Since it's just the 2 of us this Easter, I'm going to cut the recipe in half (it works well halved) and serve it with the ham, my sister-in-law's apple chutney and some asparagus, I think. Although those pineapple casseroles sound awfully darn good!!!

CORN PUDDING
(serves 6-8)

2 (15 ounce) cans creamed corn
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen corn niblets, defrosted
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine creamed corn, defrosted niblets, flour, salt, beaten eggs, cream and melted butter. Mix well and pour into a 9" x 12" casserole pan. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on top. Bake uncovered 30 minutes more.

seagrass

Sesame Broccoli
1 bunch broccoli cut in flowerettes, steamed til tender
1T melted butter
2T soy sauce
3 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Combine and pour over broccoli.
RL`

You might want to think of the ham as the "side dish"

She takes frozen bags of broccoli and cauliflower and dumps them into a big bowl, she adds some fresh cut red, yellow, and green pepper, some red onion, and then a bottle of homemade ranch dressing.

Never even a lick left in that bowl by the end of a big family gathering.

1/2 cup melted butter
4 cups fresh bread cubes
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Milnot evaporated canned milk
20 oz. crushed or tidbits pineapple in juice
cinnamon & nutmeg

Combine bread and butter, set aside. Combine eggs, sugar and Milnot; beat with mixer. Add bread mixture and pineapple along with can juices; stir well and pour into lightly greased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. Bake uncovered at 350° for 1 hour or until set. *During baking it creates a crispy cinnamon toast topping…very good!

Marilyn

or:

Red Potato Gratin (This is NOT heart healthy but it is exceptionally good!)

5 strips sliced bacon
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds (6 large) red potatoes
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 1/2 cups grated, cheddar cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°. Fry bacon until very crisp, drain and break into pieces. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with a little butter or spray with Pam and pour about 1/4 cup heavy cream over the bottom. Scrub potatoes and slice into 1/4-inch slices leaving peel on (do not rinse after slicing) and lay one layer over cream, sprinkle with some salt, pepper, bacon, parsley, optional cheese and then cream making as many layers as needed to use all ingredients ending with cream. Cover dish with foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for another 20 minutes until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, and the top is lightly browned. Serves 6

Marilyn

Or brighten up the plate with:

Pea Mashed Potatoes

1 pound frozen peas
2/3 cup heavy cream + more if desired
4 pounds potatoes (Yukon Gold)
Salt
Butter

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat and add about 1 teaspoon salt, stir in peas. After 4 minutes, remove from heat and drain; Place peas in blender along with 2/3 cup heavy cream and puree until very smooth. Push pea mixture through a strainer and set aside; discard pulp.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks; rinse well with cold water to remove starch then place in a large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover potatoes and stir in salt to taste. I like to taste the water to be sure it is salty enough. Simmer potatoes until fork tender; drain well and whip until very smooth. Stir in pea-cream mixture and add more cream to desired texture. Fold in butter to taste and serve.

Marilyn

Pineapple Casserole
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 stack Ritz crackers, crushed

Drain pineapple, save 3 tablespoon of juice.
Combine sugar and flour; add cheese, pineapple and pineapple juice. Mix well. Put in greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish.
Mix crushed crackers and melted butter together; sprinkle over pineapple mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350*F or until browned and bubbly
Serves 6.

SPINACH MADELEINE
When Kraft stopped making the roll of jalapeno cheese that was originally used in this dish cooks tried various substitutions. I tried it with cheddar cheese and jalapenos, and then with Monterey Jack and jalapenos. Neither worked as well as the Hot Mexican Velveeta.
2 pkgs. frozen chopped spinach
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup vegetable liquor
4 ounces Velveeta Mexican Hot Cheese, cubed into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
coarse salt to taste
Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain and reserve liquor.
Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook until soft. Add garlic for 30 seconds then add flour, stirring until blended and smooth. Add liquid slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. When thick, add cheese and seasonings. Stir until melted.
Combine with cooked spinach and place in a casserole dish. (I use a glass pie pan or a similar shallow dish.) Top with breadcrumbs; cover and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling hot.

TOMATO PUDDING

2 (1 lb.) cans stewed tomatoes
1 medium onion, halved and slivered
1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, divided
2 Tbsp. water
1 cup Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned stuffing mix

In saucepan, cook tomatoes, onion, sugar, and 1 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced by half - 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Melt other tablespoon of butter with water; stir in stuffing mix. Spread topping over tomatoes and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until tomatoes are heated and topping is golden.

Note: Dry bread cubes can be substituted for the stuffing mix. The tomato-onion mixture can be prepared ahead of time. Just don’t add the topping until ready to bake.

We're also having asparagus, scalloped potatoes and cranberry chutney before we dig into our chocolate bunnies!

Happy Easter...

seagrass

would you share your cranberry chutney recipe. I had one from Julia Child (in parade mag) but lost it and keep hoping it will pop up again

Eat well

Creamed Pearl Onions - Tyler Florence

1 bag frozen pearl onions
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Thaw pearl onions and then saute in butter until golden brown. Deglaze by adding a little water at a time. Finish with heavy cream and reduce until you achieve a smooth consistency. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

ONION CASSEROLE

6 sweet onions
1 stick butter
1/2 cup oil
2 rolls of Ritz crackers - crushed
2 cans cream chicken soup (DO NOT DILUTE)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Topping:
3 TBS butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Melt butter and add to oil in skillet - slice onions in rings and saute until clear.

In a greased 9x13 baking dish layer as follows:

1/2 of Ritz crumbs
1/2 of onions
1 can soup
1 cup cheese
rest of onions
1 can soup
1 cup cheese
rest of ritz crumbs

Melt the 3 TBS butter and add to 2/3 cup milk and 2 eggs. BEAT.

Poke a few holes in casserole dish and pour mixture over.

Bake 45-50 min. at 350 or until browned.

Enjoy!!

Nancy