Food Friday: Tex Mex Chili Casserole

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

What is a regional food recipe from your hometown?

It becomes obvious when you travel that food is different in each state, even in today's world where we have so many different foods available to us.

One great example of a community cookbook highlighting its regional food  is today's Junior League cookbook. Today's cookbook, Fiesta Favorite Recipes of South Texas  explains in  the Forward that "In FIESTA, members of the Junior League of Corpus Christi have brought together the feel, gusto, and uniqueness of the area. These recipes have been collected by natives of South Texas or developed by newcomers who have succumbed to the easygoing way of life." It goes on to point out that in order for the recipes to be applicable nationwide, "necessary minor changes have been made in ingredients so that dishes can be made as easily in Bronxville, New York, and Boise, Idaho, as in Corpus Christi, Texas."

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

Today's recipe is from Fiesta Favorite Recipes of South Texas by The Junior League of Corpus Christi, Texas. The original copyright year is 1973 but I have the 4th printing from 1976 which by then had sold over 38,000 copies.  I especially like that this cookbook includes the recipe contributor's married and maiden name (though that is missing from the above page).


Today's recipe is probably not the healthiest but the asterisk indicates that it is a quick and easy dish.

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega