Our own private "bring-a-dish" recipient of tasty Savory Corn and Broccoli Casserole

Nobody could blame her one bit. In fact, most of us were green with envy at her courage.

A family member whose memorable annual Christmas marathon feast had given new meaning to the adjective gargantuan was throwing in the towel this year. Instead of packing out every room in her house with tables and chairs and tossing a potluck meal for countless kin, she called to convene us at a restaurant near her home and said we'd gather there to fellowship this year.

Unbelievable! But how wise, especially for her sake. Few people knew the extent to which she went to pull off her holiday festivity every year. An ever-growing family, plus the fact that none of us is getting any younger, made us all salute her discretion in saying "no" to things that cause Christmas stress. Sure, we'll be there for the restaurant party, we RSVP’d.

Only problem was, I already had picked out the recipe for the dish I planned to bring to this annual potluck. Notes I'd left for myself all over my recipe album had reminded me to make Savory Corn and Broccoli Casserole for my contribution in 2010. Colorful, healthy, and easy, this selection would be great as an accompaniment to her buffet table.

Cotton-pickin! I'd simply make it for myself, I vowed. After all, it qualified as a veggie side, my ultimate quest to go along with my December meals that are waiting in the freezer (yes, on this 17th day of December, I still have a few left.)

Well, ultimately Hubby and I loved the casserole so much, we selfishly were a little glad we didn't have to share it at a bring-a-dish event. Savory Corn and Broccoli was so tasty and appealing, we knew we would have had little left to bring home. This way we could enjoy effortless (on everyone's part) fellowship with family at a restaurant and have this tasty dish all to ourselves.

Savory Corn and Broccoli Casserole

1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style golden sweet corn, no salt added

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 (11-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, no salt added, drained (can sub corn from one ear of fresh corn, steamed)

1 1/2 cups small broccoli florets

1/4 cup sliced green onion

1 egg beaten (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup (about 6 wafers) crushed low-salt shredded wheat wafers

In medium bowl stir together cream corn and flour until mixture is combined. Stir in whole-kernel (or fresh) corn, broccoli, onions, egg, and pepper. Spray 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Spoon mixture into pie plate. Sprinkle top with crushed wafers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until set. Makes 6-8 servings.

Love this good use for leftover broccoli bunch

Surveying my fridge after our big family weekend I found almost two full heads of broccoli that we hadn't touched while all the company was here. Other than chopping off a handful for a mixed vegetable tossed salad, the broccoli bunch that I purchased was fairly intact. My little grandperson who visited us loves veggies, but her munchings barely had put a dent in the broccoli supply. What to do now with this veggie that makes every list of "super food" any time any expert compiles one?

As it often does, my handy "Celebrating a Healthy Harvest" booklet zoomed in to the rescue with a listing for "Brocco-Corn Swiss Casserole" which called for, conveniently enough, two heads of broccoli, cut to bite-sized pieces. Mixed with corn and brown rice (another super food), this looked as though it would stir into a colorful, healthy dish.

Only problem with this recipe is that the prep, while not complicated, had to be started WAY IN ADVANCE. The brown rice needed to be pre-cooked before it even was dished into the casserole mixture. That meant adding an extra 25 minutes to the already 50 minutes required for the casserole to bake. I always could have subbed minute rice for the far-more-healthy brown rice, but Hubby would shriek, since he hates to waste any opportunity that a healthy ingredient is called for.

In the end, however, the process wasn't too time-consuming (the cook can do something else during the 50 minutes the dish is cooking in the oven. I even could ask Hubby to divide and conquer and himself cook the rice in advance while I prepare the other part). I liked the end result because it produced a healthy broccoli casserole without the usual additives of heavy soups and sauces found in most recipes of this nature.

Best of all, the dish was green and gold--the colors of my university--and the colors of health as well.

Brocco-Corn Swiss Casserole

2 heads broccoli, cut to bite-sized pieces

1 (14-ounce) can cream-style corn

1/2 cup pre-cooked brown rice

2 tablespoons onion, diced

1 egg, beaten (I use egg substitute)

3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole dish. Combine first five ingredients and pour into casserole dish. Add grated Swiss cheese on top. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until bubbly. Don't overcook, since this can dry out the casserole. Makes 4 servings.

Red-bell pepper plant amazed us and inspired this Veggie Pasta Primavera

Many times we'd recommended it to others but never practiced what we preached.

This year, however, Hubby decided to try container gardening for himself. He planted a red-bell pepper plant in a clay pot and set the pot in the flower bed near the deck.

It started out looking so fragile, one never could imagine the stalk being able to support a single flower, much less a heavy pepper.

Yet, as time marched on, not one but three peppers took hold--and held on firmly as the plant bulked up to support them.

A dish called Veggie Pasta Primavera in Blue-Cheese Sauce was the recipient of our first-ever container-grown red pepper. What a fitting dish for a celebration! Hubby's comment: "You've outdone yourself again." (He says that after most every meal. My Love Language is verbal affirmation.)

I'm not the one who outdid myself, however. It was the container-grown pepper plant. Hooray for an easy gardening method that worked like a charm.

Chopped red pepper blended with some other standout veggies for this incredible dish (the recipe was contained in a Kroger grocery flyer), which served as a main course for us. Squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and green peppers (the latter also from our garden) all went into a casserole dish along with pasta, some crumbled blue cheese, and seasonings. Thirty-minutes later (at 350 degrees) this breeze of an entree emerged from the oven looking and tasting fabulous. We dined on it as a dinner entree alongside some fresh cantaloupe. A wonderful summer-evening meal!

Next year we may expand the containering, with this effort having been successful.

Veggie Pasta Primavera in Blue-Cheese Sauce

1/2 pound linguine, cooked

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup zucchini, diced

1/2 cup yellow squash, diced

1/4 cup red pepper, diced

1/4 cup green pepper, diced

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

4-ounces crumbled blue cheese

Parmesan cheese (sprinkle on top)

Combine all ingredients. Spray casserole dish with nonfat cooking spray. Place mixture in casserole dish. Bake in 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes. Refrigerate any leftovers. Serves 4.