Heavenly Recipes

Heavenly Recipes

Veronica Songe

Veronica Cooks a: QUICK FIX MEAL

Story and Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

This month’s heavenly recipe, chicken Rotel, comes from Veronica Songe, tribunal specialist for the diocese. Veronica celebrated 40 years with the diocese in August 2020. “I found this recipe at a horse sale. I tweaked it and made it my own. Everyone who tries it loves it.” The Lockport native now lives in Raceland and is a parishioner of St. Hilary of Poitiers Church in Mathews.

Veronica enjoys cooking. “I learned to cook from my ex mother-in-law and my maternal grandmother. They were both great cooks. I love to cook soups and gumbos because most of the time they don’t always come out the same. I am somewhat adventurous in my cooking. I love trying new recipes.”

Veronica has an interesting lifestyle. She is an equine rancher. “My grandfather was a cattle farmer and my father was a tie down calf roper. As a child I was raised on a cattle farm and attended rodeos. I always had a horse in my life as long as I can remember. I got my first horse at two … that was to keep me away from my dad’s horses.”

Veronica spent most of her weekends growing up helping her grandfather with his cattle. “When I was four years old, I was in the Cotton Bowl Parade in Dallas, TX, with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Posse. My dad picked me up from my mom in the crowd and I rode on his horse.”

Veronica is an only child but has many cousins. “I was never lonely as a child. I was the only child of an only child. My mom was also an only child. That meant I got a lot of gifts from my parents and grandparents.”

Veronica had one obstacle in life growing up. “I was born without a leg. Balance was a problem when riding a horse when you have to straddle it. Believe me it’s easier to ride a horse than ride a bicycle with one leg,” she says jokingly. That didn’t stop her from riding horses though. “I would have never been a professional barrel racer but I could ride a horse very

Chicken Rotel

INGREDIENTS:

4 to 6 pieces of chicken (or rotisserie chicken) 4 tbsp. butter 1 can cream of chicken 1 can of Rotel tomatoes, mild 16 oz. of Mexican Velveeta cheese Garlic powder to taste Onion powder to taste Salt Pepper 16 oz. pasta (I prefer penne’ or bowtie) Parmesan cheese (grated)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil 16 ounces of pasta until done. Put in a 9X13 baking dish sprayed with Pam. Boil and debone chicken, if using raw chicken. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Simmer in a sauce pan with 4 tbsp. butter, Rotel, cream of chicken and cubed Velveeta. Once the Velveeta is melted add your seasonings. I use 2 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. of pepper. Start small and add as you see fit. Pour the cheese mixture over the pasta and mix well. Top with parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until bubbly.

well when I was young. Now that I am older and own a ranch, I don’t ride. There are so many things that you have to do to keep a ranch going that you don’t have time to actually do a lot of riding. I have between 15 and 20 horses at a given time. I buy and sell horses all year long.” Veronica says she has enjoyed working for the diocese. “I was recruited from college to work here. I started at 19 years old as a young woman. I literally grew up working here. I have had the opportunity to work with wonderful people over the years. I feel like I am truly blessed.” BC