Blarney Castle Cheese and Hominy Casserole

Just outside the medieval city of Cork, in Ireland, is the world famous Blarney Castle which is well known for its famous stone, said to impart the gift of eloquence on those who kiss it. From the lush pastures and pristine waters of Cork comes Blarney Castle Cheese. Blarney is a semi-soft, part skim, subtley flavored cheese which is reminiscent of a young gouda. Try it in a grilled cheese chutney sandwich.
I love reading other people's blogs and I am a huge fan of The Pioneer Woman's blog (http://thepioneerwoman.com). I especially enjoy trying her recipes. Of course, having access to all different kinds of cheese, I have to try different things. I used her recipe for Hominy Casserole but tried it with the Blarney Castle Cheese. It was absolutely delicious and very easy. Here is the recipe:

Hominy Casserole - serves 4-6 as a side dish or 3-4 as a main dish
4 slices thick bacon
1/2 large onion, finely diced
2 14.5-ounce cans white hominy, drained
1 4-ounce cans diced green chilies, drained
1 cup grated Blarney Castle Cheese (or a sharp cheddar)
4 slices pickled jalapeno (optional, for heat)
Extra cheddar, bacon, and chilies for sprinkling

Fry the bacon until almost crisp; remove from skillet and drain all but a couple of tablespoons bacon grease. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
Add onion to skillet and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in hominy and stir for a couple of minutes until warm. Add chilies, jalapenos (if using), bacon, and cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.
Pour mixture into a greased 10x6x2" pan and sprinkle with a little more cheese, bacon, and green chilies, if desired.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until hot and heated through.

The next time I make this, I think I am going to try adding some sliced kielbasa (instead of the bacon, although I did love it with the bacon) and maybe a little bit of mustard. You never know how crazy I will go.