Foodie Friday: Jiffy Corn Casserole

Welcome to the last Foodie Friday before Thanksgiving, dear reader. As I sit thinking about my menu for one of my favorite holidays, I am contemplating changing things up a bit this year. We have a nine-year-old boy on our guest list and several teens. I have decided to make this a very kid-centered Thanksgiving. Rather than have the teens slink off to isolated rooms away from the adults, I am planning activities that will engage everyone and, hopefully, create an atmosphere of fun. I am sure they will resist my attempts to engage them, but I plan to make the activities irresistible.

Easton, my nine-year-old friend, has requested mac and cheese for Thanksgiving. I know many families consider mac and cheese a staple of their holiday meal, but my family is not one of them. However, I welcome new dishes and traditions to our celebration. With a table full of teens, I am sure mac and cheese will be a welcome addition to the meal. I would also like to try an old classic that is new to me: Jiffy corn casserole. My mom used to make a dish she called baked corn, but I was not a fan of the texture or the bland taste. However, a side dish of cornbread casserole will be a welcome addition. Along with mac and cheese and cornbread casserole, I would also like to try a dish called cranberry yum yum. It's a layered sweet dish, almost like pretzel salad, but with cranberries and graham crackers.

Of course, I will include the staples of sausage stuffing, bacon green beans, orange fluff, pumpkin pie, and gob cake. However, adding a few new side dishes will be fun and exciting. My gang does not enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving meal staples. Eric does not care for turkey. Every year, talking him out of roasting a chicken instead of a turkey is a struggle. I don't know why he can't just honor tradition and eat a turkey happily. He eats the turkey I roast without complaint. It is just the weeks building up to Turkey Day that he grumbles and grouses about having to eat turkey. Sigh.

Jordan is a big fan of cornbread, and I think she will like this simple side dish of cornbread casserole. However, getting my picky eater to eat anything besides mashed potatoes, turkey, and gob cake can be challenging. I will do what I did when she was little and sneak a bit onto her plate when she is not looking. I may even bribe her with an extra round of Uno or Skip-Bo to get her to try a new dish.

After reading how difficult my family is about traditional meals, I'm unsure why I get so excited about cooking a Thanksgiving feast. Sigh, maybe they would be happier with Chinese Food. Oh, who am I kidding? We all know it's about me and my happiness; they can eat what I cook and like it!..said with a wicked laugh. When I am old and incapacitated, they can feed me chow mein and tell me it's a special treat. Until then, they can suffer through with my homemade food.

Today, I have decided to share the recipe for cornbread casserole that I will try on Thanksgiving. This dish appears to be very simple, and it sounds delicious. I am looking forward to trying it on the big day. I pulled this directly from the Jiffy website.

Jiffy Cornbread Casserole

Ingredients:

Cooking spray or butter for the baking dish

• 8 tablespoons

  (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 1 (15-ounce) can

  corn kernels

• 8 ounces

  sour cream (1 cup)

• 2

  large eggs

• 1 (15-ounce) can

  creamed corn

• 1 (8.5-ounce) box

  regular or vegetarian Jiffy corn muffin mix

  
  

  Instructions:

  
  

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8x8-inch or other 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

• Melt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter in the microwave in a large microwave-safe bowl. (Alternatively, melt on the stovetop and transfer to a large bowl.) Set aside until warm to the touch. Meanwhile, drain 1 (15-ounce) can of corn kernels.

• Add 8 ounces of sour cream and 2 large eggs to the butter and whisk to combine. Add the corn kernels and 1 (15-ounce) can of creamed corn and stir to combine. Add 1 box Jiffy mix and stir until well combined. Pour into the baking dish and smooth the top.

• Bake until the casserole is puffed, slightly browned, and the center is firm, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

  
  

  On this snowy, blowy November day, stay safe and be smart, enjoy good food, food is love, even if it's forced upon people, and keep washing your hands