Krystall's Tri-Colored Vegetables

Ingredients:

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Carrots
Bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
Butter or margarine
Cheddar Cheese soup or Velveeta Cheese
Additional grated Cheddar cheese (or favorite) to mix in
Milk - as necessary to thin Cheese
Optional meat: Diced Ham or Chicken
Season to taste
13 x 9 inch casserole dish
Oven 350 degrees

Instructions:

Prepare fresh vegetables by cutting into reasonable size pieces. I try not to damage the flowers of the broccoli and cauliflower much, I just split where stems indicate and sometimes quarter the larger flowerettes. I don’t use much of the stems. If you are frugal, save stems for soup stock. Carrots should be cut in corresponding size.

Prepare Cheddar Cheese soup or Velveeta Cheese by thinning only enough to be able to coat vegetables when tossed gently together. If adding meat, mix in and then pour whole mixture into casserole dish. Sprinkle grated cheese over top liberally. Cover with foil and put in oven at 350 degrees. Cook for 15-20 minutes, hopefully cheese will be bubbling/boiling by then. Cooking time depends on your preference for tenderness of the vegetables.

Meanwhile, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a small frying pan. Add breadcrumbs, (enough to cover top of casserole). Begin browning breadcrumbs to golden crisp. Add 2-3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, mix well with breadcrumbs. Cheese will melt and bubble slightly. Remove from heat. Reserve 1/2 of breadcrumbs for leftovers if desired. Cool and store in airtight container.

Pull Casserole out of oven, remove foil. Test vegetables for tenderness. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over number of servings likely to be used (if you know there will be leftovers, do not coat that portion now). If the vegetables are still hard, put casserole back in the oven until tender. If tender enough for your preferences, it is ready to serve.

Reheat leftovers and add reserved breadcrumb mixture at the end to keep crunchy.