Scalloped Corn

 The south has a variety of corn casseroles that are all quite similar, but still different in how they taste and look.   There is spoon bread, like a cross between corn bread and corn custard.  Their is corn pudding, which is a type of corn corn custard.   And then scalloped corn, my favorite.  Not quite as delicate as well made corn pudding, but not as heavy as spoon bread.  It is also set apart from the other two by having a crunchy buttered cracker topping.   

2 cans of creamed corn, or about 4 cups homemade creamed corn (the cans are handy and, honestly, taste just as good)

1 pkg thawed frozen sweet corn or about 3 cups fresh corn, cut off the cob and the cobs scraped

3 eggs, beaten lightly

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup melted butter, divided

1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs or other butter type cracker, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a large casserole dish and set aside.   In a large bowl add the creamed corn, thawed or fresh corn, sugar salt and pepper, and mix well.  Then stir in half of the cracker crumbs and half the melted butter.   Mix well, then pour into the casserole dish.  Mix the remaining cracker crumbs and melted butter, mixing well.  Sprinkle them evenly over the top of the corn mixture.   Bake about 30-45 minutes, until well browned and bubbly.  Cool slightly before serving.

Did one wish to attempt to improve on perfection, you could add some grated sharp cheddar to the corn mixture and then more on top with the cracker crumbs... I would suggest about a cup to the corn mixture and half that amount to the topping.   One could use some crisp bacon or diced ham in the pudding as well.    

Cabbage Rolls

 I first learned to make cabbage rolls from my adopted Ukrainian babcia, Stephanie Bilynsky.   She also taught me how to make borscht and pierogi.    They are a bit labor intensive, but well worth the time!

1 head of cabbage

1 lb ground beef or pork or a mixture

1 1/2 cups rice, cooked in 3 cups water or about 4 cups leftover cooked rice

1 onion, peeled and chopped,

1-3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

salt and pepper or any other seasoning you may like

4-6 cups crushed or canned tomatoes or a mixture of the two

 

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a full rolling boil. While water is heating, cut core from cabbage, then remove any soiled leaves from the outside of the cabbage and discard. Continue to remove as many of the large leaves as possible, you will need about 20 or so. When as many leaves as possible are removed, blanch each one in the boiling water for a couple of minutes. You want the leaves to be wilted, not so much cooked. Remove from water and set aside. While they are cooling, mix the raw ground meat with the cooked rice, add the finely chopped onion and garlic, as well as any seasoning you are using. Grease a large roasting pan with a lid, chopp some of the remaining cabbage and place on the bottom of the pan. Taking a cabbage leave, if there is a thick rib running down the lengthe of the leaf, carefull shave off the thickest part, this is so that you can fold the leafe without tearing. Place one or two tablespoons of the meat mixture in a log across the bottom (stem end) of the leaf, fold over the sides and then roll up. Place in the roaster fold side down. Repeat with as many as the leaves and filling as you have. When all leaves are filled and placed in roaster, top with the crushed and or diced tomatoes, tightly seal the roaster with foil and then a lid, place in the oven and bake for about an hour. After an hour, remove the lid and bake another 30 minutes or so. Cool a bit and then eat!

 

You can use the same meat filling mixture for filling sweet peppers and cooking the same way.

 

Greek Style Chicken and Rice

 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken, thighs are the most flavorful, cut into bite sized cubes

2 lemons, zested, juiced and juice strained

1/2 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups rice

about 1/4 cup good olive oil

1 bunch green onions, washed, trimmed and chopped, divided in two parts

1 medium sized onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic, use a lesser amount if you are not a garlic nut like I am!

3 cups chicken broth or water

a bag of baby spinach, torn in pieces

(if you happen to have a jar of Better Than Bouillon in your fridge, a heaping tablespoon of that, if you don't have it, don't worry about it.)

