Wild Rice Hot Dish

I saw this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe and have been excited to try it because I LOVE wild rice! It was really good and very filling despite the fact that I hardly put any meat in it. The leftovers were really good for lunch the next day too :-)!

Ingredients:
1 cup wild rice (I bought 2 boxes of RiceaRoni wild rice mix and measured out 1 cup of rice)
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I only used 3/4 lb)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken, beef or vegetable broth (I used beef)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:
In a small bowl, cover the wild rice with cold water and let it soak for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the dish. (I didn't do this since I was using the boxed kind)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large non-stick skillet (12-inch) over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the salt and pepper until no longer pink. Drain the grease from the meat. Transfer the meat to a paper-towel lined plate and wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Return the skillet to the stovetop and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, until the onions are translucent and the most of the liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Continue stirring and cook the mixture for about 1 minute over medium heat until it is cooked and golden.
Slowly pour in the broth and milk and whisk to incorporate. Add the seasoning salt, pepper, parsley, thyme and paprika and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
Drain the wild rice. Stir it in to the sauce with the browned hamburger. Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 9X13-inch baking dish.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the almonds and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the almonds are golden and toasted and the rice is tender. Serve immediately.