Okay, I admit it. I've wanted to start this thread. So, here goes. Time to share some recipes, whether new inventions or long-established personal standbys.

I'll start with "The only casserole other than macaroni and cheese I like"

6 oz fresh lump crabmeat
2 stalks of celery, chopped fine.
1/3 of a nice strong white onion, chopped fine.
1/2 cup of a bell pepper(s), any color, chopped fine.
1/2 to 2/3 cup of shredded romano cheese.
Coarse ground black pepper
Phyllo dough sheets (approx 40)(one half of a package).
1 stick of butter, melted.


Thaw phyllo dough, but do not unroll until everything else is ready to go.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all ingredients other than sheets and pepper together. Add pepper to your taste.

Grease a square glass cake pan lightly.

Now unroll the phyllo dough. place a sheet of plastic wrap on top, then on top of that a couple of wet paper towels. Expose the pile of phyllo sheets only long enough to remove one or two sheets at a time, then recover.

Add sheets of phyllo dough to the cake pan one at a time, lightly brushing each with melted butter. After about ten layers, add two rows of crab mix each about 2" wide. Add more phyllo sheets on top, 5 or so, remembering to butter lightly each one. (All the butter has two purposes: it makes the taste richer than sin; and it keeps the sheets sealed together a bit.) Make sure to press down so that the middle between the two original rows of crab has no air between layers of phyllo.
Then add a third row of crab in between the two "humps". Repeat with another 5-7 sheets of phyllo. Now repeat the two rows of crab, which should pretty much exhaust all your crab mix. Cover with the remaining sheets of phyllo...buttering each time. Then butter the top of the last one.

Put "casserole" in oven for about 45-50 minutes. (Phyllo will be golden brown, and really really flaky...touch it, and it will break and threaten to fly away in the wind of your hot air.

Remove from oven and let set for a bit. Cut with a VERY sharp (and thin) knife. (The phyllo dough is putzy, but surprisingly easy to work with. But cutting this, especially when hot, is tough.

Serve. Enjoy.

I started out thinking this would be an appetizer. Then I realized it was going to be the main dish.

My guess is it would be even better with lobster, but I can't afford lobster. And, if you don't want to splurge on lump crab, I'm betting shrimp or even that fake crab pollock stuff would work.

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When we run out of turkey, I'll give this one a go.

As for one from me, still have to decide which one to post.

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Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 tubes of refrigerated biscuit dough
2 cups of chicken stock
Water

Directions:
You can cut up the chicken beforehand or cook the breasts whole and shred them when it's done. I prefer the latter - seems juicier. Put the chicken, butter, soup, chicken stock and onion in crock pot and add enough water to cover. Cook on HIGH for 5 or 6 hours. Make sure the chicken is not pink in the middle.

About 30 minutes before serving, take apart dough and place biscuits into the mix. You can use whole biscuits or just tear off chunks, and you can just lay them on top or mix them in.

Very good and very easy. Great on a cold day...

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