Living 2 Eat |

Vidalia Onion Casserole

From the southern kitchen of Burma Davis Posey

Serves 8 as a Side Dish

Prep Time: 30 minutes if your rice is uncooked

Cook Time: One hour

Difficulty level: Easy!!!

1-1/2 cups cooked rice

7-1/2 Vidalia onions, chopped

1 stick butter (1/4 pound)

2 cups Swiss Cheese, grated

2/3 cup cream

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Sauté onion in butter until transparent but NOT browned.  Allow to cool.  Mix with remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour into a 2-quart buttered casserole.  Bake uncovered for one hour.  Serve and enjoy.

This is one of my all time favorite and easiest recipes!  It is delicious, never fails, and it a delight for your family and guests. 

People are always curious about the ingredients and their LAST guess is onions! 

This was served to us when Jim and I judged Miss Idaho several years ago and was definitely everyone’s favorite dish at that meal.  Our hostess was very pleased that no one could guess the ingredients!  But let’s think about it… have we EVER tasted anything made with those fabulous Vidalia, Georgia onions that was not yummy?!? 

I think all of us in Georgia took them for granted while growing up and now the entire world has discovered them!  Did you know it is not the onion, but the soil they are gown in?  The farmers in Toombs County started with only 600 unique low sulfur acres.  They now have 15,000 acres and people outside Vidalia can’t duplicate the sweet taste!  They are still harvested by hand between late-April and mid-June.  Make sure you use only sweet Vidalia onions!

Sweet Potato Soufflé’ 

Ingredients

·     6 sweet potatoes

·     1 cup white sugar

·     1/2 cup milk

·     1/2 cup melted butter

·     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·     2 eggs, beaten

·     1/2 teaspoon salt 

·     1 cup dark brown sugar

·     1/3 cup all-purpose flour

·     1/3 cup melted butter

·     1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1.     In a large stockpot, cover sweet potatoes with 1 inch of water; boil for 20 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain, allow to cool and remove skins.

2.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease or butter one 2 quart casserole dish.

3.     Place potatoes in a mixing bowl and with an electric mixer, beat on low speed until potatoes begin to break up. Increase speed to medium high and blend until smooth.

4.     Reduce speed to low and add sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, eggs and salt. Mix well.

5.     Allow any potato ‘fibers’ to remain on the beater and remove. Pour sweet potato mixture into the casserole dish.

6.     Prepare the topping in a small bowl by whisking together the brown sugar, flour, butter and pecans. Sprinkle mixture over potato mixture and bake for 40 minutes.

Boston Market’s Creamed Spinach

10 3/4 can cream of celery soup

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup butter or margarine or canola oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt or to taste

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

20 oz. frozen chopped spinach, cooked according to package directions, well drained, OR

2 pounds fresh spinach, cleaned, stems removed, chopped, cooked and drained

1 tablespoon dry onion, chopped, OR

1 small onion, peeled, ends removed, diced

In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together celery soup, flour, butter or margarine or canola oil, garlic salt, salt and pepper until smooth and piping hot.

Add cooked and drained spinach, dry chopped onion or diced onion.

Serve.

My Aunt Dianne has always been an excellent cook.  When Jon and I married, one of the gifts she gave us was a handwritten recipe book of some of her favorite recipes.  The first one was for Sweet Potato Casserole.  I remembered having it for special occasions as I was growing up, so it was the first one I tried, shortly after we married.  Jon and I will be celebrating our wedding anniversary soon, and this recipe is a must for every Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any other special occasion we can find! 

I’ve been asked for this recipe more than any other. 

Tara Holland Christensen

Miss America 1997

Aunt Dianne’s Sweet Potato Casserole

4 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup melted margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Topping:

¾ cup melted margarine

1 ½ cup light brown sugar

1 ½ cup pecan halves

½ cup all purpose flour

Bake potatoes in the microwave.  Peel, mash and measure.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Put into greased 9×13 casserole dish. 

