Broccoli Salad Supreme

Broccoli Salad Supreme

We attended a Christmas concert December 1 that was followed by a family get-together potluck. The concert, by the way, was a wonderful way to start of the Christmas holiday season.  This recipe is cold which makes transporting easy and it serves 20. For transporting and serving, a crockpot liner/top is very convenient. The recipe can be downsized by dividing it in half .... most of the ingredients are easily divisible by two.

During the potluck, my brother told me this recipe "is a keeper" .... high praise indeed. At a potluck this past weekend, I had several inquiries as to ingredients and where to find the recipe, plus comments that it was  "delicious". The recipe is five-star rated on Taste of Home, also a sign of "success".

There are many similar recipes you can 'google' that have most of the ingredients in this particular recipe or some variation, but this is the one I settled on because I liked that it was scaled for 20 servings and I especially like the flavor and color combinations. The specific ingredients in this recipe are:

Broccoli florets
Grapes - red make the nicer color contrast/presentation
Bacon
Green onion (scallions)
Celery
Slivered Almonds
Mayonnaise (Hellman's works well)
Apple cider vinegar
Sugar

The link to the actual recipe is HERE. (Taste of Home: Broccoli Salad Supreme)

Cooks Notes:

• I've made this a day ahead both times I've made it. There is washing, chopping, frying of bacon, toasting almonds, etc. The broccoli florets keep for a couple of days in a gallon zip-loc. The onions/celery are together in a plastic container. The bacon was wrapped in paper towels in a zip loc and the dressing was in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. The "day of", just mix it all together in a large bowl.

• The dressing is best not made at the last minute since the sugar needs time to dissolve, otherwise you get a 'grainy' texture. Overnight is fine and I suspect just an hour or two plus a couple of good stirrings in between would work as well.

• The amount of sugar (2/3 cup) was excessive to me since there are very sweet grapes also in the recipe. I cut the sugar in half to 1/3 cup and the sweetness seemed to be at a good level.

From the enthusiastic reception that Broccoli Salad Supreme has received thus far, it's quickly becoming a 'mainstay' in my recipe book for future potlucks and gatherings.  :-)



(Photo: Merlot)

Zucchini Many Ways

Baby Zucchini

The first squash (1 zucchini and 1 crookneck) came off the vines this evening and hit the frying pan, along with some onions, olive oil and butter. With a little salt and pepper to top it all off, it was a wonderful way to start the summer garden produce season. Looking at the vines, there are plenty of baby zucchini and before long, we're going to be inundated. It's all too easy to let zucchini get too big, too old and then it starts going to waste - there's only so much zucchini bread one can make! Rather than let that happen, here are some techniques for preserving zucchini and some not-so-common recipes to help utilize all of that gorgeous zucchini.

I was thinking that zucchini would not freeze well due to the high water content, but evidently it does freeze nicely. You can also dehydrate zucchini for use in soups and stews - a nice addition in the cold winter months. Zucchini evidently makes good pickles and relish as well.

5 Ways to Preserve Zucchini

Not everybody likes squash, but most folks (and kids) like 'chips'. You can utilize a lot of zucchini to make chips, a tasty snack or side for picnic fare or to serve with salsa. You can make chips by oven-frying, actually frying or dehydration - here are recipes and ideas for all three methods:

Breaded, oven fried zucchini chips

Oven Baked Zucchini Chips

Zucchini Chips with Spicy Salsa

(Fried) Crispy Zucchini Chips

Fish and (oven-fried) zucchini chips

Dehydrated Zucchini Chips (several spice variations)

If you prefer 'fries', versatile zucchini can do that, too!

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries

I happen to love relish and had no idea that zucchini makes really good relish! The first recipe requires no canning. The zucchini can get soggy the longer it sits, so best to make it fresh and use it quickly - see the recipe reviews for ideas. Of course, canning gives you a product that can be kept and used months later, or perhaps it would make a good homemade gift for a special occasion or person.

Zucchini Relish (no canning)

Sweet Zucchini Relish (canned)

Ball Blue Book (2008) Zucchini Relish & 'Zesty' Zucchini Relish

For links to many other ways to use zucchini such as zucchini cheese boats, bison-zucchini burgers, three unusual bread recipes, a gratin with zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant, and bread and butter pickles:

Article: zucchini, zucchini everywhere! — fresh talk

Last but not least, if you run through all the preserving techniques and recipes above and still have too much zucchini, here are some last resort ideas: 

Top 10 Things to Do with Too Much Zucchini

 

The 2013 garden, newly planted.

