Back in Texas, our grandmother used to make this really delicious rice casserole dish, and I always loved it as a kid. She made it for us almost every time we came to visit, mostly because we asked her to make it every time we came to visit. She passed away a few years ago, and I haven't had it since, but I remembered a little bit of the recipe so I tried to put it together recently. It came out almost exactly like she made it.

I've modified the recipe to make it a little less Uncle Ben and General Mills, and a little more whole natural foods you can find almost anywhere.

• 2+ cups dry jasmine rice, uncooked
• 1 large chicken breast, 1 deboned chicken thigh
• 1 can diced tomatoes (not petite diced), drained and rinsed
• 1 can cream of mushroom
• 1 can cream of celery
• 2 cans of water
• 3 scoops/cubes of chicken boullion
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 fresh large jalepeños

Parboil the rice by cooking for 5 minutes in plenty of excess boiling water, then stop the cooking by draining and rinsing under cold water. Separately, boil the chicken in water for 20+ minutes, until it begins to separate. Keep the water from the boiled chicken around for later. Let cool, then remove any fatty parts and shred the chicken.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then add everything together with rice. Mix well. Add enough of the broth from the boiled chicken to make the mixture nice and sloshy. Bake uncovered at 400°F for 45 minutes in a 9"x13" casserole dish.

Enjoy!