Conference Casserole

The first weekend in October. For us and our fellow LDS it means we get to lay around the house in our pajamas for two days and listen to our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson (whose dry cleaning I used to do waaay back in the day), and other men called by God to lead our church. I love General Conference!

In the Wecker household, it also means on Sunday morning we get to make Conference Casserole!! I love this recipe. I want to make it more often, but if I made it any other time of year besides the first weekends in April and October, I'd get in trouble with my husband for breaking tradition. So, I only get to make it twice a year and I relish it. However, that's not going to stop me from posting the recipe and sharing it with you! And unless you're part of Dave and Char's family, you are allowed to make it at your whim.

Conference Casserole

In a large bowl, whisk together:

10 large eggs

1/2 c. milk

Then add:

3 c. colby or cheddar jack cheese

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 c. cottage cheese

4 oz. can chopped green chiles

5 c. (28 oz. bag) cubed hash browns, thawed

1 lb. cubed ham

salt and pepper to taste

Pour into greased 13x9 pan and top with:

Crushed corn flakes

Bake at 350 for 1 hr. The center should be firm when wiggled.

Notes: I can only ever find 32 oz. bag of hash browns and it works out fine. The hash browns must be thawed or the cooking time will be a lot longer.

Joseph and I decided this would be great leftovers to make breakfast burritos, too! Warm up a tortilla, spread some reheated casserole, add some salsa, sour cream, whatever floats your boat, and enjoy! 

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 While I'm at it, I'm going to post another one of my favorite mother-in-law recipes. If you've ever been to Sunday dinner at the Wecker house on Maui, you should know which one I'm talking about. For those of you planning a trip to Maui, please feel free to stop by for dinner on Sunday evenings. Everyone goes there. It's not uncommon for about thirty people to show up. What's a few extra mouths? And you'll meet some fabulous people, too!

CharLee's To-Die-For Dinner Rolls

In a small bowl, combine:

½ c. hot water

2 t. yeast

sprinkle of sugar

Set aside. Referred to as "yeast mixture" later.

In a big (as in, the biggest one you've got) bowl, combine:

¾ c. sugar

2 t. salt

In another small bowl, combine:

1 c. water

1 c. shortening

Boil in microwave (covered). Pour over sugar in big bowl and stir until dissolved.

Add to big bowl:

1 c. cold water

4 c. flour

4 eggs, beaten

Mix, then add:

yeast mixture

3 c. flour

Knead in 1 more cup of flour (maybe a little bit more) until dough is moist, but not too sticky.

Let rise until double in size, about an hour.

Punch down and form into rolls on a greased 17”x11” cookie sheet (makes 24 rolls). Let rise about 15-20 minutes. Bake in a 350° oven for 16-17 minutes, or until light brown on top.

Note: These rolls make amazingly yummy sloppy joe buns. You can leave them roll-sized for mini joes or make them about 1.5 times larger for buns, which will obviously yield less than 24 (18, perhaps).

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  If I had pictures to post I would, so you can see what they're supposed to look like, but I can't make the casserole for two more days. The dinner rolls, on the other hand, I've been craving for a while and will make real soon, so I'll edit this post later with pictures. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!!