Hawaiin Haystacks

At the request of one of our faithful commenters, here is a recipe to utilize some of the large quantity of rice she has before she moves this summer. Hawaiin Haystacks, a classic, easy, filling, and tasty dinner.

There are several great things about Hawaiin Haystacks. First, they truly are easy to make, and you really can't "mess" them up. Next, if you don't have one of the ingredients, it really doesn't matter at all, just leave it out or replace it with something else you have in the kitchen, which leads me to my next Hawaiin Haystack quality, this is a great recipe to use up things that you have in the kitchen. Example, you have a half eaten can of pineapple bits in your fridge left over from making homemade pizza - perfect, throw it in! And finally, not only are these very filling, they are easy to make for any size crowd and allow each person to customize their meal.

Hawaiin Haystacks
Recipe and Pictures by Caroline
Serves 4

Sauce
3 medium chicken breasts
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1 ¼ cup milk (or more depending on how thick you want your sauce)
2 teaspoons salt
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 large white mushrooms, sliced
4 green onions, chopped

Toppings
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Shredded coconut
Slivered almond
Chow mein noodles
3 celery sticks, sliced on a bias

1. Boil chicken in salted water, add some chicken bouillon for extra flavor. Boil about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Drain chicken, cut into bite size pieces and set aside.
2. In the same pot you cooked the chicken, melt the butter. Add the flour, salt, and milk, stirring frequently. Add 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken if you prefer) and the chicken. Simmer. Add the green onions and mushrooms.
3. In the meantime cook the rice according to package directions.
4. Place coconut, pineapple, slivered almonds, shredded cheese, chow mein noodles and whatever other toppings you want in individual bowls in preparation to serve.
5. To serve, layer rice, sauce and toppings on a plate or bowl.