Mom's Broccoli-Rice Casserole

My Thanksgiving plate would not be complete without this dish. My mom always made it and, now that she's gone, I have taken the torch. No one in my family loves it as much as she and I, but that never stopped us from making the entire recipe every year.
While some of the ingredients are not found in my pantry at any other time during the year, I often make an exception, since it's a very special occasion.  This year, however, I tweaked things a bit for my own peace of mind (and to avoid paying $6 for a jar of Cheese Whiz!).
What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish?  Share it in the comments!

Mom's Broccoli-Rice Casserole

1 package frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup instant rice (1 1/2 cups cooked)--This year, I used 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice.
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
8 oz jar Cheese Whiz (you read that right)--This year, I used this cheese-sauce recipe.
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup--I know you can make this from scratch, but I didn't. 


Preheat oven to 350. Bring broccoli and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil for 6 minutes, add the rice and turn off the heat. (If you're using already cooked rice, just add it to the dish with everything else.) Set aside while you saute onion and celery in the butter until soft- about 10 minutes. Add the vegetables, the broccoli and rice to a large bowl. Add the Cheese Whiz and soup and mix well. Pour into a 9*13 casserole dish. Bake 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and lightly golden brown on top.