Tea Room comfort food

When cold weather heads my way—and I consider anything under 80 degrees cold—I like to have a nice hot meal for supper. So this week I turned to a tea room cookbook from Miss Mable's Tea Room in Dickson, Tennessee, a wonderful tea room that has closed since I visited it years ago. I'm so grateful for their cookbooks (this one and this one), and lots of great casseroles are included, such as this one featuring artichokes, which I just love!

This recipe is easy to prepare and cooks in just 25 minutes, so if you're looking for a new casserole to try (or "hot dish," as a friend from Minnesota said they are called up north), I definitely recommend this one! I upped the curry to about a teaspoon (we love curry), and I served this dish over rice. An easy and delicious winter meal!


Miss Mable's Tea Room Chicken and Artichoke Casserole

2 (14-ounce) cans artichokes, drained
2-2/3 cups diced, cooked chicken or turkey
2 (10-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1-1/4 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop the artichokes into quarters and spread in bottom of ungreased 8 x 8-inch square casserole dish. Top with chicken. In a medium bowl add soups, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder, and combine well before pouring over chicken. Sprinkle top of casserole with bread crumbs and cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. Yields 8-10 servings.