By Emily Farris
In the 1960's casseroles were cool. Fashionable housewives had finally found a way revolutionize dinner in even more fashionable Pyrex dishes. But by the 80's, the one-dish wonder became synonymous with contemporary country music and Milwaukee's best. Unfortunately, the comparison was not completely unwarranted. Canned vegetables—a staple of the 80’s casserole—were no longer creatively convenient, or necessary. While celebrity chefs showed off seven-course meals made with fresh cuts of meat and vegetables fresh from the garden, the bland, canned casserole got lost in the culinary shuffle.
Luckily, no longer does an affordable casserole mean the tasteless hot dishes of the 80's or the cream-of-mushroom-soup concoctions Mom made. Not only do we have accessible fresh produce—comparable in price to canned or frozen versions—we have more sophisticated palates.
In addition to being time saving and practical, casseroles are the perfect solution for the “domestically challenged.” The beauty of a casserole, especially in its simplest form, is that by following a few simple guidelines you can throw your favorite ingredients in a casserole dish, pour some soup or broth over it, and stick it in the oven. Then, use that time to do something more important, like pour yourself a glass of wine and relax. In a slightly less simple form, there’s a little stovetop preparation involved. In this case you should also pour yourself a glass of wine and relax.
Emily Farris is crazy about casseroles. She is the author or Casserole Crazy. A Missouri native, Emily grew up eating casseroles. After moving to Brooklyn, she began to make her own, and learned that her mother’s green bean casserole was, in fact, not her mother’s—it was the Durkee Onion recipe. Since this devastating revelation, Emily has committed her life to creating and discovering original casserole recipes, and her Annual Casserole Party has been featured in the New York Sun, the New York Post, Time Out New York and Gawker.
Emily lives in Brooklyn with her cat, Eve. Comparisons to Rachael Ray are highly discouraged and may result in violent outbursts.
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