31 Days of Home Cooked Meals - Sunday, October 7th

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Cheesy Beans 'n Rice Casserole, Veggie Tray with Ranch Dressing, and Mixed Salad

Sunday is also a very busy day for our family as it's the second day of the 182nd Semiannual General Conference. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we gather as a family twice each year to watch the General Conference broadcasts. The General Conferences are opportunities for us to listen to talks given by our Prophet, Apostles, and other General Authorities of the Church. It's an educational and uplifting event. On Sunday there are two sessions that we watch together as a family. The first session begins at 11am CDT and the second session begins at 3pm CDT. There is a short break between sessions. Each session lasts 2 hours.

You can learn more about the 182nd Semiannual General Conference and watch sessions online at lds.org.

To learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints visit Mormon.org.

Since I'll be wanting to watch and listen to the General Conference sessions I keep the food simple.  I'll assemble the lower layers of the casserole in the morning and then finish it at dinner time.  I'll also have the dip, veggies, and salad ready in advance and waiting in the fridge for later use.


Cheesy Beans 'n Rice Casserole Recipe

4 cups cooked rice
4 cups refried beans (2 quarts home canned pinto beans)
6 eggs
3/8 cup wheat flour
1 small can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
2 to 3 cups of shredded cheese
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly oil a 9"x13" baking pan. On the bottom of the pan spread out the cooked rice. Layer the refried beans on top of the rice. Then lightly beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the flour and chilies to that bowl and mix well. Pour the egg mixture over the beans in the pan. Finally, sprinkle the cheese across the top of the pan. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.





Homemade Refried Beans

Just like our Ham and Bean Soup we also make pinto beans in large batches and pressure can them for later use. We've found it to be very economical to buy dried pinto beans in bulk, cook them, and can them ourselves. At one point I calculated our cost to be around 23 cents per pint. To make homemade refried pinto beans I warm a bit of lard in a skillet and add in a pint of home canned pinto beans (undrained). I use a potato masher to mash the beans and cook them just until they're warmed. You can find our tutorial for cooking and canning pinto beans here.


Homemade Ranch Dressing

2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir. Store in a glass jar. Make sure to label your jar so you'll know what's in it later on. :)

To make the dip, combine 1/3 cup mayo, 1/8 cup milk, and 1 Tbsp of the Ranch Dressing Mix. Season to taste with salt. If you like it a bit runnier, add more milk.