Mongo & Lodi's Recipe Box

Mongo & Lodi's Recipe Box We love to cook- I mean, really love it! We especially love entertaining for friends and family.

Well, it is taco Tuesday 😂
08/04/2026

Well, it is taco Tuesday 😂

Broccoli Casserole (or Cauliflower)Ingredients:1 (16 ounce) package fresh or frozen broccoli or cauliflower6 ounces can ...
08/04/2026

Broccoli Casserole (or Cauliflower)

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package fresh or frozen broccoli or cauliflower
6 ounces can condensed cream of celery or cream of chicken soup- a little more than ½ a 10 ounce can
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cheese crackers
1 -2 tablespoon instant minced onion or 1 -2 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons butter melted

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350.
2. Prepare broccoli or cauliflower. If frozen, thaw and drain, if fresh, cut into small pieces removing as much of the stems as possible.
3. In a mixing bowl. combine soup, mayo, eggs, cheese, onions, and stir. Add broccoli or cauliflower and stir to combine.
4. Pour into 1-1/2 – 2-quart greased baking dish.
5. Melt butter. Crush crackers and mix with butter. Sprinkle over top of mixture.
6. Bake for 45-55 minute.

Enjoy!

If you like eggplant parmesan, give this a try at home, it’s better than I’ve had at any restaurant and so healthy. Eggp...
08/03/2026

If you like eggplant parmesan, give this a try at home, it’s better than I’ve had at any restaurant and so healthy.

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
Kosher salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
1 jar of marinara sauce
8 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
6 slices whole milk mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil 3-4 leaves

Directions:
1. Prep- several hours before assembling for baking- cut ¾ -1 inch rounds from the large part of the eggplant. Place on a sheet tray and salt both side liberally. Refrigerate for several hours or leave on the counter for at least 1 hour.
2. Using paper towels, soak up all the water that the eggplant has released. Make sure to do both sides.
3. Beat eggs in a bowl with a tablespoon of water and pour breadcrumbs into a separate bowl.
4. Dip each eggplant round into the egg mixture then the bread crumbs being sure to coat them completely. Rest on a cooling rack until all are done.
5. Heat oil in a frying pan to 350 degrees F.
6. Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes, just until the bread crumbs become golden. Remove to the cooling rack to drain any excess oil.
7. In a large, deep baking dish begin to assemble by first adding 1/4 cup of marinara sauce in each corner.
8. Top with a tablespoon of parmesan cheese.
9. Add each fried eggplant to each marinara and cheese and top with an additional 1 tablespoon of parmesan.
10. Top with another ½ cup of marinara and 1 and ½ slices of whole milk mozzarella.
11. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Cheese should be bubbly and slightly brown. Chop some fresh basil and add to the top.
Enjoy!

We love eggplant parmesan, but every recipe we found was a layered, lasagna like casserole dish and not the individual, restaurant style portions with the gooey mozzarella cheese bubbling on top and sauce underneath.
After reading the tips and tricks to a great eggplant parm, we created our own and it was incredible!
Main thing, make sure to salt your eggplant slices and allow to sit for a couple hours to get all the moisture out that you can. We also added a bit of parmesan cheese between the layer of sauce and the fried eggplant to keep it from getting soggy while baking. The eggplant was soft, but not soggy.
This recipe will make 4 large portions and have left over eggplant to make for another day, you’ll want to eat it again soon!

Experienced grillers know this! Always double-click!
07/31/2026

Experienced grillers know this! Always double-click!

Friday Funny; You know it's true!
07/31/2026

Friday Funny; You know it's true!

Mongo & Lodi’s Patty MeltsIngredients:1 tablespoon olive oil2 large onions sliced thin (sweet or red)1 tablespoon balsam...
07/30/2026

Mongo & Lodi’s Patty Melts
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large onions sliced thin (sweet or red)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pound ground beef separated into ¼ burgers
Salt and pepper to taste
4-8 slices cheese of your choice
1-2 tablespoons butter
8 slices of rye bread

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet to medium heat.
2. Add onions and cook until soft, 6-8 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low and add balsamic vinegar. Cook an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Salt and pepper both sides of each burger patty. In the same pan as you cooked the onions, cook patties to desired temp. Before reaching your preferred doneness, top with 1-2 pieces of cheese and allow to melt.
5. Remove patties and wipe pan. Reheat to medium/medium high temperature.
6. Butter 1 side of each piece of bread. Toast the buttered side in the pan to desired toastiness. (yes Mongo I know it's not a word)
7. Assemble your patty melts.
8. Spread sauce in the untoasted side of each piece of bread.
9. Lay the patty on one side, onions on top (maybe a little extra sauce) and top with the second piece of bread.

Enjoy!