Place the chicken in a large bowl, then sprinkle with half of the lemon juice and grated zest, the oregano, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, as well as a tablespoon of olive oil, toss well and allow to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.     Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy dutch oven and then brown the chicken in two batches, remove from the pan and set it aside.   In the pan add the onion, half of the green onions and the rice.   Fry until the onion and garlic are wilted and starting to brown a bit, adding more olive oil if needed.    When it reaches that point, add the broth and stir well (if you have some Better Than Bouillion, add now and dissolve in the broth, it will add a bit of extra richness and flavor)  scraping up any of the brown stuff on the bottom of the pan.  Add the chicken and any juices back into the pan and mix well.   Bring broth to a full boil, then reduce heat to where it just barely bubbles.  Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes.   When done, remove from the heat and allow to sit a couple of minutes, then add the spinach, stir it in, recover and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes.   Pour the reserved lemon juice and zest, the remaining green onions and another couple tablespoons of olive oil, stir it in and and then serve.   All you really need with it is some crusty bread.   

If you are needing something lower carb, omit the rice and most of the chicken broth, brown about 4-5 cups of cauliflower rice with the onion and garlic, then add about a cup of chicken broth, along with the chicken and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until it is nearly dry.    I have even made this using both the rice and cauliflower rice and it was very tasty.  

Southwest Cheesy Chicken and Rice

I came up with this one evening when I needed something quick to take to a dinner at work some years back.  I made it with odds and ends in the fridge, along with things I had in my cupboard.  Turned out so good I started making it on purpose.  You can use leftovers or buy things especially for it.  It will always be good. 

1 jar queso, I like 505 Roasted Hatch Chile queso, slightly warmed  or a couple cups of melted Velveeta
4-5 cups cooked rice
4 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey or cooked ground beef or roast pork or beef roast, whatever you have or like
1 small jar chunky picante sauce, I like Pace the best
1 pkg. taco seasoning or 2 tbsp chili powder or your own Mexican spice mix

Mix all together and place in a greased baking dish, top with grated cheese if you wish and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until bubbly around the edges and the cheese is browned.   You can also put in a crockpot, top with some grated cheese and then heat on low until bubbly.    This is also very good for filling burritos.  As always, enjoy!!!

Pork Chop and Potato Bake

6 boneless pork chops
1 pkg frozen O'Brien potatoes(or use about 4 cups of finely cubed potatoes mixed with a finely chopped onion and diced red and green sweet peppers)
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup  milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1  can of french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.    Grease a 9x13 inch pan.    Brown the chops on both sides in a little oil and set aside.   Reserve half of the cheese and half of the onions, set aside.   Mix the remaining ingredients together, including the half cup cheese and half can of onion rings.   Spread it in the bottom of the pan and then top with the chops.   Bake for one hour.   At that time, sprinkle the reserved cheese and onions on top, then bake an additional 5 minutes or so, until the cheese is browned.  

Very hearty and very good.   If you wish to avoid the canned soup, make a cream sauce with lots of chopped celery that you brown in the butter used to make the cream sauce.   

Don's Mushroom Lasagna

A very and decadent meatless meal here.   If you are a fan of mushrooms, you will love this delicious meal.

For mushrooms:
2 lbs. mixed mushrooms, chopped
2 oz. dried mushrooms, rinsed and then covered with 1 cup, cooked in the microwave for three minutes, then allowed to soak another 10 minutes  (optional)
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp. butter & 3 tbsp. olive oil


Drain the soaked mushrooms, reserving the broth and chop the mushrooms then adding to the raw ones.  In a large Dutch oven heat the oil and butter, add the mushrooms and onion and fry on medium heat until well browned, stirring often.  When slightly browned, add the garlic and keep cooking.   Remove from heat and remove mushrooms to a bowl.

Cream Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
mushroom soaking liquid and enjoy milk to make 5 cups.   Heat the butter in the Dutch oven you fried the mushrooms in.   Add the flour and, stirring constantly, lightly brown the flour in the butter, slowly stir in the milk/broth mixture and continue stirring until it is thickened.  Simmer about 2 minutes.    Remove from heat and cool.

