Flamingo Pink & Aqua

So, the apartment smells like home currently as I make a favorite from my childhood.  It’s technically “chicken & rice casserole”, but I simply eliminate the chicken.  It absolutely feels like a very 60’s/70’s era dish and yes, there’s a variation in my circa 1976 copy of Betty Crocker’s Cookbook! (eventually I want to cook my way through it!  although I’ll skip the meat…)

Mushroom & Rice Casserole
Ingredients:
Rice:
1 cup rice
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 t salt
1 T butter

Sauce:
1/2 C butter
1/2 cup flour (I use a GF mix)
4 cups broth
1 cup evaporated milk (or 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk plus 3/4 cup water)
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp oregano leaves

1/2 C chopped green onions (I usually leave these out)
8 oz sliced, sauted (or canned) mushrooms
1/2 C cheddar cheese

if you want to add the meat:
1 whole chicken, cooked, remove meat from bones, cut meat into small pieces (or use a deli chicken or a package of frozen Tyson chicken breast strips, defrosted)

Directions:
Rice:
Combine the rice with the boiling water, salt and butter. Cover and bake at 400F for 30 minutes (mine ALWAYS takes longer than 30 minutes, just keep cooking it until the rice has absorbed the water & is fluffy)

Sauce:
Melt butter, add flour, then add broth and evap. milk. Cook and stir until sauce is thick, then add salt, pepper, turmeric and oregano.

Casserole:
Spread rice in bottom of a large casserole. Top with chicken (if you’re a meat eater), chopped green onions, sauce, and mushrooms. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over top and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

*Can be put into 2 smaller (or more) casseroles and frozen.