - not to marry her himself!

Can Reggie and Adam overcome the secrets in her past, and the shadows in his, to find a perfect future together?

This is a very simple and versatile recipe that is a hit with kids as well as adults.  Over the years I’ve developed a number of variations that I use depending on my mood and what ingredients I have on hand - I’ve included some of those as well.  It yields 8-10 servings

WINNIE'S STUFFED FRENCH BREAD

INGREDIANTS

·      1 large loaf French bread

·      1-1/4 lb ground beef

·      1 med onion, chopped

·      1 can condensed tomato soup, undiluted

·      Salt and pepper to taste

·      1 cup shredded cheddar

DIRECTIONS

·      Cut bread length wise, leaving bottom portion slightly taller than top

·      Carefully hollow out inside of both halves to within 1/2 inch of crust

·      Take bread scooped out from center and break into bite sized pieces

·      Brown meat and onion in large pan, drain

·      Stir in soup and bread pieces

·      Add salt and pepper to taste

·      Remove from heat and stir in cheese

·      Spoon mixture into bottom half of bread, mounding it

·      Cover with top half of bread and wrap in foil

·      Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

·      Cut into 8-10 slices.  Serve

Leftovers may be rewrapped in foil and stored in refrigerator.  Simply reheat in oven when ready to eat.

VARIATIONS

·         Substitute another whole loaf type bread such as Italian

·         Substitute ground turkey, chicken or pork for the beef

·         Substitute spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, sloppy Joe sauce or salsa for tomato soup

·         Add chopped jalapeños to taste

·         Add other seasoning vegetables such as celery, bell pepper, green onion

·         Substitute other cheeses for cheddar