Broccoli Casserole Or Making the Most out of your WIC Checks
This economy is tough. I don’t care what the people on the
news say; I haven’t seen an increase in job opportunities. My husband is
looking for work and I’m eight months pregnant. Both of us lost our Federal
Emergency Unemployment benefits back in December. As a result we are getting by
on SNAP benefits and WIC checks and borrowed money from generous relatives. So
I’ve been learning how to take full advantage of these benefits. It is not
easy. For one thing, WIC checks are very strict and specific. You can only buy
specific brands, sizes or types of food. This can be a real shock to the palate
if you’ve had the luxury (as we did) of buying almost anything you wanted
before.
Take bread for example. Husband and I used to eat whole
grain white bread. WIC checks only pay for 100% whole wheat bread. Not really a
bread we like. Beggars can’t be choosers though so we’ve struggled to find ways
to use this bread and enjoy it.
One of our favorite recipes is a Broccoli Casserole created
by Jane and Michael Stern. They run Roadfood.com
and contribute regularly to The
Splendid Table (one of my favorite radio cooking shows). They are both
culinary critics and talented cooks with several books each under their belts.
This recipe is small—it feeds two as a main dish or four to six if used as a
side dish but I don’t see why it can’t be doubled if you need to.
I replaced the white bread with the wheat bread my WIC check
paid for and it was still delicious. Do yourself a favor though and don’t
forget to butter the bottom of your baking dish or it will stick. I also substitute
frozen broccoli for fresh. I have found that it’s best to set the frozen broccoli
in a colander, defrost it a bit with running water and then let them drain. Too
much extra water can increase the cooking time. As always, I urge you to study
this recipe and try any modifications you feel are suitable for your family.
Change the type of bread, do a cheese blend instead of straight cheddar, cut
back on the sugar. I’d be interested to know how you customized this recipe to
suit your family’s needs and tastes!
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