A lot of things with dairy don't freeze that well. That was my concern. I also cook this only until the top is crisp, but the inside is still runny, which I thought might affect freezing.

I could be wrong though and will try it. This dish struck me as something best made fresh.

Sure. I think you could put anything you want in it as long as it wasn't too big or heavy and would sink to the bottom.

Let me say, I never buy canned goods or make casseroles. I cook from scratch and usually avoid "pedestrian" dishes like this. It is just so cheap, good and easy though.

I like jalapeno or red bell peppers. Adds a little color to a pale looking dish.

Some versions add cheese at the beginning and some put it on for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking. I think it is gilding the lily.

Small bacon pieces would probably be good, but to be honest, this is a somewhat rich dish and has a lot of flavor on it's own.

I thought about that, but freezing canned veggies sounded odd.

Maybe using all frozen corn is the way to go and just puree some of it to simulate the creamed corn.

I only pay 49 cents for the regular cans (14 oz I think), so it isn't much money at all, but I hate to waste food.

I wonder if they could be freezed in a muffin tin or pan uncooked.

I've been making a corn casserole for company, and it is always a big hit and very easy. See recipe below (I usually add diced jalapeno). My question is, can this be downsized for 2 or 4 people? A 9x13 dish is way too much usually. Obviously, I don't want 1/2 cans of corn left (I don't think I ever bought canned anything except for this). If you just went with one, which would it be?

This just came to me. I could just use 1 regular can of corn and halve everything else. I could puree 1/2 of the regular can to simulate the creamed corn. I would think that would fit in maybe 4 ramekins or maybe an 8x8 cake pan. Any thoughts?

1 can whole kernel yellow corn, undrained
1 can cream style yellow corn
1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick butter, melted

I don't think 3 days is that much. I typically eat this kind of food (braised meats) up to 5 days after making them.

I could do all this well in advance and freeze it, but not sure that will be any better.

I am thinking I will braise the meat on Thur night for the Saturday party.

That's exactly what I was thinking. My only concern was transferring the meat. I think I just need to let it completely cool so that it does not fall apart when transferred to a non-reactive container.

I am thinking I am going to make at least 10 pounds of meat. I guess I thought it would never fit in a roasting pan, I don't think you want it too crowded. Maybe I could fit it in 2 large roasting pans.

Since a lot of the fat melts away on a cut like this, I think I need around 1/3lb per person.

I was actually also thinking of using boneless chuck (pot) roast cut into pieces. It is more easily available and cheaper and produces very similar results.

I am having around 30 people for a birthday party. I am making a braised boneless short rib as one of my 2 entrees. My question is, how do I cook this for so many people?

Browning the meat is easy. I just do it in multiple pans in batches.

I have a lot of pots, but think I might have to go with those disposable aluminum pans for cooking in the oven. I saw they sell lids for them. The beef will be made 2-3 days in advance and reheated and served in a chafing stand in the same kind of aluminum pan. I think I shouldn't store the beef in those though. There is tomato in the recipe and I know aluminum can react negatively with acids over time.

I have a 48" stove with 2 ovens, so oven space shouldn't be a problem.

I am having a large party (50 or so people) and one of things I want to make is a chicken scallopini of some kind (picatta, marsala, etc). My question is, should I cook the chicken all the way through when I brown the chicken the day before? It will be reheated the day of the party with the sauce. I am not sure if I can leave it a little pink when browning to keep it from getting overcooked when reheated.

I actually saw mac n cheese cupcakes on a website and thought that could be interesting. A crust forms on the outside, but the inside stays cheesy and moist.

It is a major birthday, so I am trying to avoid things you'd eat everyday. I'm not looking for fancy, but want to try and make it a little more special than stuff I'd serve at normal meal.

I've decided I probably should have a chicken dish. In the past I did a piccata chicken scallopini. It held up pretty well, but I am wondering if bone in chicken in the same preparation would be better. It would be harder to eat, but stay moist better.

LOL...those are just ideas. Ultimately I will have 2 or 3 main dishes only along with sides.

I am having a birthday party for 50 people and looking for ideas of foods that can be prepped in advance (but not necessarily cooked in advance) and keep in a chafing dish around an hour or be served at room temperature. It doesn't have to fancy, but I am trying to avoid things like Italian beef and pasta with red sauce.

My ideas so far:

-Braised beef
-Stuffed peppers
-Italian sausage with red wine/grapes
-Braised/brined chicken (though white meat still might not do well)
-Braised/pulled pork (though was hoping to avoid sandwiches)
-Pork/chicken scallopini marsala (though these are lean meats, I think with the liquid and not overcooking to start with,, it might work).

