Casserole LeWhat?
So last night for Worky Time I made casserole, fruit salad and pie. The casserole was one of my favorites that I used to make a lot but haven't in years, it's super delicious. It never really had a name (or else something generic like Sausage Rice Bake or whatevs) so Brian decided it desperately needed a name, and he decided it would be called Casserole LeMewl, and no, that doesn't mean a damn thing, and the spelling was hotly debated and never settled upon, so that's what I'm calling it.
The pie was another story. Now, please understand that I fail at pie. I am no good at making pie, it's just a fact. I decided to give it another shot with a recipe I found in Taste of Home for a peach pie with cinnamon red-hots sprinkled over the peaches. I bought the crust, naturally, and everything went fine...until we tasted it. It wasn't bad, per se, it just had a bit of an odd aftertaste, a slight bitter/chemical overtone. It must have been the red hots. Maybe I used too many? I don't know. It's fair, but not great.
My pie failure continues in an unbroken streak.
So here's the casserole recipe. It's super easy and delicious.
Casserole LeMewl
2 lbs bulk Italian sausage
1 green pepper, diced
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
4.5 cups water
2 envelopes instant chicken noodle soup mix (like Mrs. Grass)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
In a Dutch oven or soup pot, brown the sausage with the green pepper, celery and onions until the sausage is cooked and vegetables are tender. Drain off the grease and return the mixture to the large pot. In a separate saucepan, boil the water and add the instant soup mix. Simmer it for five minutes until noodles are cooked. Add to the sausage mixture in the large pot, along with the rice and cream of chicken soup. It'll be very watery, no worried, the rice swells and firms it up in the oven. Pour it into a 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 for an hour. If you want, with 20 minutes to go, sprinkle bread crumbs over the top. I never do this, but what does happen is that the noodles that are on top get a bit crispy.
The pie was another story. Now, please understand that I fail at pie. I am no good at making pie, it's just a fact. I decided to give it another shot with a recipe I found in Taste of Home for a peach pie with cinnamon red-hots sprinkled over the peaches. I bought the crust, naturally, and everything went fine...until we tasted it. It wasn't bad, per se, it just had a bit of an odd aftertaste, a slight bitter/chemical overtone. It must have been the red hots. Maybe I used too many? I don't know. It's fair, but not great.
My pie failure continues in an unbroken streak.
So here's the casserole recipe. It's super easy and delicious.
Casserole LeMewl
2 lbs bulk Italian sausage
1 green pepper, diced
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
4.5 cups water
2 envelopes instant chicken noodle soup mix (like Mrs. Grass)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
In a Dutch oven or soup pot, brown the sausage with the green pepper, celery and onions until the sausage is cooked and vegetables are tender. Drain off the grease and return the mixture to the large pot. In a separate saucepan, boil the water and add the instant soup mix. Simmer it for five minutes until noodles are cooked. Add to the sausage mixture in the large pot, along with the rice and cream of chicken soup. It'll be very watery, no worried, the rice swells and firms it up in the oven. Pour it into a 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 for an hour. If you want, with 20 minutes to go, sprinkle bread crumbs over the top. I never do this, but what does happen is that the noodles that are on top get a bit crispy.