Nona: I want to help out my friend. His wife has been under the weather this week, and I’m afraid the poor fellow isn’t getting proper nourishment.

Concerned in Colburn Dear Concerned: I know there have been a steady string of casseroles on the way to Jocko’s house in the last week since his dear Patty has been sick.

There was a rumor that perhaps Patty wasn’t as sick as we thought she was. Talk at Senior Card Night last week was that she’s actually on strike!

Jocko is supposed to take out the trash every week and rushed out to Stosh’s Place for his “afternoon meeting” with the Lublin Intelligencia without fulfilling his main weekly chore.

Plus, he’s supposed to smash his Leinenkugel’s cans every Sunday after the Packer game. He hosted the boys from the neighborhood for their annual Sunday gathering down in their social room. That’s where they haul the sheet of plywood out of storage and they set it over the pool table. Well it seems that Patty also was hosting the Lublin Domino Club the next morning, and when the gals showed up and went downstairs, the handiwork the menfolk left behind was still on display. In normal circumstances, a pyramid of 67 beer cans would be impressive. Patty was steamed, but she has always been known to be a real quick thinker! She lined up her Dominos around the cans, put a garbage can next to the table and let the pieces fall. The last one toppled the beer can pyramid right into the garbage can.

She was really that mad until her dear husband came home.

“What?” he asked when she explained how she cleaned up hs mess. “You didn’t smash the cans first?”

Bring him a casserole if you must, but don’t feel sorry for him!

Here’s a couple great casserole dishes!

Cabbage Roll Casserole Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef 1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced 2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce, divided 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dill weed 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 cups cooked rice 4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled 1 medium head cabbage (2 pounds), shredded 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese Coarsely ground pepper, optional

Directions Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat, crumbling beef, until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in 1 can tomato sauce and next 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in rice and bacon; remove from heat.

Layer a third of the cabbage in a greased 13×9-in. baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture. Repeat layers; top with remaining cabbage. Pour remaining tomato sauce over top.

Cover and bake 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

If desired, sprinkle with coarsely ground pepper.

Chicken Enchilada Bake Ingredients

4-1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken 1 can (28 ounces) green enchilada sauce 1-1/4 cups sour cream 9 corn tortillas (6 inches), cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces 4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese Fresh minced parsley, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. In a greased 13×9-in. baking dish, layer half of each of the following: chicken, enchilada sauce, sour cream, tortillas and cheese. Repeat layers.

Bake, covered, 40 minutes. Uncover; bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked casserole. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165° If desired, sprinkle with parsley.