(Photos: Merlot)

Almond Cranberry Squash Bake

Beautiful cranberries

(Photo Source) 

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups hot mashed butternut squash
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine,softened, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine:  the squash, 2 tablespoons butter, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg
2. Mix well. transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish.
3. Stir cranberry sauce until softened; spoon over squash.
4. Combine almonds, brown sugar and remaining butter; mix well.
5. Sprinkle over cranberry sauce.
6. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

The sign says 'yellow onions, but these are definitely

 butternut squash!

(Photo Source)

(Recipe Credit: FReeper 'Stand Watch Listen')

Orange Spiced Carrots

(Photo Source)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Minced fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place carrots in a saucepan; add 1 in. of salted water.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until crisp-tender, about 7-9 minutes. drain; set aside and keep warm.
4. In the same pan, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, orange juice, ginger and nutmeg until smooth.
5. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 1 minute. Return carrots to the pan; cook and stir over low heat until heated through.
6. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

(Recipe Credit: FReeper 'Stand Watch Listen')

Slow Cooker Stuffing

Photo Source

Prep Time: 25 Min Cook Time: 4.5 - 6.5 Hrs Servings: 16 – 18

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 3 cups chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 12 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 12 cups dry bread cubes
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2-3 cups chicken broth, (as needed !!)
• 2 cans of water chestnuts (diced fine)
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

1. Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, mushroom, and parsley in butter, stirring frequently. NOTE: everything can be sautéed the night before and combined with store bought bread cubes and about 1/4 of the chicken stock and refrigerated.
2. Spoon cooked vegetables over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Add water chestnuts and season with poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Pour ( just enough) broth to moisten at the beginning and mix in eggs. Do add a drizzle of broth as needed throughout the cooking process broth to moisten, Transfer mixture to slow cooker, and cover.
3. Cook on High for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to Low, and cook for 4 to 6 hours (stir a few times throughout).

OPTION: can add a pound of browned sage sausage, and a 1.5 cup of dried cranberries

(Photo Source)

(Recipe Credit: FReeper 'Stand Watch Listen')

Fresh Corn Salad

Corn pudding is a family favorite and it makes a frequent appearance at family gatherings, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas.  During the spring and summer months, however, corn pudding tends to be on the "heavy" side so what recipe is out there for corn that is light and fresh? While looking for a cold corn 'salad', I stumbled across this one from Ina Garten, 'The Barefoot Contessa'. It had a ton of reviews and almost without fail the ratings were '5-star'. A common theme to the review comments was 'how could something with so few/simple ingredients turn out so good?'

Inspired by the great comments and personally liking the individual ingredients in the salad, I decided to debut it at a family dinner ..... and see what happened. I did make one major change to the recipe in that I had to use frozen corn (that I cooked) because I did not have fresh corn available and the recipe was also doubled. The result was perhaps 4-5 spoonfuls of Fresh Corn Salad left in the bowl - the salad was simply delicious and with folks taking second helpings, it quickly disappeared. Made with fresh corn .... perhaps even corn roasted on the grill .... wow! This recipe is a 'keeper' for sure and will be appearing again multiple times this summer.

The ingredients are corn, small-diced red onion, cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper & fresh basil.

Here's the link:

Fresh Corn Salad (Ina Garten - The Barefoot Contessa)

Cooking note:
Since I used frozen corn instead of fresh, what is the ratio of fresh/on-the-cob to frozen/by-the-cup?  Depending on the size of the ear, I saw estimates from 3/4 cup to .93 cups.  Hmmmm, .93? I wasn't about to try and figure that one out in corn kernals!! What I ended up using was about 1 cup per ear (a 'scant' cup - not packed, not exactly level with the top of the measuring cup). The recipe called for 5 ears, I used 5 cups. Since I doubled the recipe, I used 10 cups of frozen corn, doubled all the ingredients (including the red onion) and everything tasted fabulous.

Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf

This is the companion dish to Autumn Fruit Cornish Hens, but it would be an excellent side for other occasions as well. The recipe is ......

from Julee Rosso & Sheila Lufkin (creators of The Silver Palate Cookbooks)

"An all-time Silver Palate favorite - and particularly great in the autumn."

