4 Casseroles 4 School Night Dinners: Chicken, Tex Mex, Tamale, Shepherds Pie

*** Check out some family favorites, easy and quick to cook - and nutritious.




From Denny: Casseroles often get a bad rap in the food world. Even at our house the groaners would appear and roll our eyes. We remembered from our childhoods the sorry and tired vegetables that were left over leftovers thrown in to make a meal that tasted like gooey paste. So, yeah, we weren't fans of leftovers either.

These days good cooks know to make casseroles with fresh ingredients and usually oozing with delicious cheese. While a casserole may not look like haute cuisine when it arrives on the plate it sure tastes good like comfort food should. Louisiana cooks are fans of casseroles and have perfected the art of the casserole to appeal to the family.

And, in these tough economic times, home cooks are looking for ways to stretch their food budget and still taste good. One pound of ground meat or one chicken can go a long way in casserole recipes. The family sized casserole that feeds eight to ten people is the perfect answer for getting the most out of your food dollar. And some casseroles, like lasagna, actually taste better the next day.

Delicious casseroles are also great for welcoming a new neighbor or an easy dish to take to a gathering or family reunion. It's also an easy dish for the flurry of busy that occurs when kids are going back to school or during the holiday season. Look at it this way, when you make a casserole there is only one dish to soak and clean up, saving time in the kitchen. These one-dish meals are also great to put in the freezer for future meals when you are in a hurry. Add a side salad and a slice of good quality bread and you have a meal in minutes.

These casseroles are based off the traditional recipes originating from the 1950's and 1960's but with more vegetables, fresh ones, and more dairy. To lighten the calories you could exchange lighter versions of mayonnaise and cream or cheese.


Recipes Featured:

Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Casserole
Lady Pat’s Shepherd’s Pie
Chicken Tamale Pie
Tex-Mex Casserole







Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

From: Shannon Poché

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 (10-oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
6 large chicken breast halves, deboned and skin removed
1 cup sherry, divided
1 or 2 bay leaves
2 tbls. butter
8 ozs. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 or 3 green onions, tops and bottoms, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3/4 cup mayonnaise (Poché uses Hellmann’s with Olive Oil)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (14-oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped OR a can of artichoke bottoms, coarsely chopped


Directions:

Thaw spinach and squeeze dry. Set aside.

In large skillet, add chicken, 1/2 cup sherry and the bay leaves. Heat to boiling, then cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken and discard bay leaves and sherry. Set chicken aside.

In skillet, melt butter and sauté mushrooms, green onions and garlic. Cook until mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

In separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, sour cream and the remaining 1/2 cup of the sherry. Set aside.

Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick coating. Spread spinach on the bottom of the casserole. Top with the chicken breasts, artichokes and mushroom mixture.

Spoon mayonnaise mixture over top, then sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Place in preheated 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated through.





This photo of Bon Appetits' Greek version: Lamb and Eggplant Shepherd's Pie



Lady Pat’s Shepherd’s Pie

From: Lady Pat Sherman

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cooked using your favorite whipped (mashed) potatoes recipe
2-2 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 or 2 tbls. olive oil or mix of olive oil and butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 or 3 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbl. brown roux
1 tsp. dry beef or chicken bouillon granules OR 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon vegetarian base dissolved in 1 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups frozen baby lima beans, cooked and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, cooked and drained OR 1 (11.3-oz.) can niblet corn, drained
Cooked carrots, if desired
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese for topping


Directions:

Prepare mashed potatoes according to your favorite recipe. Set aside.

Cook ground beef in large skillet until cooked through and no longer pink. Pour off all fat. Set aside.

In another skillet add olive oil or mix of olive oil and butter. Then sauté onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic until vegetables are tender. Add the sautéed vegetables to the cooked and drained ground beef.

Stir in the roux, the bouillon or Better Than Bouillon and water. Bring to boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes.

Place meat with gravy on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Add drained vegetables over the meat, then the reserved whipped potatoes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 25-35 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and potatoes are lightly browned. If potatoes get too brown before casserole is heated through, lay a piece of foil over the top.

Note: Instead of mixing the vegetables in with the meat as in most recipes, she layers the limas, corn, carrots, etc. over the meat. Then she spreads the whipped potatoes over the vegetables.





Photographer's tamale pie version made without meat but with beans and sweet potatoes



Chicken Tamale Pie

From: Recipe is from “Cajun Christmas” Food Focus

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:


1 (28-oz.) can Italian-style plum tomatoes with their juices
1 (16-oz.) can cream-style corn
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tbls. chili powder, or to taste
1 cup milk
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup pitted ripe olives
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed olives, optional
2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken or more if you like
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese mixed with 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Olive oil for drizzling


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine tomatoes, corn, salt, onion, olive oil and chili powder in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, stir together milk, cornmeal and eggs; add to the tomato mixture and cook, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the olives and chicken.

