The Grandma Files: Two Casserole Recipes

You know what the green box means: time for a recipe from the Grandma Files! Cue the fanfare!

For this episode I pulled a well stained, handwritten recipe. To my surprise, I got two recipes, both casseroles, so lucky us!

I don't recall ever eating these at my grandma's house, so I have no idea how good they are. But Grandma liked them well enough to write them down, and even include the names of the women who gave her the recipes. Let's take a look:

Our first recipe is for Squash Casserole from Mrs. Gibbs. There's such a cozy charm about handwritten recipes. I think we need more of these!

1 quart cooked squash, drained. (This translates to four cups of squash. I am assuming it's summer squashes like zucchini or yellow. Diced or sliced will work. Why drained? Most likely the assumed method for cooking squash was boiling. Vegetables used to be cooked down into almost nothing as a way to extract as much nutrition as possible, and make it stretch to feed as many people as possible. I would just saute in butter until cooked through and skip the draining.)

Saute one medium onion, chopped, in 3 teaspoons of margarine. (I would use butter instead, or coconut oil. I am assuming sauteing until translucent, or at least mostly cooked through.)

Place drained squash into a buttered casserole dish, top with onions. Salt and pepper to taste. (I have no idea what size casserole, but I would go with a 9 x 13 to be on the safe side.)

Bake one recipe of Jiffy cornbread mix according to package instructions. When done, crumble and put on top of squash. (Maybe the recipe should have started with making cornbread first so it could cool as you're cooking the squash and onions.)

Dot with butter or margarine. (Butter! How much? These recipes are seasoned with love, so follow your heart. I'd probably do about 3 tablespoons.)

Mix one can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup with 3/4 can of milk. Blend well. Pour over squash and cornbread. (Well it IS a casserole after all. Use the soup brand you like best, a small can, 14 oz? I would just make my own cream of soup.)

Over top of all, grate one cup cheddar cheese. Bake in 350F oven until bubbly.

On the flip side, a recipe for a hominy casserole, given to my Grandma by a lady named Ruby. In case you're wondering what hominy is, it's corn that has been soaked in a solution that removes the outer hull and causes the kernel to swell in size. My understanding is that doing this makes the corn more digestible for us humans.

3/4 cup chopped bell pepper (med) (This means you can probably get enough from one medium sized bell pepper.)

2 tablespoons oleo (Just use butter or coconut oil or lard or tallow. Oleo is another of those fake products everyone was told was healthy for them.)

2 cans hominy (1 lb. size) drained (So two 16 ounce cans, or enough to be equivalent, drained of liquid.)

I cup grated cheddar cheese (You don't need my help on this one.)

1 can cream of celery soup (Again, just the 14 oz can. No choice for you this time though.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup of milk

1 can (4 ounces) chopped jalapenos. (If you can't find canned jalapeno, weigh out enough fresh ones to equal 4 ounces and chop them. I would saute fresh jalapenos with the bell pepper to soften them as well. Please note this is not PICKLED jalapenos, just CANNED jalapenos, BIG difference!)

Cook bell pepper in oleo (Butter!) over low heat for 10 minutes, until soft. (Obviously this means in a skillet/ frying pan.)

Mix all ingredients and stir. ( I am going to suggest using a big bowl.)

Pour into a deep casserole dish. (Your guess is a good as mine here. They are either expecting this to bubble over, or it just makes a LOT. Grab your big casserole!)

Crush 10 Town House crackers and add 2 tablespoons melted oleo (Butter!) and mix. Spread on top and bake for 35 minutes at 350F. (I am sure what ever crackers you like would probably work here. Ruby likes Town House, so maybe trust her judgement?)

And there you have it! Two recipes from my Grandma's file. I love looking through these old recipes and sharing them with you! Thanks for being here!