I make a really good lemon shrimp pasta, but I think the shrimp would maybe get too dry.

I read you can freeze tofu, which I have. It turns a very ugly yellowish color. My question is when it thaws, does it keep that same color? If I use it in Miso soup, how bad will it look?

I am guessing it might be fine for everyday use, but not something I would want to serve company.

It came out good. It is a really nice bread. I would say that it still wasn't as craggly on the top as Cosi, but getting close. I let it rise the final time for about 1.5 hours. I think next time I would go for more like 2.5 hours.

I made the recipe (bread only) as is except I used parchment paper for the final rise and threw them in the oven on an inverted sheet pan that was heated (rather than a sheet pan on another sheet pan, not sure that would help much). I also didn't do the last application of salt and oil as it seemed like overkill.

The dough is quite wet. I had to add a good amount of flour to be able to knead it.

The final product had a decent amount of air holes inside considering the rise times.

See photo.

Luckily, I am working from home today and the 2nd rise is almost done. I'll let you know in a few hours how it came out.

I've tried a few recipes in the past for this bread (without much luck) and watched what they do at Cosi. This recipe sounds right with the resting and letting it dry out to get the crackle on top.

I am going to brown the chicken in advance and keep in the fridge in the roasting pans. I am going to have the liquid (wine, stock, garlic, herbs). Should I store that separate? I'm thinking it doesn't matter if I add it to the pans in the fridge. It will give additional time for the flavors to penetrate the chicken.

I plan on browning the chicken at least 5 hours in advance.

I could probably cook them separate. I want the fond for the sauce though. I could just combine the sauce from both pans though at the end if I just use one pan to brown all the chicken in.

If there is too much room between the pieces, it seems like I'd need gallons of liquid.

I am making a braised chicken. I need to make it for 13 people. I usually use 2 cups white wine and 1 cup chicken stock for 8 pieces of chicken.

I plan on making around 25-30 pieces of chicken (no wings). I know that last time I doubled the liquid for 16 pieces it was too much. Any ideas on how much liquid I will need? It does make the sauce also, so that is a factor. I am thinking of just winging it making sure there is enough liquid to go 3/4 up the sides of the pieces of chicken.

They will be packed in a roasting pan after I brown them on the stovetop.

I thought about a brine, but never heard of it for braised meat. Since it is cooking in liquid, I am not sure it would help.

I'm also up to 13 people. I plan on browning the meat in advance and then cooking it in the oven in a large roasting pan. I hope it works. Braising can get trickier in large quantities.

I brown the meat for around 5 minutes a side and then find the quarters are done in only around 30 minutes. I bring it to a simmer on the stove before putting it in the oven.

I typically temp them to check for doneness. I guess I can just temp the dark and white meat and remove them earlier as needed.

I've been making a great braised chicken for a while and am making it for crowd. I usually just use leg quarters and it comes out great.

I am wondering, if for ease of serving, I should separate the leg and thigh. Some of the people don't eat dark meat so I will be doing some breasts (bone-in) too. I am debating if I should cut them in half for cooking.

I am concerned the white meat won't be moist, but at least I'm accommodating picky guests.

Well, I think the key is knowing when you can substitute and when you can't. Certain things can be substituted with no difference and other substitutions are drastic.

Studies have shown there is no flavor benefit from organic.

Ha- you're right....I added the for imitation later.

From what I've read, maple has 100s of unique distinct flavors. I think that is why the fake stuff is probably a poor substitute.

It is really for the maple flavor. As you said, plain or brown sugar can make things sweet. I wonder how the potency/ounce compares to real maple syrup and if cost wise it is worth making the substitution with maple flavoring.

I am wondering if anyone has experimented with replacing real maple syrup with any of the imitation syrups for various dishes.

I would not use fake maple syrup for pancakes, french toast, etc., but am wondering if it is one of many ingredients if you can get by using the much cheaper imitation syrups.

I use maple syrup in things like a pork brine, sauces, bacon jam and things like that. I would imagine if it is a primary ingredient, you will definitely know the difference.

I cook mine only 15-20 minutes to heat everything through.

If you don't brown the meat, you lose out on that flavor (it won't brown inside a pepper).

If you don't cook the rice, I'm not sure how that cooks.

I don't use tomato sauce either. I guess we are making different types of peppers. My Mother and Grandma always used Green peppers and baked them forever. They were soft and mushy. I don't like my veggies that way.