Where I grew up, almost every major life event (births, deaths, and other such calamities) was acknowledged with casserole. They were mostly the canned soup, potato heavy, cheese topped variety, but casseroles all the same.
As an adolescent, gathered with family after a funeral, I remember questioning the purpose of all the casseroles piled up on the counter. More soupy vegetables than could reasonably be eaten and, to my mind, a rather feeble response to a death in the family. At the time, my young mind hadn't yet realized that when words aren't quite enough, food can fill in the gaps.
Whether it's a chocolate studded birthday cake that makes "Happy Birthday" feel a little more special or the corn flake topped potato casserole that gives heart to "I'm so sorry for your loss," it's the food, so much more than the words, that convey how we really feel.
I knew this was true a few months ago when I confided to two friends just how rough things had been around here. There wasn't much they could say and really nothing they could do. But the next day there were loaves of homemade bread and jars of homemade jam on my front porch. The bread and jam said everything that words couldn't. That's the way with food sometimes.
A week ago I found out this humble blog of mine was nominated for the Saveur Award for Best Family Cooking Blog. It is incredibly exciting and enormously surprising. It is surely satisfying enough just to have been nominated and to have been noticed by any of you readers out there is deeply gratifying and validating in ways I can't really explain.
I want to say thank you to everyone who stops by this corner of the web and supports my efforts here. It means so much to me and my kids, yet I find that there aren't really words that adequately convey how I feel. So, I bring you casserole. From my virtual door to yours.
This Slow Cooker Enchilada Cornbread Casserole is the best casserole recipe I've got. It's a one pot, vegetarian wonder dish that I've been making on a regular basis for the last 6 years. There's no canned soup, but there is cheese on top so I think it fits the old-world casserole criteria, but I've added quinoa for my modern twist.
This casserole, my best effort at a virtual thank you, is a really good family meal you can count on. Thank you so much for being here with me . . . and I'll let the casserole fill in the rest.
(If you want to vote for Some the Wiser in the Saveur Best Food Blog Awards, go here. Voting ends in 2 more days!)
Slow Cooker Enchilada Cornbread Casserole
Ingredients
Instructions
Note: You can easily make your own cornbread muffin mix. I use this recipe.
Alex says
Hi Allison, I really like your recipes and photos. I have a pressure cooker blog maintained by myself and a few other chefs and was wondering if you would like to post on our blog sometimes? We want to feature slow cooker or pressure cooker recipes that anyone can make easily. You can check out our blog here. Be sure to leave us a comment! Looking forward to connecting with you.
Kara says
For the cornbread, do add the mixture for the last hour of cooking or is it an additional hour after the first four?
somethewiser@gmail.com says
It's an additional hour after the first four.
Jessica says
Hello,
I had a question. It is really the first 9 ingredients thango in initially, including the egg? The second step looks like it calls for the egg to go in with the cornbread mix. Are there’ two eggs?
Thanks!
somethewiser@gmail.com says
You're right - the egg is part of the cornbread topping. I corrected the recipe. Thank you so much for catching that - I must have miscounted.
Beth says
I would suggest only writing info that pertains to
The recipe and nothing more.; it saves time for the reader
In this Age of Information Sharing. It seems the majority
Of sites need to cut down on the amount of unnecessary
Writing; not just yours. Thanks for the recipes!
Debbie says
Can you sub rice for the quinoa?