Broccoli Casserole

One of my favorite vegetables is broccoli. I buy the huge bags at Sam's Club, and periodically I steam a couple of cups, topping it with a little bit (well, I start out with a little bit!) of butter and salt. Lately I've discovered squeezing a bit of fresh lemon over the top really brings out the flavor. But when I'm fixing a big dinner, I make Broccoli Casserole - a much richer dish. As with all these recipes, forget counting the calories. If you're going to do that, steam it instead.

10 oz. pkg. chopped broccoli

Steam til done, but not overly so. Drain well.

Mix together*:

1/2 c. Mayonnaise
1/2 c. sharp Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 egg, beaten
Dash of black pepper

Mix well with broccoli. Spoon into greased baking dish.

Mix:

1/2 c. crushed Saltines
2 tbsp. melted butter

Top broccoli with cracker mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until topping is golden.

*Sometimes I add about a 1/2 pkg. of onion soup mix to the mayonnaise mixture to make it really onion-y. Warms up well!

Thousand Island Dressing

Recently we ate at Bob Evans Restaurant. The people at the next table muttered and groused, so I tuned in to hear what upset them. Someone had ordered a salad with Thousand Island dressing, and when the new menu change went into effect, guess what had been eliminated?

It got me to thinking about how frequently I used to fix homemade Thousand Island dressing. Now I suppose Ranch has taken its place - or at least it did at Bob Evans!

1 C. Mayonnaise
1/4 C. Chili Sauce (Ketchup may be substituted - but only in a pinch.)
1/4 C. Sweet Pickle Relish
2 Hard-boiled Eggs, chopped
1/4 tsp. Onion Powder (Better with chopped green onions, but since my family won't eat onions, I've learned to adapt.)

Mix well. Refrigerate.

Options:

Chop and Add: Stuffed Olives (one of my favorites), green pepper, or onion.
Top with Paprika.

To read about the origin of Thousand Island dressing, click here.