By Miss October 2014, Deborah Brauser

My last “Guilty Pleasures” confession for the month of October is about something I grew up eating in Kansas – casseroles!

In fact, we ate all kinds of crazy concoctions. Many called for cans of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup; one even used crushed up Doritos chips. All were super delicious. As I got a little older I learned they were also super easy to make, adding a little of this and a little of that into a deep baking dish, stirring, and then cooking. Voila! Dinner was ready.

Through the years I’ve moved around a LOT and discovered that this wasn’t exactly a food experience shared all over the country. In Los Angeles, friends couldn’t even get past the fact that I liked meat, so I thought they were the strange ones. (Ha!) But people on the East Coast also wrinkled their noses when I talked about the beloved casseroles of my childhood.

A friend’s young son even asked incredulously while watching me cook, “You’re going to put all those different things into one dish?? You sure eat weird stuff.” But then curiosity got the best of him and, after trying my nacho chicken casserole, admitted to enjoying it. A casserole convert!

Since moving to Arkansas, I don’t see that many casseroles at get-togethers and pot-luck dinners here. Interestingly, when I cross the border to the West, I’ve noticed that Oklahoma seems to have more of a taste for those Midwestern “throw-it-all-together” dishes.

Now that I finally have a house with a big kitchen that’s making cooking fun again, I’ve been going through old family recipe books. And I recently came across my favorite favorite.

When my brother and I were growing up, my mom made us a super tasty chicken and rice casserole a lot, which we loved. But for some reason I stopped making it and even thinking about it years ago. After coming across the recipe again, I made it one night and the onion-y smell and distinct taste instantly transported me back to happy childhood memories. Success!

So, for my last post as the October Blogger of the Month, I’m sharing the recipe for this fantastically delicious concoction. I’m including it as written, which isn’t exactly the healthiest version it can be but it is authentic. (Just substitute as needed. Or save up calories for the indulgence. It’s worth it! J )

Mom’s Chicken & Rice Casserole

-1/2 stick Land of Lakes unsalted sweet butter, sliced
-1 cup uncooked rice (note from Mom: use Riceland extra long grain white rice!)
-1 pkg Lipton onion soup
-2 1/2 cups water
-chicken (use Tyson frozen grilled ready “Oven Roasted Diced Chicken Breast”)

1) Pour out chicken to 1 layer full on a plate, microwave using defrost setting just until unfrozen, set aside
2) In casserole dish, place butter slices, spread rice over butter, sprinkle soup mix evenly, add the water, then put the chicken on top (don’t worry that it looks like a watery mess at this point)
3) Cover completely with a lid and bake at 350 for 1 hour
4) Uncover and cook 10-15 minutes more, checking as you go to make sure it’s done
5) Eat up!

Thanks so much for letting me hang out with you all this month. It’s been a lot of fun! And feel free to share any wonderful casserole dishes you’ve discovered…