Corn Casserole

This is a Paula Deen recipe that I made to go alongside meatloaf last night. It was a hit and I will definitely be making it again!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of cream style corn
1 cup of sour cream
1 8.5 oz package of corn bread mix
1 cup of cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine corn, sour cream, corn bread mix and half of cheese.
2. Place in baking dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
3. Add remaining cheese to top of casserole and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Paula Deen's Squash Casserole

Paula Deen makes some mean casseroles, and this one is no exception!

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
1 large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sleeve crackers, crushed

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the squash, onion, and butter until soft. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan, Cheddar, and sour cream. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Place in the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the cracker crumbs evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly.

Heart Attack Mac (aroni and Cheese)

This is good. Go make it immediately. You can thank me later!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound sharp cheddar, shredded
4 ounces Gruyere, shredded
4 ounces Asiago, shredded
2 cups bread crumbs
8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325*
2. Cook macaroni al dente according to package directions
3. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Sprinkle flour over butter and cook 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat, whisking until a roux or paste forms. Add cold milk and whisk until dissolved. Cook sauce on medium-low heat until thick and bubbly. Add heavy cream, all cheeses, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Cook until cheeses are fully melted, stirring occasionally.
4. Add cooked macaroni and bacon to cheese mixture and mix thoroughly. Place macaroni mixture in a 13 by 9 baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Potato Casserole

I combined several different recipes and added a few of my own twists to come up with this tasty dish! I would imagine that adding ham or sausage would make it a good breakfast casserole...

Serves 6-8 (as a side dish)

INGREDIENTS:
1 BAG (24 oz) cubed potatoes, thawed
1/2 onion, diced
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups of sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups of shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but pepper jack or Gouda might be good!)
3 tbsp butter
Salt and Pepper
Nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Saute diced onion in the butter.
3. Place potatoes in large casserole dish and mix in sour cream, soup, onions, cheese and seasonings to taste.
4. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

Last summer, I was tired of green salads to go along with what we were grilling for dinner. After Googling some alternative salad recipes, I used a mishmash of recipes to come up with the following.

Serves 6 (as a side dish - serves 2 for a main dish wrapped in tortillas!)
INGREDIENTS:
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bell pepper, chopped (I use yellow, but any color is fine)
1 cup of pico de gallo (I use the prepared kind found in the produce section)
3 tbsp lime juice
Cilantro (to your preference. I LOVE cilantro!)

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir. Chill for at least one hour prior to serving.

Crock Pot Baked Beans

Beans are not typically something that make my skirt fly up. But these beans are so good (and easy)!! Minimal ingredients and the crock pot doing the work make it a great dish to take to a summer BBQ.

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. of ground beef
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (or you can use the Hormel bacon pieces in the salad aisle)
1 onion, diced
2 jalapenos, diced (optional)
1 15 oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 28 oz cans of baked beans, undrained
1 15 oz can of butter beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of BBQ sauce
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp ketchup

DIRECTIONS
1. Brown ground beef in skillet.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large crock pot.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours.
4. Serve warm.

AJ Bump's Carrot Casserole

I first had this recipe when I was a small child (I don't remember it!). The next time was when my mother in law made it. It is SO good. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Serves 8

A. J. BUMP'S CARROT CASSEROLE
12 carrots
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg, beaten
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8-by-8-inch Pyrex dish with nonstick spray.
2. Clean and cut carrots into large pieces. Cook them in boiling water until soft. Drain well and mash.
3. Saute onion over medium-high heat in the 1 tablespoon butter or margarine until very soft.
4. In a large bowl, combine carrots, onions, 1/2 cup butter or margarine, egg, salt, pepper and garlic. Mix well. Place carrot mixture in prepared baking dish and top with crackers and cheese.
5. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Servings: 9
Source: A. J. Bump's Restaurant, Freeport, CA
From: the Sacramento Bee; July, 1997

Cheesy Pasta

This recipe was kind of an accident/experiment. Last weekend, we were grilling chicken and needed a side dish. A cheese pasta with a kick sounded good, and this is what came of it!!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1 package of spiral pasta (I use whole wheat)
5 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese (if this variety of cheese isn't your fav, something like Gouda would be good!)
5 ounces of Parmesans cheese
1 cup of cream
1/4 cup of cooking sherry
2 tbsp butter (I use smart balance)
1 shallot, diced
1 tbsp of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp of dried mustard
1 tbsp of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste (I like A LOT of pepper!)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. Meanwhile, cook diced shallots in butter until soft. Add sherry and stir.
3. Add cream and stir. Let mixture simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Add cheeses and stir. Stir in spices. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes
5. Drain cooked pasta and place in bowl or back into cooking pot. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and serve immediately.