Cinco De Mayo Casserole

1 1/2 c Yellow cornmeal

1 ts Salt

4 c Cold water

2 tb Butter/margarine

1 c Shredded sharp Cheddar

-Cheese 5 c Double-Header Chili (recipe

-follows), heated Toppings: 1 (8 oz) container sour cream

2 c Shredded Romaine or iceberg

-lettuce 1 c Shredded sharp Cheddar

-Cheese 2 Plum tomatoes, diced

2 Green onions, sliced

1/2 Ripe avocado, diced

1/2 c Pitted sliced ripe olives

This dish is a hearty chili turned into a party dish by adding a cornmeal layer and a garnish of cut-up vegies. Prep time: 30 minutes plus cooling Cooking time: 25 minutes Cornmeal layer: whisk cornmeal, salt and water together in large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Cook until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese until melted. Immediately pour cornmeal mixture into shallow 3-quart casserole. cool until firm, 30 minutes. (Can be made ahead. Cover and refrigerat chili and cornmeal layers separately. Assemble casserole, cover and bake in preheatd 375~ oven 1 hour or until heated through.) Preheat oven to 375~. Spread

top of casserole with chili. Cover and bake 25 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with toppings. Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 545 calories, 34 mg protein, 31 gm fat, 33 gm ccarbohydrates, 1,093 mg sodium, 124 mg cholesterol.

** Double-Header Chili A no-fuss feast taht makes 2 meals, with or without beans. Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time 2 to 2-1/2 hours 4 lbs. boneless lean beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes 6 cups chopped

onions 1 bottle (12 oz) beer 1/2 cup chili powder 6 Tbsp tomato paste 2 Tbsp seeded, minced jalapeno chile 2 Tbsp minced garlic 2 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ground pepper Preheat oven to 325~. Combine all ingredients in heavy Dutch oven. Cover tightly and cook 2 to 2-1/2 hours, until meat is very tender. (Can be made ahead. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Or freeze up to 1 month) Makes 11 cups. Per cup: 310 calories, 34 gm protein, 13 gm fat, 13 gm carbohydrates, 756 mg sodium, 107 mg cholesterol. CHILI with BEANS: Combine 5-1/2 cups chili with 1 can (19 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed, in large saucepan. cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 minutes. Makes 7 cups. Per cup: 300 calories, 31 gm protein, 11 gm fat, 18 gm carbohydrates, 690 gm sodium, 84 mg cholesterol. [ Ladies' Home Journal, Maya 1991 ] *>* this comes from the bottom of the files of Shelley Rodgers <=-