Cheesy White and Wild Rice Casserole

Okay.  A quick warning in case you just want to skip all the blah.blah.blahing.
My hubby is working.  I have had little sleep.  Our dinner table was filled tonight which got me in this crazy mood in the first place, the little dog is shaking and wants to be snuggled, David is home from the field, we skipped wedding planning twice this week and I am feeling very SASSY!!!

So, since I can't seem to settle down, let's talk about casseroles, shall we?
I hope my momma does not read this post!!!

Quite honestly, I am shocked that nobody said they disliked *hated* casseroles on my little facebook poll!  Wow, am I the only child of the 70's that did not appreciate the gloppy, creamy, leftovers disguised with names like  
Chicken on Sunday, Shipwreck, or Shepherd's Pie which should never ever include mooshy green beans, lima beans and any other bean for that matter.

When our children were really little, we went back to Colorado to visit my parents and to attend the annual Bible conference for their mission.  One night they offered to watch our children so that we could visit with childhood friends who were also missionary kids.  What a HUGE mistake that was!  We laughed and laughed for hours as we recounted many stories of all the trouble we got into as children.  Right when I thought we had covered every last bit of mischief and there were no more stories to tell...I brought up the subject of casserloes!  Oh, yes I DID!

We all remembered it down to a "T".

Our parents were all having a meeting.  This meant that most of us kids were all together.   The large table was filled with the adults and we kiddos got to sit in our very own room with THE TABLE from the kitchen.  This was no ordinary table.  This table had drawers.
It also just so happened that Grandma E. had made dinner.  We all knew what dinner it was, because Grandma E. had spent time in all of our homes helping out our momma's in the kitchen and this was her "special casserole".  It wasn't long before we had all been served and the adults were  haapily chatting away, safely drowning out our ungrateful attitudes toward this dish that was so lovingly made for our big group!

I suggested scraping the food into the drawers.  The boys loved the idea.  So, one by one, I quietly scraped the "special casserole" into the drawer on my side of the table!!  The subject never came up again.  To this day, we have no idea who found it and who took care of it!

SOOOO, when I see a title that includes the word casserole...I am cautious.  Very cautious!  It must meet high standards and not include anything like pickled pigs feet, liver, or cow tongue!  And if I am perusing my momma's old cookbooks and recipe files...anything that says Grandma E's special casserole  are simply smiled upon for the good memories and fun we had...thanks to the table with drawers!



Cheesy White and Wild Rice Casserole
adapted from Picky Palate

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

6 small stalks of celery, diced {I use the celery hearts}

6 small carrots, peeled and cut into discs

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups rotisserie chicken, cut into bite size pieces...optional

3 cups steamed white rice

1 10oz. pouch of TRADER JOE'S Wild Rice Medley prepared according to pkg. directions.



1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cheese Sauce:

4 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups vegetable or bak bak chicken broth {I like Better Than Bouillon}

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

*Melt butter in pan over medium heat

*Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper and add in broth.

*Whisk until almost a boil and stir in cheese until nice and melty.

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 350*.

*Heat oil in medium pan on medium heat.  Saute onions, celery and carrots until softened...about 10 minutes.

*Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute.

*Place both rices into 9x13 pan

*Add veggies

*Add chicken if you are adding it.

*Pour cheese sauce over everything and stir a bit.

*Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Enjoy on a cool, rainy summer evening...we just may be having this for the next week based on our loverly weather forecast!!!

shared with:  comfy in the kitchen

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