Mongo & Lodi’s Patty Melt Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon onion, finely minced (I used red onion since it’s all I had)
1 cup mayonnaise +/-
¼ cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dill relish
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and allow to chill for 1 hour.

Summer offers such a bounty of great, fresh ingredients. We are always looking for something new, we love banana bread, ...
07/29/2026

Summer offers such a bounty of great, fresh ingredients.
We are always looking for something new, we love banana bread, but now that peaches are in season, we thought we’d give peach bread a try. It was amazing!

Peach Bread
Ingredients:
5 ripe peaches
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 large beaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 additional tablespoon butter
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
Glaze ingredients:
2 ounces cream cheese softened
¼ cup fresh peach juice
½ cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Peel and pit 4 fresh peaches and pulse in a food processor a few pulses, not pureed, but not large chunks. Place in a colander over a mixing bowl to drain until you have ¼ - ½ cup of liquid. Reserve.
2. Peel and pit 1 peach and dice into ¼ inch chunks.
3. Put both processed and diced peaches into a large mixing bowl, then add melted butter and combine.
4. Mix in baking soda and salt until incorporated.
5. Add 3/4 cup sugar, beaten egg and vanilla and combine.
6. Add flour and mix until all is combined.
7. Butter the bottom and sides of your loaf pan and pour in batter.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Test with a clean toothpick.

Makes 1 standard loaf pan.

Glaze Directions:
1. Using your hand mixer, cream softened cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add ¼ cup reserved peach juice and blend.
3. Fold in ½ cup powdered sugar, when incorporated, mix again until smooth and refrigerate.
4. Pour over warm cake or each piece as desired!

Feel free to add anything you want! Nuts, chocolate chips, cherries. Make your own version and Enjoy!

When I was in elementary school in rural Louisiana back in dinosaur times, we had lunch ladies who actually COOKED lunch...
07/28/2026

When I was in elementary school in rural Louisiana back in dinosaur times, we had lunch ladies who actually COOKED lunch. Weird, right? We'd have jambalaya, tuna casserole, etouffee and at least three times a month, we'd have my favorite, red beans and rice! This is one of those super-simple recipes that feeds your soul and makes you sigh with pure happiness when you tuck into a bowl of it. It's traditionally served with cornbread, although you can just enjoy it with the rice if you'd prefer. I make mine in the crock pot, but this recipe is easily modified for the stovetop!

CROCK POT RED BEANS AND RICE

1 lb dark red kidney beans
12 ounces andouille sausage, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 qt. chicken stock
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
2 bay leaves
t tbsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. salt
Tabasco or Crystal hot sauce, to taste (at least 1 tsp.)

For the rice:
2 cups chicken broth/stock
2 cups water
2 cups rice

For my recipe, we "quick soak" the beans, although you can soak them overnight and get almost the same results. For me, quick soaking gives a better final texture to the bean.

Place the beans in a stock pot and cover with water by about 4 inches. Bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat and let stand for an hour.

Place the beans and 2 cups of the soaking liquid in the crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients except those for rice. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until beans are done and sauce is rich.

FOR THE RICE:

Bring the water and stock to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rice, stir, cover and lower heat to medium-low. After five minutes, stir to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot too much. Cook for 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.

Consume in mass quantities!

Every once in a while, my "country cook" side and my "chef" side get to arguing about a recipe, and the only way to sett...
07/27/2026

Every once in a while, my "country cook" side and my "chef" side get to arguing about a recipe, and the only way to settle it is to make the danged thing. That's how today's recipe came about! Grits were not originally involved in the process, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made ... so, without further ado, a breakfast creation!

GRITS AND GRAVY PIE

3 cups prepared grits
1 lb breakfast sausage
Additional bacon fat as needed
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a heavy skillet, brown sausage over medium-high heat. Most commercial sausages don't render out enough fat, so you might have to add some of your saved bacon fat (You DO have saved bacon fat, right? OK, if not, you can use butter.) to make 4 tbsp of fat. Eyeballing is OK.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add flour to pan and stir until a roux forms. Give it a couple of minutes to toast just a bit for extra flavor. Add milk and stir frequently until gravy thickens. Add seasoned salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Beat a spoonful of hot grits into the eggs, then another. You're tempering the eggs here ... bringing them up to heat so they don't scramble immediately. Once you've done that, mix the eggs and 1 cup of cheese into the grits and combine well.

Pour grits into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Top with gravy and remaining cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted.

NOTE ON SERVING: If I'd let this sit a few minutes, the plating picture would have been a lot prettier, as it would have set up. I had two hungry teenage sons breathing down my neck, though, so our servings ended up in bowls.

Enjoy!

Friday Funny!
07/24/2026

Friday Funny!

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Belmont, NC
28012

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