Featured Recipes

I hope I'm doing this right????  I found one breakfast, two dinner, and one dessert-ish type casseroles...

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Grits Casserole with Mushrooms, Prosciutto, and Provolone

Use yellow grits for the best presentation; white grits may look gray under the mushroom topping. Make-ahead tip: Cook the grits, spoon into the baking dish, and refrigerate overnight. Let the baking dish stand at room temperature while you prepare the mushroom topping; top the grits, and bake as directed.

Ingredients

    5 cups water

    1 1/4 cups stone-ground yellow grits

    3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese, divided

    1 teaspoon salt, divided

    Cooking spray

    1 1/2 teaspoons butter

    3/4 cup chopped onion

    2 garlic cloves, minced

    4 cups thinly sliced portobello mushrooms (about 6 ounces)

    3 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 4 1/2 ounces)

    1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence

    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    1 cup chopped prosciutto (about 3 ounces)

    1/3 cup dry white wine

    3 large eggs, lightly beaten

    2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

    1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Preparation

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan; gradually stir in grits. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spoon grits mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Preheat oven to 350?.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saut? 3 minutes or until tender. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, mushrooms, herbes de Provence, and pepper; cook 6 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently. Stir in prosciutto and wine; cook 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in eggs and egg whites. Spread mushroom mixture over grits mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 350? for 30 minutes or until cheese melts and grits are thoroughly heated, and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

Ingredients

    3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

    1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash

    Cooking spray

    6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)

    1 cup thinly sliced shallots

    8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)

    1/4 cup all-purpose flour

    2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

    3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese

    1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425?. 

Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425? for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450?.

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; saut? 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450? for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Baked Barley with Shiitake Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients 

    2 tablespoons butter

    4 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 3 medium)

    1 teaspoon sugar

    3 cups sliced button mushrooms (about 9 ounces)

    3 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 8 ounces)

    1 1/2 cups uncooked pearl barley

    1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    1/4 teaspoon black pepper

    1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

    4 cups vegetable broth

    Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and sugar; cover and cook 25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Add barley; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce, salt, pepper, and thyme.

Preheat oven to 350?.

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Pour broth over barley mixture; cover and bake at 350? for 1 hour or until barley is tender. Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole

Sprinkle a buttery, brown sugar and pecan mixture over the top of the creamy potatoes in this sweet potato casserole that's sweet enough to be dessert.

Ingredients 

    14 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 5 pounds)

    1/2 cup half-and-half

    1/2 cup maple syrup

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    3/4 teaspoon salt

    1 large egg, lightly beaten

    Cooking spray

    1/2 cup all-purpose flour

    1/2 cup packed brown sugar

    1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces

    1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375?. 

Place potato in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Combine the half-and-half and next 4 ingredients (half-and-half through egg) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add potato to egg mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. 

Combine flour and sugar in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add chilled butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans; sprinkle over potato mixture.

Cover and bake at 375? for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until the topping is browned and the potatoes are thoroughly heated.