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After making what seemed like hundreds of casseroles, I have developed some tips and a shopping list to make
things easier for everyone.

1.The best advice I ever heard and I would give credit if I could remember where it came from is:
Put on a pot of boiling water the minute you get home. Before anything else!  It can be used for pasta,
rice, potatoes or vegetables.  If in the end you don't use the water, make Jell-O for tomorrow.

2.  Bookmark Switcheroo. This site gives substitutes for ingredients you are out of.  Ever get in the middle
of a recipe and find you are out of something?  This site gives substitutes for everything.

3.  Make 2.  It's just as easy to make 2 casseroles as one.  Freeze the second for later.

4.  If your casserole is bland, try adding one of these ingredients:  Worcestershire Sauce, Powdered Mustard,
or a dash of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or other).

5.  Keep lots of casserole ingredients on hand.  Here is the list:

FREEZER ITEMS
Flash Frozen Chicken Breasts: They usually come in 4lb bags and they are lifesavers.   You can just pull out
as many as you need and they don't all stick together and they defrost at lightening speed.

4lbs of ground hamburger

2lbs of ground turkey

2 1lb packages of smoked sausage links

Tater Tots

Hash Browns

Mixed Vegetables, and several types of other frozen veggies:  peas, corn, broccoli and artichoke hearts.

Chopped Onions:  If you are really in a hurry or out of onions these are great to have on hand.

Canned Items
4 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup

4 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

4 cans of other assorted cream soups, celery, etc.

2 cans cheddar cheese soup

4 cans of Rotel (now there is a milder one)

2 cans water chestnuts

2 cans chopped green chilies

Assorted canned vegetables:   peas, corn, creamed corn.

4 cans chicken broth (I like the broths in the resealable cartons)

4 cans beef broth

2 lg cans green enchilada sauce (to make our first place winner)

2 cans sliced olives

2 jars marinara sauce

2 jars pizza sauce

5 cans diced tomatoes

5 cans tomato sauce

5 cans tomato paste

A few cans or jars of gravy

On your shelf
4lbs (at least) of dried pasta.  Have some egg noodles, some spaghetti and some macaroni.

4 boxes macaroni and cheese

1 box quick cooking rice

1 box quick cooking barley

2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix

3 boxes stuffing mix

breadcrumbs (I often make great breadcrumbs from leftover garlic bread)

4 packages taco seasoning

box of chicken bullion cubes

2lbs Velveeta

In the Refrigerator:
Cheese:  Jack, Mozzarella, and Cheddar, Ricotta and Cottage Cheese.

Sour Cream

Corn Tortillas

Biscuits in tubes

Crescent rolls in tubes

Fresh Vegetables to have on hand:
Onions

Green Onions

Garlic

Bell Peppers

A  few hot to mild chili peppers

Celery

Apples

If you keep most of these ingredients on hand, you will have your choice not only of many casseroles, but lots of
other dinners too.