Mealtime memories

Today I'm sharing an old family recipe with you, and thought I would share some memories that come up when I think about mealtimes when I was growing up.

I  remember sitting around a table that had aluminum legs and a fake marble top. (I was born in 1960 and I'm sure it was "in" at the time!) I remember the many chips that were in one end of the table top because my sister Terri decided it would be fun to take a table knife and pound it on the table. I remember the whole family always sat around the table and talked. We always opened with prayer and when the meal was done my Dad would read from the Bible (us kids thought he read too long) and then closed with prayer. My Dad was a farmer and our meals were usually meat and potatoes meals, with vegetables and fruits my Mom had canned or frozen. There was one meal that was a favorite at our house, that was not the standard meat and potatoes. It was a casserole and Mom served it with applesauce and bread on the side.
This must have been a popular recipe in our area during the 60's and 70's because when Bob and I got married, his Mom gave me the same recipe and said it was one of his favorites.  We still like it, however Laura and Andy were never happy to see it on the table when they were home, because of the celery that's in it.   As a matter of fact, the recipe card I just copied this from has been altered by one of them, to read "Happy Casserole". Believe me - she (Laura) was being sarcastic when she wrote happy!  The picture below isn't the best because I didn't remember to take it, until we'd made a mess of it!

Casserole Delicious
1 onion chopped
1 # hamburg
4 stalks celery
1/2 cup white rice
1 1/2 cup water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Brown hamburg and onion, season to taste. Simmer with rice, celery, and water 10-15 minutes; add soups. Place all ingredients in casserole. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.