Mom's Spanish Rice

 

This dish is a favorite from my childhood. I have no idea where my mom got it or why it is even called Spanish rice, but she's been making it for forever and our family loves it. It is kind of a funny recipe and really isn't anything like the spanish rice you are probably used to, but give it a chance. When I married my husband he thought it was the strangest thing, but now he loves it. The bacon really makes this dish spectacular. We always ate it as a main dish instead of a side dish and always with a can of green beans, but for you skeptics out there you can serve it as a side dish. :)

Mom's Spanish Rice

recipe from mom

3 cups cooked white rice (I'll do a half white and brown sometimes)

6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled (save a little bacon grease to cook onion)

1/2 onion diced

1 can tomato soup condensed

Shredded cheddar cheese

*Salt and pepper to taste (we always just seasoned our own portion to taste after it was cooked)

Cook rice. Cook bacon and leave some bacon grease in skillet or griddle, however you cook it. Cook the diced onions in the bacon grease until translucent. Mix the 3 cups cooked rice with the tomato soup. Throw in  the crumbled bacon and onions.  Mix together until combined. Spread into a casserole dish, fits nicely into the smaller than 9x13 size. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until cheese is melted.

Hawaiian Haystacks

 

This is one of my top 5 favorite meals of all time, easily. Remember I am the one who loves all 5 food groups in one bite! This is one of those meals. You got your rice, chicken, tomatoes, cheese, pineapple and creams chicken sauce. Those little chow mein noodles give great texture and taste too! Oh I really do love my Hawaiian Haystacks. These are such a cinch to make and I always have the ingredients on hand. To make it even easier, just use canned chicken, so easy. You can make them your own by adding whatever you like! Sometimes we use olives, green onions, even grapes! Yum!

Hawaiian Haystacks

Cooked rice, as much as you need to feed your family. *I use a mix of brown and white rice

Chicken broth

Cream of chicken soup *mix with chicken broth to give it the consistency of gravy

Shredded cheese

Chopped tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes

Cooked or canned diced chicken

Chow mein noodles, the hard kind

Crushed pineapple

Diced onion, or green onion, give it a little color too

Sliced olives

Salt and pepper to taste