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup wild rice, well rinsed
• 1-3/4 cup wheat pilaf
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1 cup dried currants
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• Grated zest of 2 oranges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil.
2. Add wild rice to boiling broth. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 50 minutes, or until rice is tender. Do not overcook. Remove to a larger bowl.
3. In another saucepan, bring 2-1/4 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the pilaf, cover and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer 15 minutes, until pilaf is tender. Remove from heat, let rest 15 minutes and add to the wild rice.
4. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 8.

Grits & Greens Casserole

I found this recipe in a novel ..... but all I remember is that the novel was a pretty good one and not the name of the book or the Southern Belle who did the cooking. This interesting dish combines two Southern classics .... grits and greens and it is definitely 'comfort' food rather than 'health' food.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whipping cream or half-and-half
• 8 cups chicken broth, divided
• 2 cups grits - not instant or quick cooking
• 1 lg. bag frozen collard greens
• 2 sticks butter
• 2 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon

Directions:

1. Grease 13 x 9 casserole.
2. Combine cream and 6 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil.
3. Stir in grits and cook over medium heat until grits return to a boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer, and stir frequently to keep from burning 25 - 30 minutes.
4. Add milk if needed to thicken to proper consistency. If you are Southern, you know what that is. If not, think of slightly runny oatmeal.
5. While grits are simmering, cook frozen collards with remaining 2 cups of chicken broth until tender, about ten minutes.
6. Drain well in colander, squeezing out remaining liquid.
7. Add butter, parmesan, and pepper to cooked grits and stir till butter is melted.
8. Stir in cooked greens and spoon into greased casserole.
9. Top with additional parmesan and crumbled bacon.
10. Dish can be served at room temperature or heated in 350 degree oven until browned on top.

Cottage Potatoes

Cookbooks are something that I just love - I can sit down with a cookbook and spend hours reading through it, almost like a novel. Since I already have quite a collection, it takes something special for me to spend money on a cookbook ..... unless I'm at Goodwill where hard-copy books are only $3.00.

This recipe came from a Goodwill book find: Busy People's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Dawn Hall. Her "My Story" at the beginning of the book had me in tears.  The recipes are good - nothing fancy, but the kind of recipes that busy moms appreciate. Be sure and check out her website - she also has a section of "free recipes" for you to try out.  Here's the link to her home page:

Cooking for Busy People - Dawn Hall

I made this 'Cottage Potatoes' recipe for a club potluck and if the crock pot hadn't still been so hot, I think someone, maybe more than one someones, would have tried to lick the pot clean. As soon as the crock pot was set out, folks were helping themselves and I barely got a spoonful to see how it tasted ..... it was good. I wanted more ..... it was all gone!

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 pound) package of hash browns - shredded
• 1 (10-3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup (or 98% fat-free)
• 1 ( 8-ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese (or fat-free)
• 2 cups sour cream (or fat-free)
• 2 Tablespoons butter/margarine, very soft (use your favorite low fat spread)
• 1 small bunch green onions, chopped, tops and all
• 1 red or green pepper, chopped (I used red - more colorful)

Directions:

1. Spray a crock pot with cooking spray (you can use nonfat)
2. In the crock pot, mix together the hash browns, soup (can contents only - do not add water/milk), cheese, sour cream, butter/margarine, onions & pepper
3. Cover and cook on high until hot & bubbly, about 3 hours.

Yield: 16 (1/2 cup) servings


Recipe notes:

• Part of the appeal of this recipe is supposed to be that it's a one pot (mix/cook) dish; however, if you mix this in the crock pot, you get a lot of the soup/cream cheese, etc. high up on the sides where it tends to burn. I mixed everything in a large bowl, then put it in the crockpot - much neater.
• Also, the recipe did not specify if the hash browns should be thawed or not. I did not thaw them (but you could - might have to adjust cooking time down). I would suggest you mix all the ingredients except the hash browns first so they are thoroughly blended, then mix with the frozen hash browns, which are a little difficult to work with.

Green Bean Casserole (Traditional)

This is the "old standby" green bean casserole that has probably been around as long as the dinosaurs ....... and I love it. It's just not a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal without it.