Pour mixture into a lightly greased shallow oven proof dish. Top with the cheese, drizzle with oil and bake until the pie is firm and cheese is crusty, 35-45 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Note: Like all tamale pie recipes, the base does have a mushy texture, so keep that in mind for anyone who is not a fan of this in your house - usually children.







Tex-Mex Casserole

From: Erin Enright

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup salsa
1 (4-oz.) can mild chopped green chilies
10 ozs. small shell pasta (if you have a 12-oz. pkg., don’t use all of it)
2 (8 1/2-oz.) pkgs. cornbread mix, prepared as directed on label
1 (16-oz.) container cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese


Directions:

In a large skillet, brown the ground meat and drain off fat. Add the water, onion, taco seasoning mix, salsa and green chilies. Let this mixture simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.

While meat mixture is simmering, cook shell pasta in a separate pot according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, prepare cornbread mixture according to package directions. Set it aside because it will be spooned over the top of the casserole.

In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, layer half the pasta, then half the meat mixture, half the cottage cheese and half the shredded cheese. Repeat another layer with remainder of pasta, meat, cottage cheese and shredded cheese.

Pour cornbread mixture over the top.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cornbread is nicely browned.



*** For more recipes, check out my photo blog:

Dennys Photo Gallery: Beautiful Yummy Artichokes and 11 Recipes



Photo Credits:

Shepherd's Pie photo by WordRidden @ flickr

Tamale Pie photo by greencolander @ flickr

Artichokes photo by joyosity @ flickr

Artichokes at the market photo by NoiseCollusion @ flickr

Beautiful peppers photo by Bisbi @ flickr



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Easy Slow Cooker Recipe: Macaroni Chili Cheese Casserole

*** For back to school busy try this simple recipe for a slow cooker the whole family is sure to enjoy.





From Denny: With our busy lives, whether it's working or raising children, it's always great to run across easy recipes that actually taste good too. Always pull out the slow cooker when you are feeling stressed for time. You can make just about anything in a slow cooker while you are away at work or running errands.

Our local newspaper ran this recipe recently and it is a really hearty version of the traditional man 'n' cheese comfort food family favorite. Soon the weather will be cooling down for fall, the kids are returning to school, and this chili meat version of the family standard may also become a bit hit at your house! Mac and cheese adapts quite well to the slow cooker casserole idea.

This recipe changes the familiar by adding chili seasoning and ground beef. You could try it with other ground meat to your taste. Making chili in a slow cooker is a traditional standby easy recipe for family cooks. Adding pasta to the dish where it can absorb all those awesome flavors from the chili is just a foodie bonus! You don't even have to pre-boil the pasta noodles. Remember: when you use the thinner pasta varieties they do work best by not pre-boiling before adding to the slow cooker. Otherwise you can end up losing the proper texture of the noodle.

Do make sure to brown your ground meat before adding to the slow cooker and scrape into it all those wonderful browned bits known as "fond" on the bottom of the pan. Those browned bits give so much flavor to the slow cooked dish.







Macaroni Chili Cheese Casserole

From: Julie Kay, local food writer and editor at The Advocate

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chuck
1 (1.25-oz.) chili seasoning packet
1 (14.5-oz.) can kidney beans, drained
1 (16-oz.) can pinto beans
2 (14.5-oz.) cans Hunt’s Fire Roasted diced tomatoes
1-1/2 cups elbow macaroni
2 cups Mexican taco cheese


Directions:

Brown ground chuck in skillet on stove-top over medium-high heat. Mix in chili seasoning packet.

Put beef into slow cooker. Add kidney and pinto beans. Pour in diced tomatoes.

Mix in macaroni and cook on Low for 6 hours. Add cheese. When cheese is melted, serve.


*** Photo by Liz Condo at The Advocate


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

Seafood Recipes: Crawfish Casserole, Crawfish Corn Bread, Crawfish Tortellini

*** Louisiana crawfish come from fresh water and are safe from the Gulf oil spill. Enjoy Crawfish Casserole, Crawfish Corn Bread and Crawfish Tortellini this crawfish season!




Photo by adie reed @ flickr



From Denny: With all the high drama unfolding out in the Gulf of Mexico from this BP oil spill the past month, people are confused as to which seafood is still safe to eat. Farmed crawfish come from inland fresh water ponds and are the primary source for the crop. Those inland sources are far from coastal contamination.

The government has prohibited fishing in specific areas of the Gulf affected by the oil spill. Fortunately, there are fresh water Louisiana fish and crustaceans still to be enjoyed this summer like crawfish and catfish.

The Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner, Mike Strain, gave the OK on Louisiana crawfish this month. He says our crawfish are not affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil leak.

