Going to a family Thanksgiving dinner and need a covered dish? Of course we all love the traditional Southern side dishes, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce and the

“can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without”,

 broccoli casserole!!

But, this month I’d like to offer something a little different, If you haven’t already chosen your dish This is a great combination of pineapple, cheddar cheese and buttery Ritz crackers:

 We had this at a family reunion a few weeks ago and I thought what a nice casserole it would be to share for your Thanksgiving dinner!  This would be a great casserole to take to any covered dish dinner,

Cheesy Pineapple Casserole

Bon Appetit!!!

CHEESY PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE.

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese (8-oz. block)

1, 20-oz. can pineapple chunks, reserve the juice

1, 20-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crumbled (2 cups crumbs)

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium size bowl, stir the flour, sugar and 6 tablespoons of the pineapple juice together. Add the shredded cheese and stir until well mixed, making sure all of the flour/cheese mixture is wet and no dry flour is showing.  Stir in both cans of pineapple.

Combine the cracker crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl, stirring until there are no dry crumbs showing.

Spread the flour/sugar/cheese mixture evenly in a buttered 9x13-inch  baking dish.  Sprinkle the cracker crumb mixture evenly over top and bake uncovered for about 40 minutes until the crumbs are golden brown.(this also helps “cook” the pineapple mixture). Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Makes about 8 servings.

Note: This casserole could easily double as a dessert! It is also good as a side dish with cook-outs, bar-b-que chicken, etc.