Here’s what happened after he read the collaborative post I did with the help of Audrey H of Minnesota Prairie Roots blog.
dc wrote
What is the difference between hotdish and casserole?
Definition: Casserole is the name of the dish used to cook with, whereas hot dish is the meal itself. Ingredients: Casseroles can contain any ingredients under the sun practically, where hot dishes have set ingredients they have to have.
“Today’s post was an inspiration. Photos to follow.”
Here are the photos dc sent me throughout the day
Just needed a few more things Ready to go into a hot oven Looks like a tater tot Hotdish cooked in a Casserole I asked if he’d put on a flannel shirt. He said he’d dress for dinner
Hotdish? I learned a lot about Hotdish from fellow blogger Audrey ofMinnesota Prairie Roots Blog.And yes, turns out we call it a casserole around here. This blog post is a collaborative effort as Audrey lives in Minnesota. I wrote to her for enlightenment on Hotdish.
Audrey wrote when I inquired about Hotdish
Now, on to hotdish, which you likely know as “casseroles” in your area of the country. Same thing. Simply a mix of foods combined in one glass casserole dish or a 9 x 13 cake pan. Tater Tot Hotdish is Minnesota’s signature hotdish consisting of cooked hamburger mixed with a vegetable and a condensed creamed soup and then topped with tater tots and shredded cheddar cheese. I hope I got that right. I haven’t made it in years and actually seldom make hotdish, with the exception of Chicken Wild Rice Hotdish.
Hotdish has always been a staple of church potlucks and family reunions in Minnesota. Easy to make. Serves a lot. And everyone loves a good hotdish. My mom always made one with hamburger, noodles and tomato juice with cheese stirred in. It was a favorite growing up.
“The State of Minnesota does hereby grant honorary residency to Ruth Ella Hendricks upon successful completion of the unofficial state culinary dish, Tater Tot Hotdish. Congratulations!
America’s Test Kitchen recipe for this Minnesota Hotdish was on the PBS channel the other night. Here is the link to the video from the episode. Although I don’t remember purchasing a single Tater Tot in my life, watching them put this Hotdish together made me think about making it. With just two of us in the house it seemed a good recipe to try on the larger family when I visited in Ohio. I used a 2 pound bag of Simple Truth Potato Puffs from their local Kroger grocery store. I saw the brand Tater Tots had cottonseed oil in them and I thought that can’t be a good thing. I doubled the amount of the meat to 3 pounds. I omitted the mushrooms as several family members do not care for them but I read that if you needed to make if vegetarian you could use just mushrooms in the creamy bottom layer and no meat.
When I told my friend Joanne about the Hotdish she told me how growing up they didn’t have casseroles and she learned about them in high school cooking class. Her teenage son and his friends would devour her Tater Tot Green Bean Casserole when they lived in Omaha Nebraska. And after talking to her, I used the green beans instead of the frozen peas and corn in the original recipe.
3 pounds of Angus ground round sautéed with chopped. sweet onion and four garlic cloves
My fellow blogger and friend Audrey of Minnesota Prairie Roots blog post says “Here’s a link to a story about small town Minnesota which includes a photo of a sandwich board advertising Tater Tot Hotdish”
Photograph of sandwich sign used with permission from Audrey
There is an event in Faribault Minnesota that sounds like a lot of fun
Audrey told me about the Flannel Formal
At the Faribault Flannel Formallast Saturday, a Best Lumberjack Hotdish Contest was part of the annual event attended by about 500, all called upon to dress in flannel (like Paul Bunyan).
And a Snowplow naming contest too? “…as I’m watching the news last evening, I was reminded of another recent hotdish “thing” in Minnesota, the naming of a snowplow as “Blader Tot Hotdish.” Here’s a blog post I wrote about this Minnesota Department of Transportation contest and winners”
You can see why I asked Audrey to help me with my HOTDISH blogpost. I could’t have done it without her.
My teacher friend Jen S. stopped by for tea snd conversation after school, Thursday afternoon. Towards the end of our visit, she checked the time on her watch
Wow, I said. Now those are big and bold numerals.
Jen said she often looks at her watch and it’s 1:11, 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, 5:55
We’ve got to “Spring forward” for Daylight Savings Time tonight. We will miss the lost hour for a few days.
A magnetic pad shopping list, Xmas cards, photos from childhood- I had to get a new fridge cause there were no new or used parts available for my old model. A fridge has to have a good seal.
Slicing onions to sauté for rice snd beans supper I looked down snd saw a face in the onions Center. No one in particular. Just a little face. two faces in two slices. Smiling. I felt a little bad chopping them up.
Why, hello there. A little chopped garlic on the left
Just the other day, my friend Joanne told me of a documentary about Hummus. She sent me the trailer on YouTube and I was able to stream it and watch the various cultures claim the origin of this Middle Eastern Chickpea dish. Here’s the trailer of the film
Hummus and Pita Chips from Pitaland in Pittsburgh or dip fresh vegetables as an alternative
Chickpeas – high in fiber and can lower cholesterol – two health benefits listed.
Hummus Yes or no? If yes, What do you pair it with? Do you make your own?
“Oren Rosenfeld Award winning Documentary “Hummus The Movie” official trailer. Beyond the mystique and competition, and even beyond religious and political divides, Hummus! showcases the personal stories of the colorful women and men who love their Hummus. Secret recipes, a Guinness World Record and the power of Hummus to bring Muslims, Christians and Jews together… in the Middle East, America and around the world.”
