God loves Mormons and He wants some more!

Other than a large population of New York City dwellers, I know I'm pretty much the only other (heterosexual) person who so eagerly anticipates the Tony Award telecast each year. And this time around, I was particularly excited to see how my new FAVORITE musical, the profane and hilarious, "Book of Mormon" would fare. As anticipated, the irreverent gem from the guys who brought us "South Park" (and the other guy who brought us "Avenue Q") won a bunch of the awards given out tonight (eight altogether), including Best Musical. (Shocker. As Chris Rock said before opening the envelope, "We know that the best musical is. This is such a waste of time--like taking a hooker to dinner." LOL!)

Still, I felt that I should root for the horse that I was betting on by preparing a proper Mormon dinner to enhance our viewing experience. Now I lived in Salt Lake City, Utah for five years, so I believe that I am quite knowledgeable about LDS culture. Thus, I knew that it had to be a comforting casserole that would feed a small army followed, naturally, by ice cream for dessert (as Utah is the larger consumer per capita of that frozen confection). Below is the entree "recipe" that I came up with, which my roommate promptly dubbed "Spooky Mormon Hot Dish." However, it should be noted that she had seconds! And YES, this is the same sort of dish that you might find at a 70's church potluck of any faith, and/or on the Duggar Family table. ;-)

Spooky Mormon Hot Dish (aka Chicken and Rice Casserole)

2 boxes chicken-flavored Rice-a-Roni
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or four thighs=about three cups of chicken), cut into chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced garlic (a few cloves)
1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom or celery) soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon ground celery (feel free to add fresh celery to the veggie saute instead)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or co-jack)

about a cup of french fried onions

Prepare the rice according to package directions. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet then remove. Add olive oil and cook the chicken pieces until no longer pink. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Saute the onions and mushrooms until tender. Add the minced garlic and cook for about another minute.

In a large bowl, combine the rice, chicken, veggie mixture, cream of whatever soup, mayo, spices, and cheese. Dump into a large glass casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, even out, and top with french fried onions. Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes or until monochromatically golden brown.