broccoli

Broccoli-Cheese Casserole

Arguably the Best Side Dish Ever

This dish is at war with my (natural) standards. C’est la vie. I believe in organic ingredients… I can’t argue against the dependably creamy texture and consistent flavor of Cheez Whiz. I did not create this dish; I was given this gift. What can I say, except that it is a long-time family favorite. I realize that there are currently many natural cheese products with the similar thickness of Cheez Whiz (not available at the origin of this recipe, I’m sure). You do you. There are times when nostalgia and tradition outweigh set Sadie’s rules. (I’m okay with that.) It’s flavorful, indulgent, and incredibly easy to make. There are only 4 ingredients, all of which are easy to store. It also reminds me of almost every holiday table I have ever perused. You can’t replace that.

3 – 10 oz bags of Frozen Broccoli, thawed and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 – 15 oz jar of Cheez Whiz

10 Tbsp Butter (1 stick + 2 Tbsp)

36 Saltine Crackers (1 sleeve)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crush the sleeve of crackers until about pea size. Melt butter over medium high heat till bubbly and add crackers pieces.

Sauté till golden brown and butter is absorbed.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Lightly pat any excess water from Broccoli pieces and evenly distribute in ungreased casserole dish. (Side note: you can use fresh broccoli, but you’ll need to add a little water.)

Remove lid and heat Cheez Whiz (right in jar) in microwave for 30 seconds, stir. Heat 20 seconds more, or until easily spreadable.

Spread Cheez Whiz evenly over top of broccoli.

Top with sautéed crackers and bake for half hour, until hot and bubbly.

Tailgating Season!

So I’m not the biggest football fan, weathering the elements in the parking lot over a hibachi and a cooler. My husband is a big football fan, so I don’t mind going to an occasional game, but mostly I prefer watching them from the comfort of my home. However, I am a fan of the hibachi, or a grill, and any reason to get together with family and feast!

The Grill By the time I got to my camera most of the food had been cooked.

The Grill
By the time I got to my camera most of the food had been cooked.

I really do like the idea of loading up the back of a truck or what-have-you with a to-go party. A few years ago I saw an inspiring photo from a Paula Deen magazine with a nostalgic pick-up truck full of baskets and trays holding sandwiches and drinks with coordinating plaid blankets and thermoses full of soup. It was a vision I wanted to create with my own family… in the comfort of my parents back yard, around a large bonfire pit, where we were sure to keep warm and there is plenty of space for the kids to run around (and a nearby bathroom). So began a new tradition.

Things I never knew I'd love about a minivan... reverse folding seats!

Things I never knew I’d love about a minivan… reverse folding seats!

This year we had kind of an East Coast seafood theme, which I was really excited about because it is out of the norm for me. But being that I’m not a huge fan of seafood in general (it’s a work in progress) we had a steak option.

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Steak

Steak

Cheddar Biscuits

Cheddar Biscuits

Not pictured are the baked by grill potatoes, grilled broccoli and pumpkin lattes. However, I did manage to snap a photo of dessert…

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Pumpkin Cheesecake

Sometimes I feel like there aren’t enough days in a week. We should really do this more often.

Lynz Real Cooking’s Chicken Divan

I am thoroughly enjoying my WordPress Cooking Challenge from Healthy in All Hues to make the dishes of 5-7 fellow foodie bloggers. (I chose 8!) I not only enjoy creating recipes, I love making other peoples’ recipes! Why not support my fellow bloggers and try new dishes? Brilliant!

Lynn has an amazing blog about raising nine children and the ups and downs of her experience living in Saudi. (I’m captivated.) At first I was thinking, nine kids! How does she have time to cook? And then I thought, all of those mouths to feed, she probably never leaves the kitchen!

