It has been a long time since I did any serious cooking with vegetables. They are good for you, so, why don't I talk about them more often? Anyway, the recipes I have chosen are also called casseroles. This got me to thinking, 'What is a casserole?' I wanted to know more. This is what I found out.

The culinary term 'en casserole' (the French word for 'stew pan') means 'served in the vessel used for cooking'. So, the definition for casserole would be something like this: a large, deep, covered pot or dish used both in the oven and as a serving dish. In the fifty years or so, here in the USA, the word has also come to be used for the food cooked and served in such a dish. These foods usually consist of vegetables, meat, pasta, or rice cooked slowly in a sauce or other liquid, and may be served as a main course or a side dish.

Casseroles originate from the ancient practice of stewing meat slowly in earthenware containers. Casseroles are cooked and enjoyed in Europe and the United States, and are found in other forms in many other cultures around the world. Here are two special recipes you might want to try.

I tried this once before and used wild rice; it did not have enough time to cook the wild rice completely so it was sort of strange. Regular white rice or converted both do quite well in this recipe; I am going to stick with what works. When served it is more like a rice dish than a carrot dish, but it has a wonderful flavor. I cut the size down to half for a much more reasonable amount. The numbers in brackets are for the smaller casserole.

In a saucepan combine the shredded carrot, rice, salt, and 1½ (¾) cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer; cook for 25 minutes. Do not drain. Stir in the milk, eggs, onion, and pepper. Mix in 1½ (¾) cups of the shredded cheese and pour into 1½ quart casserole. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Top with remaining ½ (¼) cup shredded cheese. Return to oven to melt cheese. Makes 6 (3) servings

This second recipe is one from a cookbook I helped create several years ago for the Garden Club of Indiana, Inc. This recipe was contributed by Ellen, a very dear friend. This is a really good recipe; I recommend it highly. (As I understand there are still a dozen or so copies of the cookbook still available; if anyone is interested let me know. I think they were $12.00 and had over 400 recipes.)

Cut up bacon in small pieces and fry with the onion until onion is tender; drain off all fat. Mix bacon and onion with green beans. Add brown sugar and catsup; mix well. Place in covered pan and bake for 3 hours at 250 degrees. Serves 12 Great for pitch-ins and picnics.