Funeral Potatoes

In our church, whenever there is a funeral, we prepare and serve a luncheon for the family of the deceased. Almost every dinner includes what has come to be known as "funeral potatoes". This past month or so I have made this dish about 6 times. I have to admit I'm tired of it, but this is a good recipe to have on hand. There are several variations, but they are all pretty much the same.

8 large potatoes, skinned, boiled, and grated
1 cube margarine or butter melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese grated
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
3 green onions chopped

Some people skin the potatoes after boiling them, but I dont' like waiting for them to cool, so I skin them before. Some people use frozen hash browns in place of fresh potatoes. Just make sure that if you use frozen ones, you let them thaw at least partially before baking.
Combine all ingredients and put in a 9"x13" pan, and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. After eating them, have your cholesterol checked. ;)

Rice

One of my biggest pet peaves is that people buy minute rice because they don't know how to cook regular rice. Minute rice is so much more expensive, and I don't think it tastes as good. I buy rice in bulk, saving lots of money. I had a mission companion teach me her method of cooking rice, but I didn't feel it was very accurate and consistent. But then I learned how from the Frugal Gourmet and have used his method ever since.

1 Part rice
2 parts water

In other words....put in twice as much water as rice. :)

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. Ta da! that's it.

Also, I would suggest that if you eat rice often that you buy a rice cooker. What I like best about having a rice cooker is that it doesn't take up stove space, and it keeps the rice warm after it is cooked. You can buy them relatively inexpensively at Chinese grocery stores. Also, you can usually find them at thrift stores, donated by people who received them as gifts, but never had use for them. I love rice, and could eat it every day!

Mexican Rice

Mexican rice
For our family, I use this amount:
1 cup rice
1/2 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic chopped (can use powder)
1/4 cup of either tomato sauce or enchilada sauce..whichever you have ( I think enchilada sauce tastes best. If you buy a can, you can freeze the extra in a ziploc to cut chunks from to use another time.)
2 chicken bouillion cubes dissolved in a little bit of water, or 2 tsps chicken soup base
2 cups water.

Heat a pan that has a lid to it. Add some oil, and the onions garlic. When they are tender, add the rice and stir. Add the tomato sauce. Stir until the rice is coated. Add the chicken bouillion and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.