Casserole Query

[greybeta]

Personal aside, I have a test and project due tomorrow, which means I've been in superfocus mode the past few hours (oddly enough, no caffeine). The downside of superfocus mode is that I often cannot sleep well that night. I don't like using it very often, but I had to work and help out with some chores at home today. You don't catch up by going slower.

In any case, since I'm here and unable to sleep, I might as well make the most of it and post a cooking query. It's pretty simple, but before that let me tell you a joke one of my history teachers told me...

Mr. B: Do you know why Baptists make the best casseroles?
D2: I don't know, why?
Mr. B: Because they put all their vices in them!

Don't worry, it flew over my head the first time, too.

There are many kinds of casseroles of course, and I like a lot of them. Thanks to growing up in a Baptist church, I have a strong affinity for casseroles.

I <3 casserole.

Oddly enough, I've never actually tried to make it before. I guess I never had to thanks to all the kind ladies at the Baptist church. It's like, theirs is so good, why even bother trying to reproduce a flawed version? But I suppose it's time to try my hand at it.

So, my fine readers, how do you like your casserole? Got a good recipe you'd like to share? Any hints or tricks for this cooking newbie? Thanks in advance! ^_^

Comments

[dustthouart.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of pork chop casserole. Let's see if I can reconstruct my "recipe" (I do it sort of by instinct lol)
Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 box mushrooms, sliced (you know, those little boxes they come in at the supermarket, however much that is)
grated cheese and/or panko for topping

Okayyyy. Preheat oven to 400F. First you brown the pork chops in a frying pan over medium heat. Not too long, just get a little maillard reaction going there. Put the pork chops into an ungreased casserole dish with the water chestnuts and mushrooms. Mix the cream of mushroom soup with half a can of water and pour over the casserole (or if you're lazy and don't want to dirty another dish, just mix it in the casserole). If you like your sauce thicker you can leave the water out altogether, but don't do so if you're putting in any kind of vegetable that will need to cook (like peas).
Put it in the oven uncovered for 20 minutes. Then take it out and put some grated cheese on top (optional) and some panko bread crumbs on top of that (also optional, you can have one or both or neither). Put it back in for another twenty minutes.

Serve with rice or noodles. :3

I've also made this with different vegetables, such as frozen peas.

Also I don't get the joke. :(

Edit: Oh and this serves four obv.

[greybeta.livejournal.com]

Oooo, I like this one! I will definitely try it out sometime.

I guess the joke's more of a Baptist thing...