As we all know, Taste is subjective. What is wonderful to you, May be dog food to me. And visa versa. That being said, I will say that there are a LOT of versions Of the King Ranch Casserole, aka King Ranch Chicken. Most I don't particulary care for, (I do not like corn tortillas in any way, shape or form) But some are really good. And while it is true that it is served In many so-called "Tea Rooms", Ranchers seldom order it. (Not many true ranchers eat in Tea Rooms) Where it got its name has always been a mystery to me. I live within walking distance of the main gate for the King Ranch. I've taken many visitors on the tour. And to my knowledge, Chickens are not something that's ever been raised there. Perhaps one of their chefs got tired of the ubiquitous beef? Anyhow, here is a casserole recipe we like, Usually a side dish, But could be an entree, I suppose. Squash Casserole (from an early 1980's Southern Living) Ingredients: 4 slices bacon 4 large yellow squash, sliced* 2 green onions, chopped 1 egg, beaten 1/2 C sour cream 1/2 C Swiss cheese, shredded 3/4 C Cheddar cheese, shredded Method: Fry bacon in a large skillet until crisp, Drain on papre towels. Crumble and set aside. Reserve drippings. Saute squash & onions in drippings 8 to 10 minutes. Combine egg & sour cream, Add to squash mixture. Stir in half the bacon. Spoon half the squash mixture into a greased 2 qt casserole. Sprinkle swiss cheese over top. Spoon remaining squash mixture over cheese. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over top, Top with remaining bacon. Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes (until bubbly) Yield: 6 servings * Can use zucchini, patty pan, or a mixture of summer squashes. It's all good. Rusty

All of the above are good suggestions. I would add that if possible, buy a few premade frozen meals that can be microwaved. I know it seems really simple, but when I was a brand new mom, how many times I just didnt defrost something or time just got away from me,having those emergency type meals was wonderful.It may not be the most economical, but in the long run it is worth it.

Hi Peppi. I love Diane's recipe and at the very end, she mentions how it can be made in casserole form. I love the horseradish in it. DianeÂs GOLABKI (craftyrn) a 3 # head of cabbage ½ # ground beef ¼ # ground pork ¼ # ground veal 1 ½ C cooked long grain rice 1 small onion, chopped 1 egg, beaten salt & pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tsp ground horseradish 1 C condensed tomato soup 2 T brown sugar 1 T vinegar 1 C beef broth Remove the core from the cabbage, place cored end down in large pot with an inch or two of water & steam for 15-20 min. (Mom used to freeze the whole head the night before she made these--then cabbage leaves are just as pliable as steamed). Remove the head of cabbage and CAREFULLY peel down leaves by placing the cored end up and doing one leaf at a time. Mix ground meats, egg, onion, rice, salt, pepper, garlic and horseradish. Scoop out about 1/2 C of mixture and GENTLY pat into an oval. Place the oval on thickest part of cabbage leaf and roll once. Then tuck edges over the rolled part & continue to roll. Place all rolls into heavy pan that is lined with a few cabbage leaves, layering rolls as needed. Mix undiluted soup, beef broth, brown sugar & vinegar and pour over rolls. Cover and bake in 350° oven for 2 -2 1/2 hrs. (I've often used left over spaghetti sauce diluted with a little beef broth. Also can be made in casserole form. Just layer steamed cabbage leaves with a layer of meat and rice mixture, another layer of cabbage leaves. Pour sauce over all and bake.)

Neely, the pavlova still looks fine to me, and those strawberries are lovely. Anglophilia, the pork sounds delicious. My husband says I'm boring, every morning I have one egg, over easy, some type of toast and a cup of coffee in my favorite little Jadite mug. It's the perfect size, I can actually drink it all before the coffee gets cold! Anyway, a dear friend gifted me with some Portuguese muffins, so I've been having half of one of those with breakfast. They are more dense than regular English Muffins and a little sweet, with raisins, very yummy: I've been hungry for beef barley soup, so I made some of that today: Yesterday I made a big salad with some of the turkey. I'm not crazy for salads, but Elery loves them, so occasionally I cave in and we have salad for supper. He had some homemade maple oatmeal bread with his, the salad alone was enough for me: We've been busy making other things too, like a batch of Habanero Gold jelly for Christmas savory cheesecake: A big batch of venison and cheddar sausage: Elery was packaging the sausage while I made cookies for the freezer. These were those flourless peanut butter cookies, all scooped out and the frozen lumps will be placed in a freezer bag until I want them, then they'll be thawed and baked: Somehow these four didn't make it onto the sheet pan and had to be baked. "Oh, darn", was Elery's reaction, LOL. Tomorrow Madi and Maci will be here while Ashley goes hunting, last day of deer season here for rifle hunters. I'm thinking pizza..... Annie