Delicious Chicken Spaghetti with Beer

Ingredients:

12 oz. spaghetti, cooked until tender
1 Tbsp. butter
1 - 2 Tbsp. bacon grease or butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 - 6 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. beer or unsalted chicken stock
1 c. (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes or tomatoes with green chilies
1/4 c. chili sauce
3/4 c. half and half
2 Tbsp. parsley, minced
3 - 4 c. chicken; cooked, cut up
1 small jar (2 oz.) chopped pimiento, drained
8 oz. (2 c.) Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a large baking dish. In a bowl, toss the spaghetti with the butter, and set it aside. Warm the bacon grease in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, and chili powder together until the vegetables are well softened, about 15 minutes. Cover the skillet if the mixture appears to be getting dry. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring to incorporate it, and add the beer or stock, the tomatoes, and the chili sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook the sauce for 30 minutes, until it has thickenened slightly and reduced a bit. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the half and half and parsley. Pour the sauce over the spaghetti, and toss well.

Layer half the spaghetti and sauce mixture in the baking dish. Top with half each of the chicken, olives, and cheese. Add the other half of the spaghetti and top with the remaining chicken, lives, and cheese. (The casserole can be assembled ahead to this point, covered, and refrigerated overnight. Remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking it.)

Bake the casserole 25 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the sauce bubbles around the edges. Serve the casserole hot.

Yield: 6 servings