As a general rule, men don’t like several foods mixed in a dish, topped with grated cheese, baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, and called a casserole. They like a meat, a vegetable, a starch, a bread, a dessert, etc., separated and each easily recognized.
To be accurate, a casserole is a covered dish in which food can be both cooked and served. In the early 1950s, there was an explosion of “casseroles” – when all manner of meats, pasta, vegetables, soups, juices, etc., were put into these casserole dishes for “one-dish meals,” possibly because of the number of wives in the work force.
Anyway, casseroles (the mixture of several foods baked and served, not the container) are here to stay and are a part of many family and church supper/potluck meals. You’ll like today’s recipe from Donna Hubbard of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Greer. Her Green Bean Casserole has a crisp taste and a lot of good stuff in it.
Donna is from Jacksonville, N.C., but moved to Greer after marrying Eric Hubbard. He works at BMW and they have a daughter, Cheyenne, 9, and a son, Zachariah, 5. Donna teaches first grade at Buena Vista Elementary, a position she has held for four years.
She has been a member of Pleasant Grove for 10 years. Danny Emory is pastor, and the church is in the Greer Baptist Association.
At Pleasant Grove, Donna teaches the 4-and-5-year-old Sunday school class, is one of the helpers for the nursery, and is one of the teachers at children’s church.
As do many teachers, Donna enjoys reading. She also enjoys scrapbooking and family time. She doesn’t like cooking, but it’s a requirement! This Green Bean Casserole recipe is from her mother-in-law, Sherrill Carithers of Taylors.
The recipe calls for almonds. I think it was developed by someone in the Campbell Soup Kitchen who didn’t know how good pecans are. Donna and I agree that you could substitute pecans for the almonds. Whether you use the almonds or pecans, try this dish for your next … Sunday Dinner.
Green Bean Casserole
1 large can white shoepeg corn
1 14½-ounce can French-style green beans
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped onions
¼ cup chopped green peppers
½ cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 10¾-ounce can cream of celery soup, undiluted
1 box of crumbled cheese crackers (about ½ cup)
½ stick butter or margarine, softened or melted
1 pack (about ½ cup) slivered almonds
Combine the corn, green beans, celery, onions, green peppers, cheese, sour cream and soup.
In a separate bowl, combine the crackers, butter and almonds.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Into a 9×13 bake/serve dish, put the vegetable mix, then top with the cracker mix. Cover the dish (casserole, that is) with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook an additional 20 minutes.