Here's a hearty St. Patrick's Day meal. Lots of green (under cover)
This recipe is from the good old days when the CASSEROLE reigned in it’s glory. It really is a great one-dish-meal though - in spite of the bad press the ‘casserole‘ typically gets. Today I tried using broccoflower instead - a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. The touch of curry gives it a warm, rich flavor.
Over thirty two years ago my husband was finishing up his college degree. We spent our first two years as newlyweds in married student housing - complete with our induction into budget cooking. It was in the seventies when casseroles were all the rage. And not just any casserole - but the ones with creative TOPPINGS. Do crushed potato chips, cornflakes, and other “budget” ingredients ring a bell with any of you from my generation?
This was the hot recipe in 1978 in many of the Relief Society cookbooks - with at least three different versions of the same recipe. I still have my original tattered pink mimeographed cookbook... “BYU 44th Ward” in carefully hand-scripted calligraphy on the front & scattered throughout with inspirational quotes. This same recipe had three different titles in that book: Chicken Licken, Chicken Delight, and Chicken Divan. I gave it my “real life” title listed above - so boringly simple!
Whenever I make this - it brings back memories of balancing the checkbook (almost daily), NEVER throwing out any leftovers, and making agonizing decisions every time I went grocery shopping. I can’t believe I’m saying this - but I miss those days.
This isn’t health food (as you can tell) with the cream soups, real mayonnaise, and BUTTERY bread cubes. But it makes a great comfort-food meal. You can’t judge it fairly until it’s bubbling hot on your plate - the flavor is hard to describe.
For step-by-step photos and this complete recipe - go to:
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