Assembling the lasagna:

4 cups mozzarella cheese
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups ricotta cheese, mixed with an egg and 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper
9 lasagna noodles,  cooked,  drained, rinsed and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Grease a 9x13 inch cake pan.   Spread a thin layer of of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Place three noodles in the bottom of the pan.  spread with some of the sauce, then sprinkle half the ricotta over the sauce, then half of the mushrooms and a thin layer of the grated cheeses.   Repeat.  Place the last three noodles over the top of the second layer.  Spread with the remainder of the sauce and then the remaining grated cheeses.   Bake in the preheated oven about 45 minutes or until bubbling and the top of the cheese is lightly browned.   Remove from the oven and allow to sit and cool about 15-20 minutes before serving.  

Breakfast (or any time) Casserole

I made a delicious breakfast casserole this morning. I chopped a small onion and a seeded green chile. I took a large non-stick skillet, sprayed with cooking spray and lightly browned the onion and chile. Then I added about a cup of diced ham and browned that as well. Finally, I added 3 cups of cubed, pre-cooked potatoes. When all were lightly browned, I placed them in a greased 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan. Then I beat 4 eggs with about a half cup of milk. I seasoned the egg mixture with some garlic powder and paprika. Then I poured the eggs over the potatoes, then sprinkled 1 1/2- 2 cups of grated cheese over the top. I baked it at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, or bake until a knife stuck in the center comes out clean and the cheese is lightly browned. I allowed it to cool about 10 minutes, then ate it with some picante sauce on top. It was quite tasty. This recipe can be doubled to feed more people. It is also a very good lunch or supper dish as well.

You can replace with ham with cooked bacon or sausage or use turkey ham, bacon or sausage if you don't eat pork.

Ground Beef Rice Casserole

When I was a kid our grade school served something called Texas Hash, which was a rice and ground beef dish.   It didn't have much seasoning to it, so I didn't care much for it.   This is a variation on that dish, but it has plenty of seasoning and flavor!   This particular recipe makes enough for 2-3 people, but can easily be doubled or tripled.

1/2 cup rice
1 cup water
dash of salt

Add the rice to the water and bring to a boil.   Lower the heat as low as possible, cover and allow to cook about 20 minutes.   Remove from heat and allow to sit a few minutes to steam or use 1 1/2 cups leftover rice.

While the rice is cooking, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet.   Peel and chop a small onion, then saute in the hot oil.   Allow to brown, then add a pound of ground beef or veal or pork.   Fry until the meat is no longer pink.    Add 1 tbsp. of chili powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and salt and pepper to taste.   Finally, add a can of diced tomatoes and mix well.    Remove from the heat.     When the rice is cooked, add to the skillet of meat and tomatoes.   Spoon into an 8X8 inch baking dish, then cover with about 1 1/2-2 cups grated cheddar cheese.    Bake at 350 degrees about 30-45 minutes, until nicely browned and bubbly.   Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

2-3 cups, cooked, diced chicken
1-1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup butter or oil
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1- 1 1/2 cups milk or half and half
salt and pepper to taste (or some Mrs. Dash)
3- 3 1/2 cups grated cheddar, I prefer sharp
half of a 12 oz. bag of wide egg noodles

Heat a large pot of water until boiling.   Add the noodles and cook until tender.   Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in large dutch oven, heat the butter or oil and add the onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms.   Saute until lightly browned and tender.   Sprinkle the flour on top of the cooked vegetables and stir well.   Cook for a few minutes, then stir in the chicken broth, stirring until thickened and smooth.   Stir in the milk, starting with about 1 cup and cook until it is like a thick gravy, adding more milk to get the right consistency.    Stir in one cup of the grated cheddar cheese and stir until incorporated into the sauce.   Add the chicken, the noodles and season to taste.   Spoon into a nice baking dish and cover with the remaining grated cheese.   Bake at 350 degrees about 30-45 minutes.   It should be bubbling and the cheese melted.   If you like, you can brown it just a little bit.   Cool slightly before serving.

Options:   replace the chicken with about 2 cups drained chunk light tuna.   Everything else is the same.

If you want to make a vegetarian casserole, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth.   Then stir in a couple cups lightly cooked vegetables to your taste.