Bring Back The Casserole!

Up until recently, I never had any plans to ever cook a casserole. My perception was that this form of American cuisine was passe, to say the least. When I pictured a casserole I saw dry tuna fish, cream of mushroom soup, and canned green beans. Yuck! Well, on my never ending quest to find new and interesting foods to serve to BF, I have become intrigued with exploring this food medium. Apparently the classic casserole can be given an upgrade, bringing it well into the 21st century.

Take for example, my first casserole experiment. From Joan Nathan's The New American Cooking cookbook, I decided to made the Gratin of Rice and Zucchini with Cheese. I was able to use fresh organic zucchinis, brown rice, our favorite Cougar Gold cheese, and some leftover challah for breadcrumbs. All of these lovely ingredients came together to form a perfect square meal for BF. She could have fed the meal to herself, but for the first time in weeks she actually wanted to be spoon fed (go figure!) We knew she was happy because after each bite she would let out a hearty "mmm."

I was thrilled because we were all able to have dinner together! I think I have a new rally cry ... bring back the casserole!