Birthday Broccoli Casserole

Making dinner for a large group of people use to stress me out, but I have learned the secret to keeping my cool and having fun at the same time...  It is preparation (clean the house, prep the flowers, etc. the day before), attitude (it's about time spent with loved ones, not perfectionism) and casseroles (or anything that can be made ahead or does not require being served immediately).

Now I am not a big fan of casseroles, but I had just finished a Thanksgiving where I was not hosting and was only preparing the side dishes (all casseroles).  Wow, that was an eye-opener because I was done in a couple of hours and had time to spare!  So I vowed to cook up more casseroles- especially whenever I'm hosting a dinner party.

Last night we celebrated my father's birthday and I decided to make a broccoli casserole.  I was initially nervous because my father is very picky.  But I decided to forge ahead and the result was awesome!  Everyone had seconds (or thirds) and I had one less vegetable dish to fuss over as I enjoyed the party!

Birthday Broccoli Casserole

(ingredients)

2 heads of broccoli
1.5 sticks of butter
2 containers of sliced mushrooms
1 onion, diced finely
1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 cups of half&half
2 eggs
1 cup of mayonnaise
12 buttery crackers, crumbled
salt & pepper
parika
garlic powder
onion powder
italian seasoning

Heat up the steamer.  Preheat the oven to 350.

Cut up broccoli florets into smaller pieces (about 1 inch pieces).  Discard stems or save for another dish.  Steam broccoli until tender but still bright green (about 8-10 minutes).

Melt 1 stick of butter in a chef's pan (or any large frying pan).  Add sliced mushrooms, garlic powder (or fresh minced, if available) and onion powder.  After the mushrooms have browned properly, sprinkle the flour on top and cook for another 5 minutes.  Add half & half, eggs, minced onions, italian seasoning, paprika and salt & pepper.

Combine broccoli with mushroom mixture in casserole dish.  Spread crumbled crackers on top.  Slice remaining butter and place on top.  Bake casserole for about 45-55 minutes.

I served the casserole with grilled ribeye steaks, poached trout, freshly-baked bread, buttered corn, green beans and an Italian salad.  My sister made a delectable rum cake to finish off our meal.  All was good :)