Hominy Casserole

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
15 oz can of white hominy
15 oz can of yellow hominy
about 2 tbsp flour
about 2 cups of milk
1 8 oz block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Ritz crackers, most of one sleeve

Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, black pepper, and a tiny bit of cayenne pepper

Directions:

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and add your chopped onions and bell peppers.  Stir them around until they're soft and getting brown.

Drain and rinse both cans of hominy, and add it to the skillet.  Cook it until it's nice and hot.

Push your vegetables to one side of the skillet and tilt it so your butter pours away from them into another corner.  Add the flour and stir it around until it starts to brown.

Then add your milk.  Be sure to stir it really well and make sure any little clumps of buttery flour are incorporated.

Add your grated cheese and stir it around until it melts.  It's okay if it's not totally melted though, because you're going to put it in the oven.

Crumble up the Ritz crackers and sprinkle them over the top.

Bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the crackers on top are starting to brown and you can see the sauce bubbling through a little.

It is not the most beautiful casserole ever, but it is so good!  It's really rich and heavy- good for a cold night.

Homemade Refried Beans

Ingredients:

2 cans of pinto beans

1 onion

2 tbsp canola oil

4 oz cheddar cheese

Spices: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Heat the canola oil over medium heat and add a chopped onion and the spices.  I don't measure my spices, but I probably used about a teaspoon of garlic powder and cumin and maybe 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper.  Cook the onions and spices until the onions start to get translucent and brown around the edges.

Drain and rinse the pinto beans and add them to the skillet.  Cook until they're heated through.

Mash the pinto beans and onions with a potato masher.

Grate your cheese and stir about half of it into your beans.  Smooth your beans into an even layer in the skillet, and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Put the skillet in the oven and cook just until the cheese has melted, or for about ten minutes.

Enjoy!