Two ‘tried and trues’

“DEAR BARBARA: Two
of your recipes got me
through last year’s summer
— 1 can’t tell you how
many amily /
neighborhood/club_pot-luck
barbecues we attended.

“Unfortunately, 1 glued the two
to opposite sides of the same file
card, ensuring that if I lost one, I
lost both.

“Would you please reprint
Spanish Rice (it had bacon,
tomatoes and green pepper) and
Corn Casserole (it was made with
home-made sauce, not soup)? I
have tripled, even quadrupled
both and got raves. Both were so
easy and were true budget
beaters.”’

1 couldn't get along without
these two, either. The rice goes
with anything and it’s what I call
a “recognizable food.”’ In other
words, even picky eaters don’t
fook at it with suspicion.

The Corn Casserole is another
good choice for farnily gatherings
where ‘Uncle Willie’ gripes about
nearly everything.

Spanish Rice

This is a basic family-sized (6)
quantity, but make enough to feed
the whole neighborhood if you
need to. Just keep the proportions
the same. You can make it a day
ahead but it doesn’t freeze well.

6 slices bacon, cut into 42” pieces

%4 cup each — chopped onion,
chopped green pepper

3 cups cooked rice (1 cup encook-
ed)

1 t4-oz. tin stewed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Grated cheddar — at least 2 cup
but taore, if you like

Saute the bacon gently until
very crisp but not even a bit
burned. Lift out bacon and toss in
a medium casserole dish, using the
fat that clings to grease the dish.

Pour away most of the fat in
the pan and saute the onion and
green pepper until limp (don’t
brown). Add rice and tomatoes,
stirring over low heat until warm-
ed — you want to get all the fla-
vor from the bacon bits in the
Pan.

Stir into a casserole with bacon.
Top with grated cheddar. Bake 30
minutes at 400°F. If I'm making
this ahead, I allow for almost
double the baking time but reduce
the heat to 350°F and hold back
the cheese.

Cover the rice mixture with foil
and bake about 30 minutes, un-
cover, top with cheese and con-
tinue baking until the cheese is
melted and everything is very hot.

Corn Casserole
2 tablespoons margarine
Ys cup each — chopped onion and
green pepper
2 tablespoons flour
Sait and pepper

cL
| AT., JU)

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WCOODWARD'S CUSTOMERS ARE

3arbara
NMicCreadie

BUDGET BEATERS

Y% teaspoon ‘iry mustard
¥2 teaspoon pxorika
¥% cup milk
2 cups frozen corm Kernels (you
can use canned, ‘drained, Nibfets
or fresh corn)
1 egg, fightly beaten

Melt margarine and saute the
onion and peppes until timp. Add
flour, satt and pepper, mustard
and paprika. Stir until blended.
Stir in milk and cook until
thickened. Add corn and egg,
mixing well. Turn into a sprayed
casserole dish. Top with:

Buttered Crumbs

% cup meited margarine
2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
cheese

for barbecues

Salt and pepper
¥z teaspoon mixed dry
herbs (opt.)
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
(opt.)

Serves 4 but multiply for the
multitudes.

Bake at 350°F — about 30
minutes if warm, 45 minutes if
cold.

eee

Each of these dishes is ideal for
a family gathering but not unless
you can bring them hoz and serve
within a short time. Or if you can
bake them on site just before serv-
ing and keep them cold up to that
point.

If you are bringing hot food to
a picnic, pack it carefully. 1 use a
styrofoam cooler, double insulated
with newspapers — the North
Shore News is an excellent size. It
is safe to transport a piping hot
casserole this way and hold it for
two hours.

Don’t set it out cn the table un-
til the food line is formed.
Remember, too, that the bigger
the dish, the longer it will hold
heat, providing it is properly
wrapped. Discard picnic leftovers.

Any food that has returned to
Outside temperatures and has
possibly been exposed to insects is
only fit for the trash.

If you are transporting «4
creamy salad, such as potato or
macaroni, it’s safest to keep the
ingredients separate and well-

cnilled over ice or under big ice
packs.

Dice pctatoes, cooked eggs,
vegetables and chill in tightly seal-
ed bags. Add a tablespoon of oil
to the pasta cooking water to keep
the pieces from glomming
together. Drain and chill prompt-
ye

It is not necessary to bring hot
foods to room temperature before
refrigerating — in fact, it’s dan-
gerous,

I tip up the cold !fevel in my
fridge (temporarily) and try to
pace the influx of hot foods into
the machine. It can only handle so
much.

In spite of all the new Jean diet
trends, people still like to splurge.
As a grocery cart snoop, | watch
the boxes of potato chips and car-
tons of dips. This dip is a winner.
If you can afford to, use fresh
crab but at about $17 a pound,
save that for a special occasion. It
works equally well with fresh
shrimp (often on sale for $5/lb.).

Crab Dip

1 tin (flat) crabmeat, well drained
Vs cup very finely minced green
bepper
VY cup sour cream
Y2-cup mayonniase (real, noi salad
dressing — e.g. Miracle Whip)
Dash salt
Sprinkling of cayenne and paprika
Dash Worcesiershire sauce
1 tablespoon sherry

Combine and chill.

INVITED TO

SHOP AT THE FOLLOWING SAFEWAY LOCATIONS:
| “WESTVIEW MALL *1650 MARINE DRIVE, WEST VAN.

*CAUL

FEILD VILLAGE