The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It!: Simple, Scrumptious Recipes for Crazy Busy Lives by Drummond, Ree

For home cooks, nothing beats spending a long, relaxing day preparing dinner for the family, savoring every flavorful step. But few people really have the time to do that anymore, with school, sports, work, and apoointments keeping us all running and pulling us left and right.

Ree Drummond transforms taking-it-easy in the kitchen into an art, giving readers her very best make-it-happen strategies pulled from her own non-stop life as a devoted wife, mother of four, food lover, and businesswoman. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! includes more than 125 of Ree's best food solutions for making filling nutritious meals with minimal fuss, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. With a mix of flavors and dishes that will please everyone, Ree makes it easy to whip up delicious, simple, down-home recipes that go from stove to table in no time!

Hominy Casserole Recipe

Makes 8 to 10 servings

"My mother-in-law, Nan, and her sister Diane have always rocked hominy casseroles. This is a version of a version of a version they’ve made before, which is exactly the essence of hominy casseroles! The star of the show is beautiful hominy with its unmistakable mild corn flavor . . . and it really is one of the best-kept secrets in canned goods. One bite of this dish and you’ll agree with me!

The casserole can be assembled up to 48 hours in advance and baked straight out of the fridge. And it can be considered a side dish or, with a salad on the side, a meal in itself."

Butter, for greasing the dish

8 slices bacon

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

One 29-ounce can hominy, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup half-and-half

Hot sauce

1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

2. In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the

bacon on paper towels, then chop it into bite-size pieces. Pour the excess grease out of the skillet, but don’t wash it! If you do, you’ll regret it every day for the rest of your life!

3. In the same skillet, combine the onion and bell pepper. Cook them until they’re just starting to brown, about 5 minutes.