Mix topping ingredients and pour over sweet potatoes. 

Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Summer Vegetable Casserole

1 pound yellow squash (about 3 medium), sliced 1/2 -inch thick
1 pound zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 large Vidalia onion, sliced 1/2 -inch thick
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, cored and sliced
1 (3-ounce) sliced black olives
1 (3-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 - 2 teaspoons salt
1 - 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup spicy tomato juice
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Layer vegetables, olives and green chiles in a 3-quart greased baking dish. Sprinkle each layer with oil, salt, pepper and herbs.  Pour on tomato juice. Bake for 30 minutes.

Add cheese and potato chips. Bake an additional 30 minutes.

Gene A. Delapenia
Harlem, Georgia

Testing note: If you’re in a hurry, coarsely chop the vegetables and combine everything in a large baking dish without layering. Pour on tomato juice and bake for 1 hour. Omit the topping and save on calories.

Growing up, my father loved copper pennies and always asked that my mother make them on special occasions.    Brady, Brundi and I never cared for them, but they are a hot item on any Southern menu.

Copper Pennies

2 pounds carrots, sliced in rounds (4 cups)
2 medium onions sliced thin, separated
1 medium green pepper, cut in strips
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil

Cook carrots in salted boiling water until tender (8 to 10 minutes). Drain. Combine with onions and pepper in large bowl. Stir together remaining ingredients. Pour over carrots. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Donna E. Godfrey tells me this recipe is terrific when adding a dash of horseradish sauce.

Bacon Mashed Potatoes

1/3 c diced Canadian Bacon
2 T chopped scallions(You can use onions diced fine)
4 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 t  salt
1/2 c cream (I use Half & Half)
1/4 c softened butter
1 t  minced garlic
1/2 t  ground nutmeg (I just add a little)

Fry diced Canadian bacon until crispy.  Mix with chopped scallions.  Set aside. 

Cover peeled, quartered potatoes with water and salt. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes or until fork tender.  Drain. 

Whip potatoes with cream, butter, garlic and nutmeg.  Blend in half the bacon mixture.  Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to serving bowl. 

Top with remaining bacon mixture. 

Serves 6 to 8 people.

Green Tomato Relish

  
Four cups ground onions
Four cups ground cabbage
Four cups ground green tomatoes
Twelve green bell peppers, sliced
Six red bell peppers, sliced or pimento
One and one-half cups salt
Six cups sugar
Four cups vinegar
Two cups water
One and one-half teaspoons turmeric
Two tablespoons mustard seed
Two tablespoons celery seed

  
Grind vegetables in blender or food processor.

Place in container and cover with salt. Rinse and drain well.

Combine sugar, vinegar, water and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer three minutes. Seal in jars.

Yield: 8 pints  

Cabbage Casserole 

Two and one-half cups crushed cornflakes cereal
One-half stick butter or margarine, melted
Four cups chopped cabbage
One-half cup mayonnaise
One cup milk
One can cream of onion soup
One cup shredded sharp cheese

Mix cornflakes cereal with melted butter or margarine. Put in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover with chopped cabbage.

Heat mayonnaise, milk and soup together and pour over cabbage.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with grated cheese and heat until melted.

Variation: Reduce cornflakes to one and one-half cups and increase butter or margarine to one stick. Use celery soup instead of onion soup. May sprinkle top with one-half cup cornflakes with cheese before baking.

Dollie’s Asparagus Casserole

Two 16-ounce cans of asparagus - spears or pieces, drain and reserve liquid
Two hard-boiled eggs, sliced
Two tablespoons flour
One-half stick margarine
One cup grated medium Cheddar cheese
One cup crushed saltines
Paprika 

Place drained asparagus in baking dish. Cover with eggs.

Mix flour, margarine and liquid from asparagus. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick. Pour over asparagus.

Top with crackers and pats of margarine. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Special thanks to some great Southern folks at the South Carolina Farm Bureau for this old time favorite.