Seafood Casserole for Christmas Eve from the Farmhouse

Getting the kids ready and out the door in time for the traditional Lutheran church's Christmas Eve Children's Worship Service is made MUCH easier with this recipe on hand. Get things ready ahead of time, make a loaf of garlicky French bread, and before the little whipper-snappers have time to realize what's happened, you've eaten a healthy AND festive supper, AND are STILL out-the-door in time for church to hear the story and sing the carols of the Birth of Our Savior! Those lovely ladies at Gooseberry Patch take the credit for coming up with this one.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 8-10
• Yields: 1 13x9 pan

Ingredients

• The Main Thing

• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped green pepper
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped onion
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped celery
• 2 (4 ounce) cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained

• Roux

• 2⁄3 cup flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  minced garlic (1 clove pressed)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  ground red pepper (optional)

• Sauce

• 1 (10 3/4ounce) can  cream of mushroom soup or 1 (10 3/4ounce) can  cream of shrimp soup or 1 (10 3/4ounce) can  cream of celery soup
• 2  cups milk

• Some More Main Thing Ingredients

• 2  lbs frozen shrimp, thawed (cooked, tails off)
• 1 (16 ounce) package  frozen  imitation crabmeat, thawed
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, sliced, drained

• Topping

• 1⁄4 cup butter, melted
• 1  cup  breadcrumbs
• 1  cup  shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• Serve With

•  French bread, sliced, garlic-buttered

Directions

1. Melt butter over medium-high heat; saute green pepper, onion, and celery until tender (5 minutes?); stir in mushrooms.
2. Sprinkle flour over veggies, stir and cook for ONE minute; add garlic and remaining Roux ingredients.
3. Whisk in the Sauce ingredients; cook for ONE minute, until thickened.
4. Preheat oven to 350; grease a 13x9 pan.
5. Combine remaining Main Thing ingredients in the cake pan, pour sauce over and toss lightly to coat.
6. Combine Topping ingredients in a small bowl, sprinkle evenly over the casserole.
7. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes until bubbly.
8. At the last 15 minutes, pop in a loaf of sliced and garlicky-buttered French bread (wrapped in foil for optimum delicious-ness).