There is one surprise, however ....... this dish is a great CROCK POT dish! Since nothing really needs to cook (no eggs in it or other raw products), all it needs to do is warm up. Last Thanksgiving, I needed the stove for more important dishes (like the turkey!) so I mixed this recipe up and put it in a large crock pot (6 qt.) and turned it on low for a couple of hours until it was time to eat. I put the French Fried Onion topping on the casserole in the crock pot 1/2 - 1 hour before serving time.  Keeping food warm/hot until time to eat is often a problem if you are making multiple dishes, but the crock pot is the answer - the casserole was piping hot when it was served.

Green Bean Casserole

(Serves 12)

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup(regular, 98% fat free or Healthy Request)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 8 cups cooked, cut green beans
• 1 can (6 oz.) French's French Fried Onions (2-2/3 cup) - this is the large size container

Directions:

1. Stir soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 1-1/3 cups onions in a 3 qt. casserole (9 x 13 dish)
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot.
3. Top with the remaining onions. Bake for 5 minutes more.

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is the sweet potato casserole that I make if I'm taking one to a family gathering.  It is a traditional recipe and I love the pecan/brown sugar topping.

Sweet Potato Casserole

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked sweet potatoes (3-4 boiled sweet potatoes, mashed)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, softened

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients and put in a greased, 2-quart casserole.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Topping

(yield 1-1/3 cups)

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 tablespoons of melted butter
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (preferably pecan)

Mix topping ingredients, cover top of sweet potato casserole and bake (see note 3 below).

Recipe notes:

1. For a smooth, fluffy texture, put all ingredients in a food processor or blender & blend until smooth.
2. For a very rich casserole, substitue half & half for the milk.
3. To prevent scorching the topping if your stove runs hot, leave it off and bake the casserole for 30 minutes, then put the topping on for the last 10 minutes or until browned - watch carefully.

Southern Corn Pudding

This is the corn pudding that I bring to the family dinners. It's easy to make and I've never had it not turn out. I make a large pan of it, but you can cut it in half for a smaller group.

Southern Corn Pudding

(serves 12)

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 3 cups milk (see Note 1)
• 6 cups fresh corn, cut from the cob (see Note 2)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (white pepper looks best) 

Directions:　

1. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan (Crisco works great)
2. Spread drained corn evenly in the bottom of the pan
3. Combine eggs & milk, & melted butter, beating well (I give it a quick whirl in a blender)
4. Add flour, sugar, salt & pepper & give another quick whirl to combine
5. Pour blender contents evenly over corn
6. Do not panic when it looks like corn soup!
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until set and top is a nice golden color.

Recipe notes:

• Note 1 - frozen or canned corn (drained) works fine
• Note 2 - substitute half & half for all or part of 3 cups milk for a very rich recipe
• This recipe is easy to cut in half (serves 6) - use 1-1/2 quart baking dish

　

　

　

Broccoli Swiss Cheese Casserole

I like cottage cheese ..... I like it a lot, but I put off making this recipe a long, long time because I couldn't wrap my mind around the texture of cottage cheese and how it was going to work in a casserole. It was a Big Mistake not to try it sooner and I ended up depriving myself of a great recipe for years.

"Who knew" that cottage cheese, when put in a blender and whirled around for a minute or two, turns into an absolutely creamy, wonderful base for a casserole with a corn pudding-like texture. Not only does it taste good after it bakes, but the top of the casserole becomes a beautiful golden brown color with bits of green broccoli peeping out here and there so it is visually very attractive. To really top it all off, there's crumbled bacon on the top and what's not to like with the addition of bacon?

This recipe is a winner on a lot of fronts and a favorite. My only problem is that despite the broccoli, bacon and Swiss cheese, it is very similar to corn pudding and it does have some corn in it. We rarely miss having a corn pudding at family holiday gatherings so this casserole, being a bit redundant, gets left unmade way too often.  Maybe next time I get assigned the corn pudding for a family get-together, I'm going to take a walk on the wild side and show up with this casserole instead .............. 

