Costco and Broccoli Casserole

Anyone who knows me knows of my loyalty to Costco. Oh the deals! The best produce anywhere, both in terms of cost and taste. Consistently best deal on diapers and Carter's play sets. Did I mention the sweet potato fries? And don't even get me started on the low, low price of milk! Today was what is known in our house as a "Costco Day." That means we make our journey to Costco with the extra-large all-temperature reusable bags, which double nicely as an impromptu toddler swing, as demonstrated by Elli and Daddy here:

Elli was saying over and over in the car on the way there, "Go Costco, go Costco. Go shopping." Yes and yes. Sigh. We love you Costco. I'm not sure I came to obtain it, either I bought it or it was a prize for sinking so much $$ into my favored store every month, but I have found myself supplied with 220 pages of recipes using Costco products (not that I don't already). Some of these recipes may end up in the Family Recipe Box. Like, say, this one from page 73 of Home Cooking: The Costco Way:

Broccoli Casserole

1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups fresh, bite-sized broccoli florets, lightly steamed

1 1/3 cups french fried onions, divided

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Pinch of grated nutmeg

Mix soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, broccoli, 2/3 cup onions, 1/2 cup cheese and nutmeg in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with remaining onions and cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Elli was very curious in what I was doing in the kitchen. She watched me steaming the broccoli and asked, "Mommy cook?"

"Yes, would you like to help me?"

"Ahh no."

"All right."

A few minutes later she was back by my side. "What doing, Mommy?"

"I'm cooking. Would you like to help me?"

"Okay. Get steps."

Not sure what caused the change of heart. Could have been the smell of broccoli, which she enjoys. Or it could have been the sight of cheese, which she enjoys more. I set the freshly steamed broccoli in the casserole dish and explained to Elli that it was hot and that we were going to add some stuff on top of it. "First, we'll pour in some milk."

"Okay."

We measured out the milk in the Pyrex measuring cup and carefully poured it all over the broccoli. "Very good. Now let's pour in the soy sauce." She was itching to grab the teaspoon full of dark liquid, so I let her go for it. Then I added in a dash or two to make up for the dash or two spilled on the counter. Next we dropped in the soup, and Elli shook on the pepper.

"I stir! I stir!" she said, though there was no spoon and no instruction from me that stirring was the next step. I smiled with satisfaction that her instincts for cooking are starting to develop.

"Yes, sweetheart. You can stir."

It was a beautiful sight, reinforced with the gorgeous fact that not a drop was slopped outside the dish. It was time for the onions. I showed Elli what to do, and off she went. Normally she does not like onions. She likes french fried onions. Who can blame her, really?

"Need stir," she told me in her best official voice, grabbing the spoon and going to work.

"We need to add more onions," I said, pointing out that there were only about 10 pieces of onion on the broccoli mixture.

"Need stir," she repeated.

"All right. You stir and Mommy will add the onions." This arrangement worked out great. I was really impressed with her refined stirring skills. Elli stopped stirring and looked down at the mixture. She then looked over at the bag of cheese. The little wheels in her head turned and clicked.

"Add cheese!" she said and reached for the bag. I have never been so proud. My little independent, smart chef!

We stirred some more and topped it all off with a careful pinch of nutmeg. "Looks just like the picture," I said. I slipped the dish in the oven and Elli and I exchanged high-5s in between her rescuing a few shreds of cheese that had fallen overboard.

Our Costco Day was complete. Along with the Broccoli Casserole, we had slices of apples from Costco (seriously, 4 pounds, 5 bucks) and some breast meat from a Costco $5 rotisserie chicken, which will soon become chicken salad, chicken taquitos, chicken stock, and possibly a chicken tamale pie. Sigh. We love Costco.

Overall Broccoli Casserole Ratings (5 being the best):

Elli-friendly cooking: 4 (aside from the broccoli steaming, all was good)

Elli-friendly eating: 3 (she seems to like plain broccoli better)

Simple: 5

Fast: 4

Frugal: 5

I ask you: Are you a fan of Costco?