Casserole Crazy

I’d lived in New York four years before deciding to entertain with casseroles. I was sure my sophisticated, sushi-eating East Coast friends would pass over any Midwestern baked dish, leaving a Pyrex-full of carbohydrates and fats for me to enjoy alone for the next week.

But in the spring of 2004, when a certain domestic diva was about to be freed from prison, I knew that the Martha Stewart Release Party I was planning with my then-roommate was the perfect time for the New York debut of my signature Mac & Corn Casserole.

At the party, a restaurateur friend I can only describe as the Ultimate Food Snob devoured three servings, then gave up on plates all together and ate straight from the dish.

I knew I could no longer hold out on my friends.
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Those who didn’t grow up eating from Pyrex often ask me “why casserole?”

In addition to being time saving and practical, casseroles are the perfect solution for the “domestically challenged.” (Full disclosure: a good casserole is the only thing I do well in the kitchen, aside from a good cocktail.) The beauty of a casserole (especially in its simplest form) is that by following a few simple guidelines you can throw your favorite ingredients in a casserole dish, pour some soup or broth over it and stick it in the oven. Then, use that time to do something more important, like pour yourself a glass of wine (or pop a can of Milwaukee’s Best) and relax.