Cornbread Casserole

This recipe is a family favorite at

Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Cornbread Casserole:

1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

1 can whole kernel corn drained

1 can creamed corn NOT drained

8 oz. sour cream

2 eggs slightly beaten

2 sticks of butter melted

Bake at 350-degrees for 50 minutes to one hour.

Drain the full kernel corn, but NOT the

creamed corn.

Stir sour cream into the corn bread mix in

a large bowl.

Mix in the two eggs.

Add the melted butter...

The creamed corn...

and, the full kernel corn and mix well.

Spray a 9 X 13 inch cake pan with non-stick spray.

If you are making this ahead to reheat in a microwave

later, use a glass pan like this.

Spread the mixture in the pan and

bake for 50 minutes to one hour

until golden.

We never have any leftovers

of this yummy side dish!

Green Rice with Chicken

I got the idea for this recipe in college from my

FAVORITE dish served in the dining hall...

Green Rice!

After college, I made up a recipe trying

to match it, and added chicken to

make it a full meal.

You can make it without the chicken

and serve it as a side dish.

The kiddies won't even know they're getting

a good dose of spinach.

It's easy and DELICIOUS!

Green Rice with Chicken

3 boneless chicken breasts

2 boxes Rice-a-Roni Chicken flavor

1 box frozen chopped spinach (Don't get the 'leaf' spinach)

1 tsp. minced garlic in the jar

2-3 cups sharp cheddar (or regular cheddar if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Spray a 9 X13 inch glass pan with cooking spray

and set aside.

Prepare the Rice-a-Roni according to package

directions. It takes 20 minutes to cook

on the stove top.

While rice is cooking, prepare the

chopped spinach.

Place frozen spinach in a covered

microwave safe bowl and microwave

for seven minutes on high.

Cut chicken breasts

into bite-sized pieces.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a dutch oven pan

over med/high heat.

Saute the chicken until cooked through

When spinach is done, press

out excess water and set aside.

When chicken is cooked through,

add the minced garlic and cook

an additional minute.

Remove the chicken from the stove and

season it with salt and pepper to taste.

When rice is done,

stir it in with the seasoned chicken.

Mix in the chopped spinach.

Spread this mixture into the

prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle the top generously with the

cheddar cheese and bake in

the oven until cheese is melted.

(about ten minutes.)

My kids have loved this dinner since

they were little.  I like that it has

all the food groups in one

easy, cheesy dish!

Eggplant Pesto Parmesan with Grilled Rottiserie Chicken

As August comes to a close, many of us are enjoying the harvest from our summer gardens.

My friend Janet gave me this lovely eggplant from her garden.

It's a Saturday night, and I wanted to make an easy, summery meal using the eggplant and the store-bought rotisserie chicken I had in the fridge.

 

My favorite way to cook one of these simple chickens in the summer is on the grill!

Delicious grilled flavor, crispy skin with no hassle, mess or clean-up.

Heat your grill to medium.

Turn the chicken over on the cutting board and using a large knife, cut through the ribs down the middle.

Pull the two sides apart and lay the chicken flat like this:

Place on hot grill, cut side down and shut the grill lid. Now, it's simply baking in a grill oven.

Just leave it while you prepare the eggplant.

Check every so often. If the skin looks crispy, lower the heat

Now make this delectable side dish:

Eggplant Pesto Parmesan

1 lg. eggplant sliced

Pesto (try my recipe for fresh pesto or buy a tub in the produce section by the refrigerator pastas)

Sm. jar of Ragu Spaghetti Sauce (I like extra chunky tomato, garlic and onion)

Shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

Kraft Parmesan Cheese (In the green canister)

Start by slicing the eggplant into half inch thick slices.

Brush each slice with olive oil on both sides.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour some Kraft Parmesan Cheese onto a plate.

Dredge each oiled slice through the cheese to coat both sides.

 

Heat a large fry pan to med/high. I don't add oil since the eggplant is already coated in olive oil.

Place the cheesy slices in the heated pan and cook until the cheese is golden and crispy.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil and lightly spray with Pam or use no-stick foil.

Lay out the crispy slices and spread with Pesto.

Now add a spoonful of spaghetti sauce and spread over each slice.

Sprinkle each slice with shredded mozzarella cheese and broil until the cheese is golden and bubbly.

The grilled chicken and Eggplant Pesto Parmesan make a speedy and spectacular

summer supper.

Cole Slaw

Most busy mothers buy the slaw sauce pre-made in a jar and mix it with the pre-shredded slaw cabbage.

That is quick and easy, but with a bit of extra effort you can make your

own cole slaw from scratch.

The fresh taste is worth the few extra steps!

Yummy Fresh Cole Slaw

1 bag of pre-shredded cole slaw mix from produce section

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tea. lemon juice

1-2 tea. sugar

2-3 splashes of Tabasco sauce

1 tea. apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 tea. celery seed (found in spice/herb section)

Plop the mayonnaise and sour cream in a large mixing bowl.

Add all the remaining ingredients except the cole slaw mix and whisk together well.

Add the cole slaw mix and stir to coat evenly.

Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with pretty Paprika.

Tastes best after refrigerated for at least an hour.

Makes about four servings.

Tomato Basil Pie

Our 90-plus degrees over the past few weeks has really heated up the herbs in my patio planter.

It went from this:                    

To this:

As you can see, my basil has grown into a MONSTER!

Time to make my college roommate's famous recipe:

Lari's Tomato Basil Pie

Pie innards

3 to 4 Roma tomatoes sliced

about 3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup plus 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

heaping TBS of minced garlic in jar

Crust

1 sleeve Ritz crackers

1/2 cup Kraft Parmesan cheese (In green canister)

5 Tbs. melted butter

Start by slicing tomatoes and laying the slabs on several layers of paper towels to absorb the moisture.

Now, make the crust.

Smash up the Ritz crackers. I did this in my food processor,

but you can put them in a large Ziplock bag and crush crackers with a rolling pin.

In a bowl, mix in a half cup of the Kraft Parmesan cheese.

Add melted butter and mix well.

Press mixture into a glass pie plate. I used a quiche dish.

Bake at 350-degrees for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, finely chop the basil leaves.

I did this in my mini-food processor, but you can do it with a knife.

Add the minced garlic and give it a whirl in the food processor.

In a bowl, mix together mayonnaise, one cup shredded mozzarella cheese and the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I didn't have the fresh stuff on hand, so I used Kraft in the green canister.

Add the basil-garlic mixture and combine.

When the crust comes out of the oven, sprinkle it with the half cup of shredded mozzarella.

Pat excess liquid off the draining tomatoes with a paper towel.

Arrange the tomato slices over the melting mozzarella.

Smear the mayonnaise-basil paste over the tomatoes.

I grated fresh pepper on the top.

Bake in the oven at 350-degrees for 20 minutes or until golden.

This recipe is delicious served with grilled chicken or pork chops.