Country people love casseroles. Casseroles are the preferred dish of country people because of their unparalleled versatility. Casseroles can be “fixed” for normal occasions like family “supper,” shared with a neighbor upon the passing of their great-aunt, or for special occasions like a church potluck. Casseroles can be served at breakfast (egg casserole), as a side dish (green bean casserole), as a main dish (tater tot casserole), or as a dessert (scalloped pineapple casserole). Unique casseroles like taco casserole are recommended for potlucks given the public scrutiny of the dish.
The finest casseroles contain cream of mushroom soup. If you wish to fix a casserole for a country person you should consider using the highest quality soup, like Campbell’s, and suggest that they can donate the soup label to their child’s school. When you deliver the casserole to your friend be prepared to respond to their assertion that “you shouldn’t have” by saying “it was nothing, I just threw it together.”
If a country person prepares a casserole for you you are obligated to include in your thank you note a recognition that acts of generosity like the exchange of casseroles “only happen in places like this” and a confession that you “don’t know what you would do without people like you.
My mom’s favorite dish was none other than “noddle casserole” made of egg noodles, ground beef and Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup.
Hoo-wee! Can I get an amen?
The only thing that would make this post better is if it was wrapped in bacon.
Tuna noodle casserole is my fav. Cream of mushroom soup is key and of course it’s topped with ‘fried onions’ Yum-O!
I have had the pleasure of your scalloped pineapple casserole, Chris, and I do believe we followed the country traditiono of ‘you shouldn’t have’ and ‘oh, it was really no problem, I just threw it together.” I think a close second to the casserole is the jello with canned fruit…
Could you talk more about the difference between “casserole” and “hot dish”?