Potluck/New Mommy-worthy Recipes

New mommy. Grieving friend. New neighbor. Or just because. I don't think anyone would ever turn down a free home-cooked meal. Do you? I know I won't. When I had my children in the 90s, the first thing our church group did was send meals over. For like a month! Everyone in the community group we were in would sign up for a date, preferable every other day, and would bring meals in to-go containers (this is a must) and scurry out the door. All I had to do was put it on a plate, and for a new mom, that was a huge undertaking. Times have changed with technology, but the need for food will never change. The convenience of online meal sign-up, such as with Meal Train, have made calendar planning so simple. (Other ways to bless a new mom or grieving friend is to send someone over to clean their house or do their yard-work, but that's for another post).

I'm submitting some of my favorite recipes to take to a friend. Double the recipe, and then you'll have your meal for the evening as well.

This first recipe is from Trisha Yearwood when she was on The Chew. I think she's a country singer. I know her as someone who has a cooking show on the Food Network.

CHICKEN AND WILD RICE CASSEROLE

• 16 oz sliced fresh mushrooms or (2) 4.5-oz cans sliced mushrooms drained (reserve juice)
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (cooked and diced)
• 2 6- oz boxes long-grain and wild rice mix (cooked)
• 1 cup slivered almonds (toasted and coarsely chopped)
• 1/2 cup sliced pimiento
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x13x2-inch casserole dish.
• If you use fresh mushrooms, sauté them in a large skillet with 1 tbsp butter until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the juice.
• In a large skillet, sauté the onion in the remaining butter until tender. Stir in the flour, cooking for 2-3 minutes. Combine the mushroom juice with enough broth to make 3 cups of the liquid. Slowly stir the juice-broth mixture into the onion mixture. Stir in the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture is thickened. Add the sautéed or canned mushrooms, the chicken, rice, toasted almonds, pimiento, parsley, salt, and pepper. Pour into the prepared casserole dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed.

This next recipe is a classic. It's one that people ask me about all the time. You will cry when you eat it. We'll call it:

Lisa Fischer's Crack Spaghetti

3 lbs. ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 large jar of your favorite marinara sauce

1/2 jar of something called Tiger Sauce (in the aisle with Worcestershire sauce or ketchup)

1 c. brown sugar

1 T. chili powder

3 cups of white cheddar cheese

1 package of thin spaghetti

Brown beef with chopped onion and bell pepper. Reserve one cup of the grated cheese and combine all ingredients except the noodles in a large pot. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Cook noodles as directed. Drain them well and put them in a 9X13 pan. Add the cooked sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350.