Making a 'make it up as I go' dish

Well today I am doing one of my favorite things to do in cooking - making one of my 'make it up as I go' dishes.  I had some shredded cheese I wanted to use up, and I had some canned veggies to use too.  So, I came up with an idea.

Here is what it has in it:

2 c. shell pasta cooked
approx. 12 slices of Velveeta cheese
approx. 1/2 cup shredded cheese
2 t. flour to thicken it a bit
1 can diced potatoes
1 can sliced carrots
2 cans of green beans
1 can of corn
1 small can of peas
1 T. mustard
2 T. ketchup
dashes of oregano, curry powder, chili powder, paprika, cumin, chicken bouillon, and turmeric
salt and pepper
crushed Ritz crackers

I cooked my pasta on the stovetop in 2 - 16.9 ounce bottles of water.  I use the bottled water we drink for my cooking now.  I find it gives the food a much better flavor.  I then added my bit of leftover shredded cheese, and then started adding cheese slices until I thought I had enough.  Then I dipped out approx. 3 or 4 tablespoons of the liquid into a small bowl and added the flour to it and stirred it until it was smooth, then I added it back to the pot.  Next I opened and drained all my cans of veggies, and added them to the pot.  Then I added my seasonings and stirred it well.  I preheated my oven to 375 degrees.  I had a couple of foil cake size (approx. 9 x13) pans, and I used one of them.  No washy the pan when it is empty.  And I greased the pan with a light coat of canola oil, then poured the mixture in and topped it with the crackers.  I baked it for 40 minutes.

And now it is out and cooling.  And the verdict is in -- it is good.

Here are some pics:

So there you are.  Hubby is going back for more, so I know it is good when he does that.  Now to give this new concoction a name:

J's Creamy Veggie Bake

So that is what happens when I tinker around in the kitchen with stuff I have.  The only things extra that I bought today to make this with were a can of corn and a extra pack of cheese slices.  Please note that this makes a big pan of casserole, so you will have plenty.  After it cools, you could spoon in into serving size freezer containers and freeze it up for later on.

Happy cooking and delightful eating!
-- jd --