# Cheesy wild rice and chicken and veggie casserole



## HHH Knives (Sep 28, 2011)

Today I was lucky enough to receive a large bag of wild rice.. No that dont sound like much, But this stuff was hand picked and harvested by one of my customers. This is what he emailed me. " Wild rice goes in lakes and streams here in Minnesota. You gather it by pushing a canoe through the bed of rice and then knocking it into the bottom of the canoe with a couple of flails. Once you let it dry,then you parch it , beat the husks off and then fan it to get rid of the chafe. Then you can cook it and enjoy. It was gathered by Native Americans for many centuries and was a stable of their diet. By the way it is not even rice(it is just called that) but rather a grass. I will send some to you after I get it done this weekend. Great in soups, pancakes, salads or just plain"

Ok so it arrived today, about 4 cups and a few recipes.. I am never very good at following recipes.. But always seem to make it taste good anyways. This was no exception.. Here's what I used. and a couple pics. 

2 cups rice, Which I cooked by simmering in about 6 cups water for about 12 minutes. till soft. Seasoned water with salt and a few other spices Basil, Italian seasonings, chopped onions, and whatever else looked good at the moment. seasoned well. drained. 

4 chicken breasts, seasoned and pan fried. then cubed and put back in the pan, added some water and made a thin sauce from the drippings. 

1 lrg can cream of mushroom soup
1 jar cedar cheese sauce.
1/2 bag frozen veggies.
1/2 lb of moral mushrooms.. The last of my stash from last spring. 
1 cup shredded cheddar 
Cook rice and drain. cook chicken Mix all stuff together, except the shredded cheese and cooked in 350 oven for 30 Min, then added the cheese and cooked another 10 minutes. 

Turned out excellent!!! My family ate and it was VERY quiet!!! LOL always a good sign. All I know is it was a great new experience as we have never tried this grain B4.. And we all really enjoyed it!


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## sachem allison (Sep 29, 2011)

randy, 
next time you want to toast it before you make it with the regular recipe. take a large heavy cast iron skillet or dutch oven and add the rice dry. slowly stir it while it gets hot at medium heat. keep stirring it until you get a nice toasty smell, do not burn it and then use it in the recipe like normal. it will be ten times better. My father is Menominee Indian from Wisconsin and the word Menominee means" wild rice men or wild rice people".


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## sachem allison (Sep 29, 2011)

it looks delicious, I miss wild rice it has been years since I have eaten it, wish I was there,lol glad you enjoyed it.


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## HHH Knives (Sep 29, 2011)

I know this dont "look" all that great, compared to just about anything you guys plate up!!  But it sure did taste amazing!! It was cool and kinda excited to try and new grain. The Morals really helped set off the dish! 

Son, Thanks for the info. I will try that "toast it" with the other half of the rice for sure!!


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## Vertigo (Sep 29, 2011)

sachem allison said:


> randy,
> next time you want to toast it before you make it with the regular recipe. take a large heavy cast iron skillet or dutch oven and add the rice dry. slowly stir it while it gets hot at medium heat. keep stirring it until you get a nice toasty smell, do not burn it and then use it in the recipe like normal. it will be ten times better.



Son, you forgot "and slap some pickles on it at the very end." :jumpy:

Only kidding!


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## sachem allison (Sep 29, 2011)

:lol2:


Vertigo said:


> Son, you forgot "and slap some pickles on it at the very end." :jumpy:
> 
> Only kidding!


I wish evreryone could have seen that episode unedited it would actually be so much more interesting. lol.:lol2:


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## Vertigo (Sep 29, 2011)

Sh*t, I woulda made the judges pop-tarts and called it a day, so good on ya. ;D


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## HHH Knives (Sep 29, 2011)

Vertigo said:


> Sh*t, I woulda made the judges pop-tarts and called it a day, so good on ya. ;D



What?


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## sw2geeks (Sep 30, 2011)

That wild rice sounds great! I have never tried wild wild rice. I have just used the stuff in the stores which I am sure is farmed.


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## sachem allison (Sep 30, 2011)

HHH Knives said:


> What?


 
I was on the food network show Chopped and one of the secret ingredients was pickles.


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## SpikeC (Sep 30, 2011)

Which episode? Is it on YouTube? I wanna see it!


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## HHH Knives (Sep 30, 2011)

Me too!


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## sachem allison (Sep 30, 2011)

HHH Knives said:


> Me too!


 
keep in mind they edited out all the really good stuff and all the positive commentary including when the other competitors stopped and said congratulations you won right before they lifted the lid and it was mine.lol Also I just had a heart attack three days before and pulled a 23 hour shift the day of and filmed this at 4:30 in the morning for another twenty hours, needless to say I had other things on my mind. All the commentaries were done after the show was filmed, so we had to pretend that we were going to win even after we lost .
Chopped season 4 episode 10 Keep on Cookin on!


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## HHH Knives (Sep 30, 2011)

Son, Do you have a link or can you direct me to the video? I tried to find it myself and cant seem to. Thanks


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## Vertigo (Sep 30, 2011)

Chopped isn't readily available for download or streaming through legitimate means (that I've found). I'm sure there are nefarious sources for it's acquisition, but I'd hate to have Scott Conant show up at my door demanding royalties while simultaneously beating me with a sack full of red onions. I have it on my DVR however, so if you wanna tool over here to the Big Sky country we can crack some beers and watch Son under pressure!


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## HHH Knives (Sep 30, 2011)

lol, Thats tempting. But Im gona have to take a rain check. I just got my new we stone its my 1st Japanese wet stone. Im gona be playing around with it tonight. : ) I have Son's set of 4 damascus knives to practice on!!


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## sachem allison (Oct 1, 2011)

HHH Knives said:


> Son, Do you have a link or can you direct me to the video? I tried to find it myself and cant seem to. Thanks


 
actuall I myself can't seem to find it maybe youtube? or hulu?


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