Mock Oyster Casserole

(click on pick for bigger view)

I shall never forget Ruth Dudley...In the early nineties when we met her, we were simply looking at the vacant "fixer upper"  for sale in North Long Beach. This tiny but feisty white haired woman stepped out of her little reddish colored cottage house right next door and stated in a shakey high pitched frail voice "Don't waste your time!  it's a piece of junk in there!"...For the next several years she told us over and over how thankful she was that we hadn't listened to her advice.  She had been a widow for twenty years, with no family..Major, her husband and herself had decided not to have kids.   She adopted us and we adopted her.  We added some excitement and youthfulness to her life and she added grandma like comfort to ours.  She was so thrifty with every single penny she had...all of her meals were so delicious yet so cheap to fix.  Her slow cooked all day round steak melted in your mouth when she was done preparing it.  Her chicken wings in a white sauce with homemade egg noodles absolutely satisfied your appetite just like a favorite meal from grandma.  One of my favorites of Ruth's she called Mock Oyster Casserole.  It is one of the simplest things I have ever made...its so basic.  The most elaborate part of the recipe is when you cook the chopped eggplant.   it has been many years since she passed...she was 89 years old when she left us.  But her cooking and kindness will live on in Scott's and my heart forever...

One of her favorite things to say was..."the most important thing in life is to have friends and the good memories that come from having those friends"

Ruth's Mock Oyster Casserole

1 small eggplant peeled and cut into small rectangular pieces 2 inches long by 1/2 inch wide

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup ground ritz crackers

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup of milk

Small pieces of butter

In boiling water, cook the eggplant pieces for about 8 minutes to soften and semi cook

Taking a small casserole dish

First lay down a layer of eggplant, then some cheese and some salt and pepper then some ritz crackers

Repeat the layers to the top of the casserole

now drizzle the milk over the top and scatter a few small pieces of butter on top

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes

It really does taste like oysters...in a good way for those that think oysters are disgusting...give this a try.  It's so darn easy what do you have to loose? 
Ruth would absolutely be tickled knowing that I was giving out one of her recipes today on my blog  ;-)

robert