Cheese Casserole

__________________________________________________

             FOOD FUNNY
__________________________________________________

Here's one I hadn't heard before from Anna Welander:

It was many years ago since the embarrassing day when a young woman,
with a baby in her arms, entered his butcher shop and confronted him
with the news that the baby was his and asked what was he going to do
about it? Finally he offered to provide her with free meat until the boy was 16. She agreed.

He had been counting the years off on his calendar, and one day the
teenager, who had been collecting the meat each week, came into the shop and said, "I'll be 16 tomorrow."

"I know," said the butcher with a smile, "I've been counting too, tell
your mother, when you take this parcel of meat home, that it is the last
free meat she'll get, and watch the expression on her face."

When the boy arrived home he told his mother. The woman nodded and said,
"Son, go back to the butcher and tell him I have also had free bread,
free milk, and free groceries for the last 16 years and watch the expression on his face!"

__________________________________________________

             TODAY'S RECIPE
__________________________________________________

The word casserole usually conjures images of canned condensed soup in
my mind, so I prefer to think of this dish more as a savory bread
pudding. Whatever you call it, it's easy, attractive, and delicious.

Cheese Casserole

8 slices bread, crusts removed
8 oz (225 g) aged cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups (500 ml) cream or milk
1/2 tsp (2 ml) dry mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Paprika for garnish

Cut the slices of bread in half diagonally and arrange half of them
pinwheel fashion in the bottom of a greased 8-inch (20 cm) round pie
plate or cake pan. Cover the bread with the cheese and arrange the
remaining bread pinwheel fashion over the cheese. Whisk together the
eggs, cream, mustard, salt, and pepper and pour over the bread. Let the
dish sit for 1 hour and bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 1 hour.
Sprinkle a little paprika over the top and serve immediately.
Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Wed Feb 25 16:59:24 2009