I have posted some notes at the end of the recipe - call them "helpful hints" or "lessons learned the hard way", but they might make your life a little easier if you are making this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups freshly chopped broccoli
• 1 (24 oz.) carton of cottage cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup of butter or margarine, melted
• 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 (8-3/4 ounce) can of whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 drops hot sauce
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1. Cook the broccoli, covered, in a small amount of boiling water until tender (about 10 minutes).
2. Combine cottage cheese, eggs, butter, and flour in the container of an electric blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
3. Combine broccoli, corn, and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl and stir in the cottage cheese mixture.
4. Spoon everything into a lightly greased 12 x 8 x 2 casserole or baking dish.
5. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon on the top of the casserole.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Notes:

• Broccoli - don't kill yourself with using fresh broccoli unless you really want to & maybe have fresh broccoli from your own garden. Use two 16-oz. bags of frozen broccoli florets .... the florets make a much better casserole than the packages of broccoli 'cuts' that include the stems. Cook the frozen broccoli per the package directions until just slightly undercooked (you don't want them to be mush before you bake the casserole) or get the steam-in bags and following the cooking directions - again, don't cook the broccoli until it is too soft.

• Cottage cheese vs. your blender. I found out the hard way that you do NOT want to put everything, as in a whole 24 oz. carton of cottage cheese, in your blender all at once. Put in maybe a cup and get it going, then gradually add the rest of the cottage cheese  1/3 to  1/2 cup at a time. After the entire carton has been added to the blender and has achieved a smooth/creamy texture, add the eggs, butter & gradually add the flour so you don't end up with flour 'clumps' in your sauce.

• Large bowl for the final mixing of the casserole is underlined for a reason!

• You can use a 9 x 13 pan instead of the size given in the recipe and actually, I prefer it. 

Shrimp Slaw

This recipe has been in my file for 10 years so I'm not sure exactly where I originally found it. I've run into it on a couple of blogs with essentially the same ingredients. It's good, really good if you like slaw and shrimp ..... who would have thought that this combination would work, but it does. While you can make shrimp slaw any time of the year, it especially makes a nice summer side dish and it's a quick "something different" potluck dish.


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I'm a Hellman's "snob" so I don't use anything else)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• pepper to taste
• 4 cups of cabbage, finely chopped or shredded (you can either buy a small head of cabbage & work on building up your arm muscles by chopping it yourself or you can buy the bags of pre-shredded cabbage. You still might have to do some chopping to get the cabbage as fine as you like it)
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1-1/2 tablespoons of onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups of cooked shrimp (you can use fresh, frozen & thawed, or canned - just make sure you drain & rinse it). You can use very small 'salad' shrimp or larger shrimp, your preference although I think the smaller ones work best with the other finely chopped ingredients.

Directions:

1. Combine your dressing ingredients in a bowl, mix well & set aside (mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar & pepper).
2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, then add your mayonnaise mixture and stir until all the ingredients are coated with the dressing and well-blended.
3. Refrigerate until well-chilled before serving.

Escalloped Salsify

I talked to Opa this morning and asked him of all the food his mom cooked, what were his favorites? He had two right off the top of his head: macaroni & cheese (the 'real' stuff, no out-of-the-box back in those days!) and salsify. So what in the heck (you are probably asking at this moment) is salsify?

Salsify is a carrot-like root vegetable with a mild oyster taste. Here's the Wikipedia description:

Tragopogon, also known as salsify or goatsbeard, is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family Asteraceae that has over 140 species, including the vegetable known as salsify, as well as a number of common wild flowers, some of which are usually regarded as weeds. The vegetable called salsify is usually the root of purple salsify, Tragopogon porrifolius; the root is described as having the taste of oysters (hence the alternative common name "oyster plant" for some species in this genus), but more insipid with a touch of sweetness. The young shoots of purple salsify can also be eaten, as well as young leaves

Here's a picture of what salsify looks like:

I remember eating Granny's salsify side dish and I guess I have similar tastebuds to Opa - I loved the stuff. It was made very much like macaroni & cheese, but without the cheese, if that makes any sense. I do remember that she used crushed saltine crackers rather than bread crumbs for her casserole toppings (macaroni & cheese and the salsify).

In researching some vintage recipes, I found one that sounds like what she used to make if you substitute the crushed saltines for the bread crumbs. It is found in Vaughan's Vegetable Cook Book (1919) and it is called 'Escalloped Salsify':

Instructions

Cook salsify in salted water until tender, alternate it in a baking dish with bread crumbs seasoned with pepper and salt, and dot with butter. Moisten it with cream or milk and a little melted butter, cover the top with bread crumbs dotted with butter, and bake a light brown.

Opa said he hasn't had salsify in a very long time - not since his mother was still cooking. Now comes the challenge ...... find some salsify seeds to plant in the garden this fall!