Winter's almost here, get out the casserole dishes

Chicken 'n' Hash Brown Bake

1 package (32 ounces) frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups diced cook chicken
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
Paprika
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Thaw hash browns overnight in the refrigerator.  Layer in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place chicken and mushrooms over the hash browns.  Stir together sour cream, broth, soup, bouillon, onion, red pepper, and garlic; pour over all.  Sprinkle with paprika and almonds.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until heated through.  Yield: 8-10 servings.

Since we are headed into winter, this was a good recipe to come out of the shoebox.  It is the time of year for casseroles.  This may not be the prettiest dish, but this recipe has good flavor.  I would cut down on the salt you add to the potatoes, it was a little salty.  And it turns out that Southern-style hash browns are really the little cubed potatoes, not the grated hash browns.  I used a rotisserie chicken I bought at Costco for the cooked chicken and that ended up being just about the right amount of chicken.  I also used a shallot instead of a regular onion and one small shallot is just about 2 tablespoons worth.  I also skipped the paprika and almonds because I didn't have any.  If I had to make any changes to this recipe, I would add some other vegetables.  Some frozen corn or green beans would probably taste pretty good.  This would be an easy recipe to alter and would probably turn out good.  Happy winter casserole cooking!