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

In the past I made turkey with mole. I was pressed for time so I used a jarred mole that I doctored to taste with some tomato sauce and other seasonings. So no recipe. The time after I made chicken with green chilies and queso fresco. I roasted and peeled Anaheim chilies The chicken was simply a dismantled roasted chicken with some onion inside and cumin and chili powder rubbed on it. This weekend I am making beef with chili Colorado, pork with a verde sauce, and chicken with cheese and green chilies again. I am still figuring out the sauce recipes. The meats I cooked yesterday and the day before. All of the meats were done in the crock pot. The beef was a chuck roast I seasoned with tomato powder, a bit of sherry, some onion and cumin. The pork roast got some wine, onion, cumin and coriander, pepper and bay leaf. The chicken was rubbed with mole inside and out with a bay leaf inside the cavity and a splash of white wine. I am very much a toss it in and taste kind of cook unless I am baking or trying something really out of my comfort zone. I use this recipe for the masa from About.com as I like it to have flavor of its own: Ingredients: 6 cups masa harina and 5 cups chicken broth 2 cups lard or shortening 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon cumin 1 tablespoon chile powder 1 1/2 teaspoon salt I add 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Not completely traditional but I like the lighter masa. I also nix the salt so I can send some to the ex. Everyone else can salt at the table if they feel the need. These tend to be flavorful enough without salt. I'll get back here with the sauce recipes for these batches after they are done and if they are successful!

LOL! Cathy, it's the flowery part that's purple, but it's really Crayola style purple! The stems are still white and the leaves green. It stays purple when cooked, though the shade is affected by caramelization and such like. They also have a dusty yellow color and a leaf green. The purple is from the same antioxidant that colors red cabbage, and has be bred for prominence. The yellow (officially called "orange") is bred from a Canadian mutant. I'm not sure about the green, but just as there's a cabbagy purple, the green is also cabbagy in color (cauliflower is a cabbage cousin). But it just tastes like cauliflower. I roasted it yesterday along with the chicken, and steamed the purple asparagus (just has an outer purple tinge, like any variegated plant, and, like dragon beans, lost the purple in the cooking, so what a waste! It's not like asparagus or big tough beans make for nice eating raw!). Took them with some red jasmine rice to another one who'd had an out patient procedure. Colorful dinner, plain and nutritious, but my house reeked when we opened the door. I don't know how other people don't smell the sulphur! Thank-you for the kind wishes. She's doing well, but it's going to be a long recovery. John, I've heard of the potato trick but haven't eaten it. The main tricks I discovered were to use a smaller diameter pot than you'd think and use the end of your spoon to poke holes in the rice layer. And really truly use the dish wrapped in the towel. Maybe Modernist Cuisine guys or other food scientists can improve on it, but mammas have been doing it this way for at least a century, so just do what they tell you! Most recipes call for it, and I've been warned to steer clear of those that think they can do without it.

I do like chicken pot pie, and AnnT's green enchiladas. We had a version of chicken ala king too, served over biscuits, but Grandma just called it "creamed chicken" and it contained whatever leftover vegetables we had, the leftover chicken, some stock and milk, flour to thicken if necessary. My girls loved anything that contained chicken and rice, so that made it easy to make fried rice with leftovers. I've also taken leftover chicken, pulled it apart, added BBQ sauce and made sandwiches, and the girls always liked ramen noodles, so I'd throw some chopped chicken in there for some protein and I've made chicken croquettes with leftover chicken as well. I've even put leftover chicken on pizza crust with other ingredients, whatever sounds good. Like Peppi, Elery and I are fans of legs and thighs instead of breasts, and because we raise our own chicken, there are always wings and breasts available. I just dumped a bag of wings into the roaster and made chicken stock, as I'm down to 4 quarts, and Amanda will always take the breast portions for chicken nuggets. Annie