I do not like broccoli. I do not like it, Sam you see.
That being said, my mother in law makes a superb broccoli casserole. So superb, in fact, that I got the recipe from her a couple years ago and I make it about once a week at our house. It is one of the only veggies Zachariah will eat on a regular basis. He will get seconds and thirds of this stuff. Its fabulous.
Seeing as how my family loves it so much, I thought I would share the super simple recipe with you. You know, just in case you wanted to try it. :)
First, the ingredients. You will need some broccoli, mayo, cream of chicken soup, shredded cheddar cheese (sharp), eggs and Ritz crackers.
First, cook the broccoli according to the packaged directions. Drain really well, then set it aside. We will use this in just a little bit.
(You need a 16 ounce bag of broccoli. Winn Dixie carries the PERFECT size bag for this. Other stores may have a 16 ounce bag as well, but I have yet to find it.)
In a decent sized bowl, combine two eggs, a can of cream of chicken soup, and a cup of mayo.
If you have a cute and eager helper nipping at your heels, you can have him stir it for you.
Don't forget to shout, "Keep the spatula over the bowl. OVER the bowl!" a few times. When that doesn't work, just try and will the spatula not to drip all over the counter.
After you accept the fact that your "little helper" is going to make a complete mess of your kitchen, take your cooked broccoli and throw it into the bowl.
Then have your cute little helper pour in one and a half cups of shredded cheese.
We do it in half cup doses. That way he gets to do it three times and feels like he is being more helpful.
But you may feel free to measure it all out at once. And then let me live vicariously through you.
Now stir in the broccoli and cheese into your mixture.
Now is where the phrase "Keep the spatula over the bowl!" comes in handy again.
Whew. That was a close one.
Once you have successfully mixed all of your ingredients, pour it into a 9x13 casserole dish (or something similar).
Remember the Ritz crackers? Well now you need to pull out one sleeve from the box and crush them up.
(I recommend the Honey Ritz. It adds a touch of sweetness to the casserole. It's delish. But you can always go the plain Ritz cracker route. There is no shame in that.)
You can do this one of two ways. 1) Put a few in your hand at a time and crush them up, sprinkling them across the casserole as you go, or 2) put them in a bag and smash them.
Since I had a willing helper, we went with option number two.
My "willing helper" got a little bored and decided to try a new technique. Rolling the crackers with his stomach, or the steam roller effect.
I don't recommend it.
That's better... back to the hitting.
Geeze. It sure is hard to find good help around here.
Ok! After you have crumbled all the crackers, sprinkle them all over the top of the casserole.
Note: these may look like they are already golden brown from being in the oven, but do not be deceived. I used whole wheat Ritz crackers, and they are just naturally a darker color.
While we are on the subject of whole wheat Ritz crackers, let me give you a piece of advice. If your spouse does not like things made with whole wheat, do not, I repeat, do NOT try to trick them into eating them. They will not be fooled!
But I don't speak from experience or anything. This might have happened to a friend of mine.
Ahem.
After it cooks for about 25 min. you may dig in! You know, after it cools off a bit. Try to resist. Often times I cant help myself and eat a chunk soon after its out of the oven. But its quite painful, so I recommend waiting a short while.
And that's it folks! Below are the ingredients and directions without all the blabber.
Go try it. You will not be disappointed.
Scouts honor.
Mother in Law's Broccoli Casserole16 oz package of chopped broccoli
2 eggs
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup of mayo
1 1/2 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers
Preheat oven to 350
Cook broccoli, drain well
Combine all ingredients together (except Ritz) and pour into 9x13 casserole dish.
Crumble crackers on top
Bake for 25 min. or until crackers are golden brown
This may look like an ordinary crib, but it's not. It is actually much more than a crib.
It is the beloved hiding spot of a cute little toddler that I know. His own little sanctuary. This is one of the only places in the house where he can fit, and no one else.
Which makes it a bit difficult when he decides to run to his sanctuary during diaper changing time. But I digress.
Its his own little hiding spot and he loves it. And he is just so dang cute showing us his hiding spot, its hard for us not to love it too!