Why have I never heard of Chicken Divan? I am thankful to Lynn for sharing it! It’s nourishing and well, for lack of a better word, delicious! The ultimate retro comfort food! There were a couple steps, and I was moving along… and then I got to the curry. All of the sudden I was reminded of my grandmother, and then I was connected in a much deeper way. And the warm fuzzies kept coming as it baked in the oven and filled my home with a heart-warming aroma I was not accustomed to, but will be from now on. Honest to goodness it just kept getting better!

I prepared the recipe with rice just as Lynn had done in her photo. My only dilemma was that my sauce seemed a little wetter than the one in her picture, so I served it in a bowl over the rice. No disappointment here, it was fantastic, scrumptious and everything I want my food to be! I called my sister right away to say she had to make it for her family. By the way, this is going to be a staple in my repertoire! No wonder everyone (but me) had heard of it before! I think I might start a new challenge: make everything on Lynn’s blog! For the original recipe visit Lynz Real Cooking.

As organic as possible: (my input)

4 slices bread

4 Tbsp butter, melted

1 large crown broccoli, cut into bite size pieces and steamed

5 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

1 cup mayonnaise

1 large can chicken condensed soup

2 1/2 cups water

1 Tbsp curry

juice of 1 lemon

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 300º

Place bread on baking sheet and place in oven, cook until toasted and turn the oven up to 350º. When cooled break into pieces and toss with melted butter. In the meantime, layer a large casserole dish with the broccoli followed by the shredded chicken. Mix the mayo, soup, water, curry, and lemon juice in a large bowl and pour evenly over the broccoli and chicken. Top the mix with the shredded cheese and toasted bread pieces. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Enjoy the smell of your kitchen. Serve warm (on a bed of rice). YUM!

Quirky and Wonderful’s Broccoli Potato Casserole

For those of you who may not know, I have been challenged by a fellow blogger, Healthy in All Hues, to make recipes of seven different fellow foodie bloggers. There are so many delicious choices that I narrowly limited it to eight, and I am seriously thinking about challenging myself to make at least one fellow blogger’s dish per month. I think it’s a great way to promote other bloggers and get to try new recipes, a win/win! For the third installment of my WordPress Cooking Challenge, I selected a Broccoli Cheese Potato Casserole from Quirky and Wonderful.

I’m a practical mother with half of a dozen mouths to feed on a regular basis. Casseroles make a lot of sense to me. They are often loaded with with meat and cheese which not only makes them tasty, but filling- which is always helpful when feeding a crowd. Many times they can be prepared ahead of time, which is really convenient when meal planning. And when you come across a recipe that calls for a tater tot crust, well “hook, line and sinker!” But the best part about this dish was there were so many yummy flavors going on that I could hide the broccoli from my little ones!

The recipe wasn’t difficult, but did require a couple steps. Firstly, let me say that I have never steamed broccoli in the microwave before. What a time saver! Secondly, one of the stages specifically called for Oreida brand potato crowns, but did go on to say that if I tried another brand to let her know (which she confided in the reader, namely me, that she would not rat me out to her mother-in-law, the originator of the recipe). So I feel compelled to say I did try another brand; I used Whole Foods 365 brand of Tater Puffs. Since this was my first tasting of the dish, I cannot confirm nor deny that it was better or worse than another. But I can say that the casserole at large was very satisfying, both in flavor and in mass. Also to follow the recipe I was unable to find condensed organic soups, I could find cream of celery (but not condensed). I’m curious if one of our non GMO cheese dips would make a good replacement for the condensed cheese soup in the future? I must also admit that the recipe was written in a double portion, one for now and one to freeze for the future. And I took the liberty to cut the recipe into half to just make one dish, because we were leaving for the weekend and I did not have the space in my freezer to store another. (Note to self: clean out freezer!)

Thanks Quirky and Wonderful for taking the time to pass down a family heirloom of a recipe. I can see how it would be a comforting dish to a new mother! (I think I enjoyed the leftovers even more! The flavors had even more time to combine… and I wish I had one more in the freezer.) Because there are several stages to the process and Quirky and Wonderful has kindly taken the time to spell it our for you, click here for the original recipe and instructions.