Hi Friends! My fellow sister/author Heather Greer is sharing a casserole recipe and a little about her book Grasping Hope. Answer this question to be entered for a signed copy: What’s your favorite dish? One commenter will be chosen by drawing on September 24th.
Psst…isn’t the cover gorgeous?!?
Welcome, Heather!
“I think I’m just going to go home.”
“Sweetie, you need to take care of yourself. I know you don’t feel like it, but why not come to the church and have a little something to eat?”
Katie fought the urge to roll her eyes. Casserole. The duct tape of the Baptist world. The cure-all for every ill. How many casseroles filled her tiny freezer at home? – from Grasping Hope.
Everywhere you look, even in relatively small towns, you can find churches boasting congregations in the hundreds and some in the thousands. You can even find them in the rural area of southern Illinois where I grew up, the ones with numbers in the hundreds anyway. But these are not the churches I grew up attending.
When I was five my dad accepted the pastoring ministry at a small country church, and I stayed there until my husband accepted his first church when I was twenty-eight. The congregation was my church family, and my memories of that church and the others I’ve attended influenced the church related scenes in my books, Faith’s Journey and Grasping Hope. There are things I’ve loved in the churches I’ve attended, and there are things I saw as part of a ministry family that I knew God wanted to use to grow the churches. I believe this is the case whether you’re in a church with a thousand in attendance or one that barely reaches thirty each week.
There are also things you can remember with fondness and poke fun at a little bit. For me, one of those things is the casserole. I don’t know if it’s the same in every denomination, but in our small Baptist and Christian country churches the casserole is a staple of every fellowship and funeral dinner. It’s also popular to take to families who’ve just had babies or lost loved ones. I’ve eaten my share of them through the years, and I’ve appreciated the love expressed through each one. I’ve also known what it is to pull out the leftovers and have to choose between casserole, casserole, or casserole.
Because the memory of all those casseroles makes me smile, I’d like to share with you a casserole recipe. It is a main dish casserole that was a go-to meal to take to those who needed it. Add a bag of salad, bread, and a pan of brownies for everything the family would need for a full dinner. I hope you enjoy it!
Chicken and Vegetable Casserole
Ingredients: 12.5 oz can chicken breast (can boil and chunk equal amount of fresh chicken breast), 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 – 12 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables, 12 oz cooked egg noodles, 1 cup shredded cheese, 1 cup crumbled, plain or plain ripple potato chips, salt and pepper
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Mix chicken, soups (if your crew doesn’t like mushrooms 2 cans cream of chicken can be substituted), and frozen vegetables (we use the ones with peas, carrots, and green beans) in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked egg noodles. Spread in 13 x 9 baking dish. Lightly sprinkle most of the shredded cheese over top. Sprinkle all the chips over the cheese. Top with remainder of cheese. (Keep in mind some people will use more chips and cheese, others may use less. I use more because I love the crispy cheesy goodness on top!) Bake for 30-45 minutes, until vegetables are desired tenderness. If top is getting darker than you’d like tent aluminum foil over it during the remainder of the cooking time.
Note: If you’d like to make this casserole ahead of time, it can be frozen. To keep top layer fresh, wait to put chips and cheese on until ready to bake.
About Grasping Hope:
When dreams turn into nightmares what’s left to hold onto?
Katie McGowan knows her fears are irrational. They’re also beyond her control. Her mind says her fiancé is faithful, but the betrayal of her past love ignites a fear stronger than her trust. Attempts to overcome it are unsuccessful. Nothing banishes her panic attacks for good. Dreading Austin’s response if he finds out about her struggle to trust, Katie hides the truth nearly destroying their relationship.
It takes a lesson in hope to start healing. Katie is released from the nightmare holding her captive to enjoy the blessings God has given. But when tragedies change her life forever, Katie’s understanding of hope is challenged. Unresolved anger and disappointment leave Katie doubting the sincerity of her beliefs. Desperate to prove her faith and minimize her failure as a believer, Katie buries her feelings beneath all the right words.
A little more about Heather:
Heather Greer is a pastor’s kid and pastor’s wife from southern Illinois. Though her nest is quickly approaching the empty stage, with three of her four children out on their own, she enjoys the times she gets to spend with all her children, husband, and grandson. Equal mix geek and romantic, you could as easily find Heather watching an episode of Doctor Who as the latest Hallmark movie. Of course, you may find her baking, reading, or crafting too!
Heather’s writing and teaching ministries revolve around a passion to see believers grow in their faith. Though God has used her most often with teens and adults, she has worked in ministries reaching all age groups through the years. It is Heather’s prayer for God to use what she writes in her books and on her blog to challenge and encourage readers in their faith walks.
Connect with Heather:
Website and blog: www.heathergreer.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorHeatherGreer
Twitter: @Heather_Greer1
Instagram: 1heather.greer
Food is such an issue for me. I don’t eat casseroles (or really any food that touches or is mixed together). But I totally relate to the food as an act of worship and communion. Although I also have huge issues with the fact that no one ever did so for my family when I had babies or when I was gravely ill. But God used those moments to show me both hypocrisy and the power of His provision (which came from our non-Christian neighbors and family). Praying your book has much success.
It’s wonderful how God provides those things through those whom we never expect sometimes. Food can be a wonderful example of true fellowship between people. Good to hear from you, Jessica!
My favorite dish changes from week to week, but I live the taco casserole my mom made when we were growing up. Super easy, cheesy, with crushed Doritos mixed in.
Yes! My mom makes a taco casserole with the crushed Doritos too. Super yummy! Thanks for coming by, Amy!
“The duct tape of the Baptist world.” I love it! I also love macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, most soups, and chocolate, chocolate cake. In other words, I love comfort food! Nice job, Heather!
I love all of those comfort foods too. I’m happy you stopped by, Hope!