Aunt Nance's Jalapeño Corn Casserole

I tried a couple of new dishes at Thanksgiving this year, and was delighted with them both. Both of them came from Amy Nelson Hannon's wonderful book Love, Welcome, Serve. (You can read my review here, and find a recipe for her Gruyère Mashed Potatoes that I also served -- wonderful.)

Another recipe that I served on my Thanksgiving buffet, from that same book, and proved to be a big hit, was Aunt Nancy's Jalapeño Corn Casserole. I am a fan of corn, though not a particular fan of creamed corn, but it worked perfectly here. I was seriously lapping this stuff up. Keeping my crowd in mind, I did cut back on both jalapeño slices and jalapeño juice by half. I knew that I was going to be serving people who may not be able to take a lot of heat -- I happen to be one of them. To me it was spicy enough this way, but feel free to add as much as you like.

As you can imagine, setting up a Thanksgiving buffet is a bit frantic, so I didn't have time to take a good picture of the casserole. You'll just have to take my word for the fact that this is a very tasty and easy side dish. I assembled mine the day before, and baked it up on Thanksgiving Day. Undoubtedly you could do the same thing for Christmas. This one's a keeper, I loved it, and I know that you will too. 

Aunt Nance's Jalapeño Corn Casserole
From Love, Welcome, Serve by Amy Nelson Hannon

4 tablespoons (one half stick) unsalted butter
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
8 ounces Velveeta, diced*
1 (15-ounce) can whole corn, drained
2 (14.5-ounce) cans cream-style corn
1 cup cooked white rice
10 to 12 jarred jalapeno slices, chopped, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons jalapeno juice
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the celery and onion, and sauté until tender. Add the diced Velveeta, stirring constantly until melted. Add all the corn, the cooked rice, jalapenos and juice, and sugar. Stir well. Pour the mixture into a 9" x 13" baking dish or oval casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

*I used 6 ounces because it was all I had, and it was just fine.

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This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Foodie Friday & Everything Else

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Love, Welcome, Serve: Recipes That Gather and Give, Reviewed

I don't know what it is about Southern women and church ladies, but they really seem to know what they're doing when it comes to serving up a good meal. Amy Nelson Hannon, author of the new book Love, Welcome, Serve: Recipes That Gather and Give is both of these things -- Southern, and the wife of a preacher for more than 20 years, so she knows good cooking. She is also the owner of Euna Mae's one-of-a-kind kitchen boutique in Northwest Arkansas. Hannon, who feels strongly about hospitality, believes that cooking for people makes them feel cared for, and with this book, you can care for people in deliciously fine fashion!

A beautiful volume full of stunning photos and taste tempting recipes, it is unique, in part, because of the interesting division of these recipes. Let me explain. Sections are divided up as follows:

Bites That Welcome
Pickled, Tossed, and Chilled
Meats, Mains, and Sturdy Soups
Comforts and Casseroles
Serve Alongsides
Sweet tea, Sauces, and Such
For the Love of Sweets

Aren’t these the most engaging chapter titles? When I'm looking for comfort food in a cookbook, I’m often forced to endlessly page through in search of comfort. Here, Hannon has made it simple by allowing comfort its own chapter. I like that. Similarly, if a side dish is what you’re seeking, just turn to that chapter. In addition you’ll find helpful sections on gratitude, and another on recipes for homemade items that you can make to give.

The beginning features helpful sections on things such as what ingredients will yield the best results in cooking (for example real lemon juice, not the bottled stuff), what constitutes a well-equipped kitchen, and what you will need to have the definitive well-stocked pantry.

(I am making this for Thanksgiving. I’ll report!)

Being a southern cookbook, there are recipes I come to expect, and I wasn't let down. You will find Fried Green Tomatoes (with Zesty Cream Sauce), Roasted Red Pepper Pimiento Cheese, as well as one of my favorites, Shrimp and Grits. The Smoked Pulled Pork had my mouth watering, as did the Pork Tenderloin with Parmesan Garlic Cream. The Salmon Croquettes with Cajun Alfredo Angel Hair Pasta is on my list to make next week.

The Comfort Food section offers up Cottage Pie with Puff Pastry (It looks phenomenal!), as well as Creamy Baked Spinach Ravioli, both of which are in my future.

My guess is that there is not a recipe in this book that you aren’t going to want to try; simply paging through had me ready to head to the kitchen.

This is a wonderfully engaging book with each recipe fronted by a comment from the author, easy-to-read lists of ingredients, concise instructions, and mouth-watering photographs. Equally appropriate for the novice cook or for the seasoned veteran like me, everything here is sure to please. Treat yourself or a friend, or treat yourself and a friend. This is a must-have.

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