Drumroll, drumroll, please….It’s here! By the time each of you read this column the new cookbooks will be stacked in my basement! My little elf, Ervin, and our good friend, Gary, from Platte City, took off Monday morning to bring home ‘Everyday Comfort Foods’, my new book. As I write I’m sitting here with much anticipation to see the finished product. You look at the proof copies but it’s just not the same as holding a new book in your hands.
With Christmas just around the corner I would encourage you to visit my website: thecovereddish.com and place your order. We will guarantee deliver for Christmas. You may also want to visit my website for upcoming book signing events. Our son, Phillip, has jumped into the business with both feet and is now ‘hosting’ the Facebook page for ‘The Covered Dish’. I’ll post lots of ‘foodie’ photos at this site and interesting marketing tidbits.
We’d best talk about this casserole before I get so wrapped up in the book I forget to include a recipe.
This is one of my father, Jerry’s, all-time favorite recipes. I wrote it probably ten years ago for Thanksgiving and he just adored it. It’s so unique I’ve even taken it to a Christmas Eve appetizer buffet. With the sodium in the cream of shrimp soup you may want to use a sauce created from scratch. I would sauté a few small shrimp in butter with a bit of garlic. Then proceed to add 2 tablespoons of flour, like a dry slurry, then add approximately 1 1/2 cups of half and half or cream to make your own ‘soup’.
This dish would also be something different to take to a carry-in supper. Another thought would be to serve it with steak, salad and potato. Get creative, who knows what you may whip up as an accompaniment.
As the days scurry past in this busy busy month remember to prepare foods ahead of time for when dinner feels like an impossible feat. Because of all the snacking at work and at parties it’s time for a lighter approach with meals. Soup & salad or soup and sandwich sounds pretty good right now. Breakfast for supper or salad and quiche.
Our son, Phillip turns 15 next week. I won’t even go into how time flies. I’ll just say I am a very blessed lady to have such a wonderful son & friend. I cherish him more and more every day. Last night I ‘finally’ pulled a birthday menu out of him. Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes and mixed vegies. Sounds good to me too! For dessert, homemade chocolate chip cookies.
Enjoy my seafood dish, it’s easy, it’s delicious and will be a bit impressive if you’re looking for something ‘different’ at your table. Simply Yours, The Covered Dish.
Seafood Casserole
1 (6-7 oz.) can crabmeat
1 pound large, shrimp, broken into chunks
1 (7 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
3 stalks celery, well minced
1/2 large onion, minced
1 can cream of shrimp soup
8-10 crumbled saltine crackers
1 box turkey/chicken stovetop stuffing
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1 cup parmesan cheese or Italian blend cheese
Clam juice to moisten dressing to consistency
If the shrimp is frozen use the shrimp juice instead of clam juice.
Butter
Mix well and place in a greased, deep, 8 x 8 baking dish. Dot the top with butter slices. You could certainly replace the shrimp with a good quality white fish. Bake at 350 degrees until set and browned, about 45-50 minutes. Serves 4-6 persons.
