Every small town has a meal that seems to appear whenever words are not quite enough.
A funeral. A new baby. An unexpected diagnosis. A homecoming. Before long, casseroles line a fellowship hall table beneath handwritten labels.
That is the spirit of The Ghost of Page & Vine. Books preserve stories, but so do recipes. Both are passed from one pair of hands to another with the hope that something important survives the journey.
This chicken and wild rice bake is comforting without trying too hard. It asks for patience.
And somehow it tastes even better the next day, much like the conversations that linger after everyone else has gone home.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 2 cups cooked wild rice blend
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 10½ ounces
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese, divided
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- Melt the butter and cook the onion for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, then add garlic and thyme.
- Combine the soup, sour cream, broth, Dijon, salt, and pepper.
- Fold in the chicken, wild rice, mushroom mixture, and 1½ cups cheese.
- Spread in the baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
- Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter and parsley and sprinkle over the casserole.
- Bake uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
From Susannah’s Kitchen
Church cookbooks tell stories without meaning to. Every stain, handwritten note, and instruction that says “add enough flour until it feels right” reminds you that someone made the meal dozens of times before deciding it was worth sharing.
The Book Connection
The novel is ultimately about preservation. Recipes survive because people continue making them. Stories survive the same way, every time someone tells them again.
Cook Along with Lark Mesa
The Church Supper
This kitchen story is paired with Book 6 in the Lark Mesa Romance series. Meet the people, places, and small-town moments behind the recipe.
Explore the Lark Mesa books →