Robert Romaire, LSU AgCenter aquaculture professor, said “Crawfish are raised in freshwater ponds and the Atchafalaya Basin,” Romaire said. “There are no crawfish ponds sufficiently close to the coast that can be impacted by the oil spill. Actually,” he added, “LSU AgCenter statistics from the past decade show a large percentage of the crawfish crop is harvested from ponds. More than 98 million pounds of crawfish came from domestic ponds in 2009,” Romaire said. “The wild crawfish crop accounted for nearly 15.5 million pounds.”

What about purchasing frozen or fresh crawfish tail meat? Remember, it's USDA-inspected and approved - and in proper cold storage.

For anyone living in the New Jersey area who like to go to the Crawfish Fest festival slated for June 4 - 6, check out CrawfishFest.com. Louisiana live crawfish will be shipped from crawfish farms only to the festival. Raw or grilled Louisiana oysters may have to be removed from the 2010 Crawfish Fest menu. That determination will be made closer to the festival date. They have been holding this festival for 21 years now.

After you go to a crawfish boil or two Louisiana folks usually start the round of various popular crawfish dishes. These three are easy to make and delicious crowd pleasers. If you don't have crawfish in your area you can substitute your favorite fresh seafood like clams, shrimp or fish.

Recipes Featured:

Crawfish Casserole
Crawfish Corn Bread
Crawfish Tortellini






LeBlanc Crawfish Casserole

From: Laura LeBlanc was featured in the October, 1993 Food Focus cookbook “Making Memories” and was another “Best of the Best” recipe selection for 1993

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

1 stick margarine plus 2 tbls. margarine
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 cup canned sliced mushrooms, drained
2 tbls. finely minced garlic
2 lbs. peeled crawfish tails
1 (103/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
2 to 3 cups cooked rice
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 dashes white pepper
1-1/2 to 2 cups grated Velveeta cheese
1 cup canned fried onion rings


Directions:

1. In a small skillet, melt 1 stick margarine. Cube cream cheese and add to the melted margarine. Stir over low heat until cream cheese is melted. Set aside.

2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons margarine and sauté the onions and bell pepper until vegetables are tender. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and minced garlic. Add crawfish tails and cook until heated through.

3. Add the mushroom soup and 2 to 3 cups cooked rice. Stir the cream cheese and margarine mixture into the crawfish mixture. Stir and season to taste with peppers.

4. Place mixture in greased (4-quart) casserole or several casserole dishes. Top with grated Velveeta cheese and fried onion rings. Bake in 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Note from Laura LeBlanc: Freezes well and can be made a day before you need to serve it. Shrimp can be substituted for crawfish.

Testing note: Food editor Tommy Simmons made the recipe as directed and then transferred the cooked crawfish and rice casserole to a slow cooker to keep it hot for serving at a church luncheon.





Crawfish Corn Bread

From: “River Road Recipes IV Warm Welcomes” published by the Junior League of Baton Rouge

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup (4 tbls.) butter
2 jalapeño chilies, chopped
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tbl. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 cups (6 ozs.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 (15-oz.) can cream-style corn
1 cup milk
1/2 cup pecan oil or vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 lb. peeled crawfish tails


Directions:

1. Sauté the yellow onion, bell pepper and green onions in the butter in a skillet until tender. Stir in the jalapeño chilies.

2. Combine the cornmeal, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl and mix well.

3. Stir the cheese, corn, milk, oil and eggs into the cornmeal mixture. Add the onion mixture and mix well. Stir in the crawfish tails.

4. Spoon the batter into a greased 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until light brown. Serve with a bowl of soup and/or a mixed green salad. You may bake the cornbread in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.





Crawfish Tortellini

From: Frances Cangelosi and was selected as one of The Advocate Food section’s “Best of the Best” in 2003

Serves: 6 to 8. This dish freezes well.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 pods garlic, minced
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. crawfish tails rinsed very slightly
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
1-1/2 pints whipping cream
1 to 2 tbls. cornstarch dissolved in a small amount of water or milk
3/4 of a (20-oz.) pkg. of fresh tortellini with cheese
Salt
Red pepper


Directions:

1. In the butter, sauté the onion and garlic.

2. Add crawfish tails. Cook about 5 minutes.

3. Add Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, whipping cream and dissolved cornstarch. Stir into a sauce and heat until thick.

4. Boil tortellini according to package instructions. Drain.

5. Fold in sauce with the cooked tortellini. Season to taste with salt and red pepper. Serve immediately or put in a casserole to be heated at 350 degrees until heated through.

Note: Camille Cassidy makes this recipe often for family and guests. She usually doubles it to serve a crowd — sometimes making two double batches for a large group. She likes to add a little bit of liquid crab boil to the dish.


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!