Southwest Corn Casserole

Southwest Corn Casserole

My mother-in-law gave us the recipe for Corn Casserole. It is so popular that one of my cousins gave us a wedding gift of a glass casserole dish with a lid and a carrying case so that she could get this stuff warm at holidays. I am not a big ‘crushed crackers, cream of anything soup’ sort of cook. However, for potlucks we make exceptions. And really this tastes so good.

This Easter my sisters decided we would have a taco bar rather than the usual ham and mac-n-cheese. Such a good idea. I decided to change up my M-I-L’s recipe to give it more of a Southwestern flair. Such a success. I will do this again.

I used a food processor to cut up the veggies. I also froze the butter and used the food processor to slice it into thin pats before I placed it onto the cracker crumbs. I will definitely do that again, too. But all of this can be done with a knife. I substituted crushed corn chips for of part of the crackers. You can choose to do that or not. Instead of frying and crumbling 8 pieces of bacon, I just bought the precooked pieces you can find in the salad dressing aisle. You could also omit the bacon and use cream of corn soup if meat isn't your thing.

You can make this up to step five, cover it and refrigerate it overnight. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to bake it to allow it to come to room temp. Then top it with crackers and bake.

Servings:  8-10 side dishes

Time: Time:  Active time: 10 minutes; Cook: 45 minutes, casserole in in a little over an hour

 Hardware:  Measuring cups, knives, cutting board, food processor (optional), can opener, wooden spoon, large mixing bowl, and 8.5” x 13” glass baking dish

Casserole

• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cans of Mexican corn, drained
• 1 can of shoe peg corn, drained
• 1 can of cream of bacon soup
• ½ cup crumbled bacon (about 8 slices)
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• Cooking spray

Topping

• 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
• ½ cup crushed corn chips (optional)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 stick of butter, sliced thin

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Chop the veggies-the smaller the better. Drain the corn. Set everything aside.
3. Spray the dish with cooking spray
4. Mix all the casserole ingredients together.
5. Pour the corn mixture into the cooking dish.
6. Crush the crackers and corn chips. Mix them together with the chili powder. Slice the butter as thin as possible. This is easier if you freeze it first.
7. Sprinkle the cracker mixture over the casserole.
8. Place the pieces of butter evenly over the crumbs.
9. Bake for 45 minutes.
10. Allow the casserole to cool slightly before serving warm.

Pho Dip Sandwich

Pho Dip Sandwich

My husband and I just returned from Las Vegas. This trip marked our 5^th visit. We visit so often because we belong to a rewards program and earn free rooms. Las Vegas has a lot to offer besides gambling. We visit museums and see shows and we eat. Good lawd, do we eat.

Las Vegas is a city for people who love food. This trip found us at Bavette’s Steakhouse and Bar, Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill and the food hall Eataly. These were all planned before we arrived. We also just wondered around and happened upon some happy accidents. Lardo was one such happening. Lardo began as a food truck in Portland, Oregon and has since expanded. According to their website, Lardo uses “old-world techniques, contemporary flourishes and a gonzo approach, proudly celebrating its excesses.” Basically, sandwiches on steroids. I had a Pho’Rench Dip. This sandwich combines the classic French Dip with Pho soup. W.O.W. Incredible.  

This is my take on their take. You should be able to find Gochujang Sauce at your local grocery store.  I used Bibigo. The Bibigo is a condiment made from actual gochujang, a Korean condiment made from red chili peppers, glutinous rice, and fermented soybeans. Don’t be afraid to buy some. You will love the sweet, spicy taste. You can use it on sandwiches, in place of ketchup or mix it in with BBQ sauce. This is spicy so you can adjust the use accordingly. Hoisin sauce will be on the same shelf. You can use it as a BBQ sauce. I try to never ask you to purchase something you won’t use again.

Servings: 4 sandwiches

Time:  Active time: 10 minutes; Cook: 30 Minutes; sandwiches in 40 minutes

Hardware:  A cutting board and knife, measuring spoons and cups, a large pot, a small container with a lid, tongs, a bowl, small dishes for offering the broth for dipping, a sieve, a baking sheet and foil

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds the best deli roast beef cold cut slices you can afford (I used Boar’s Head Londonport)
• 2-3 cups of LOW sodium broth (I used 2 cups beef and one chicken)
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger (a pinch of powdered )
• 3 cloves garlic
• A bunch of fresh basil
• ½ cup mayo
• ¼ cup gochujang
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• butter
• Bean sprouts (optional)
• 4 ciabatta rolls

1. Mix the mayo, gochujang and hoisin sauce together, place it in the small container, and put it in the fridge until needed.
2. Crush the garlic. Place the stock, crushed garlic, 4 or 5 basil leaves, and ginger into the pot.  Bring to a boil. Reduce the broth to a low simmer. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half or about 30 minutes. If you do not use low sodium broth the salt will concentrate and your broth will be ruined.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 400˚. Cover the sheet in foil. Cut the rolls open, spread them with a thin layer of butter and toast them in the hot oven until they are lightly browned. This takes about 4-5 minutes.
4. Remove the liquid from the heat and place the lunch meat into it. Let the meat sit in the broth for 1 minute, remove it and place it in the bowl. Strain the liquid through the sieve. Return the liquid to the pot. Discard the stuff you strained out.
5. Spread both sides of the toast with gochujang mayo. Use the tongs to pile meat onto the sandwiches. It is okay if it is messy. Top each sandwich with torn basil leaves and bean sprouts.
6. Serve each sandwich with a small dipping bowl of the broth.