One of the best things about casseroles is that you can have them at any time of the day. It is comfort food that you can enjoy even more when the weather gets cooler. Here are a few casserole recipes you can make this fall.

Sausage and Cheese Lasagna

You can prepare this within an hour. Start with preheating a broiler. In a cast-iron 12-inch skillet heat some oil and cook the sausage till it turns brown. Break it with a spoon. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Follow this by adding the marinara, tomatoes, and chicken stock. Then to this broth, add pieces of Nestle pasta and let it simmer on a reduced flame for 4 minutes, covered. Post this remove the lid and stir it occasionally or till pasta is tender. Then take it off the flame and fold it in basil. Top it with mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta. Broil for 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown.

Southern Yellow-Squash Casserole

You can start by preheating the oven to about 350 degrees. Then coat two casserole dishes (9/12 inches) with cooking spray. Put a stockpot on medium heat and combine the yellow onions, squash, and the bell pepper. Fill the pot of vegetables with water and let it boil. Cook for 10 minutes and then drain the water. Put the veggies back into the stockpot and then add the following ingredients – 1/2 lb. of cheddar cheese, 1/2 lb of pepper Jack cheese, diced pimientos, four large eggs, mayonnaise, dry vermouth, Worcestershire sauce, dried basil, granulated onion, granulated garlic, a dash of hot sauce and a pinch of sugar. Mix it well after adding salt and pepper. Scoop this mixture into the casserole dishes and bake for 30-45 minutes.

Scalloped Oyster Casserole

This special dish can begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, melt butter on a medium flame, then add leeks and stir it for about 6-7 minutes. Add the flour and stir for another minute. Add a little vermouth and stir it until it is thick and bubbly for a couple more minutes. Follow this with cream and once it simmers, turn off the stove. Fold the contents in oysters and then brine. Scoop this mixture into a baking dish and bake it for about 40-45 minutes.

Many people like to grab their daily cup of coffee on the go, but a new study recently published in The Journal of Hazardous Materials may convince them to change this. The findings show that drinking hot beverages out of paper cups with linings that contain plastic film may be flooding their bodies with dangerous microplastic particles that can potentially have harmful consequences for their health.

Hazardous Coffee Plastic Cups

Sudha Goel, MD, who is the author of the study shares that an average person drinking three regular cups of coffee or tea in a paper cup would end up ingesting about 75,000 tiny microplastic particles. They are invisible, but in the 15 minutes it takes for tea or coffee to be consumed, the microplastic layer of the cup can easily degrade.

The study is conducted by a team of academic researchers at the India Institute of Technology and is the latest to shed light on the huge dangers posed by unwittingly consuming microplastic particles. It is defined as tiny pieces of synthetic fibers and pieces of plastic that are 5mm in size or even less and are the byproduct of countless products people come in contact with daily, including clothes, car tires, and beauty products.

More About the Dangers of Plastic

Reports say a huge number of microplastics have found their way into the oceans and water sources of the Earth. They pose a threat not only to aquatic life but also to people. A study by the WHO (World Health Organization) shows microplastics exist in 90% of all bottled water samples they tested. It drew on 259 bottles of 11 separate brands hailing from 9 countries across the world.

In the case of paper coffee cups, the research team in India stated that most of them were not all paper. They come with an interior that contains a film lined with plastic. The deterioration of the films causes the release of chloride, fluoride, nitrate, and sulfates into the water contained in paper cups.

So, consider yourself warned and drink more tap water, don’t heat your food in a plastic container, dust your home more frequently, and try to buy more glass and fewer plastic products.