Christmas lunch at the Store

I'm at home with Trace (the big boys are at grandparents), getting ready to start cooking for our Christmas lunch at the store. Every year we do a huge potluck lunch around Thanksgiving or Christmas (sometimes both!). I usually make dressing, but with Trace's eye surgery being yesterday, I decided to scale back a bit. So I am making hot potato casserole, green bean casserole, and brown rice.

And lucky for you I'm going to share two of these recipes with you! Brown rice and hot potato casserole are a staple side dish for any of our family celebrations. Each of these recipes are kinda my grandmother's signature dishes. I always take them places because they are soooo easy and everyone loves them. I always have to give out the recipes. So here they are for you; use these for your Christmas meal and you won't be disappointed!

Hot Potato Casserole

1 32 oz bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed
2 cups sour cream
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 stick butter
2/3 cup onions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Put the butter in a small skillet and add the chopped onion. Saute. Mix together the sour cream, milk, cheddar cheese, melted butter, and onion. Put this in a large bowl for mixing together. Add the potatoes.

Bake in a greased 9x13 casserole dish at 350 for 45 minutes. Freezes well. Not necessary to thaw before cooking, but time for cooking will need to be increased.

Brown Rice

1 cup regular white rice
2 cans beef consomme
3/4 stick of butter

Put ingredients in a 2 quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. After removing from oven, stir and let sit for about 5 minutes.