A cookbook and hotdish addiction
December 13, 2007
I’ve got a pile of cookbooks. Some I actually purchased, many I picked up from relatives who were downsizing (or who passed away), and there are none that I’ve been able to toss out or sell. Many of these are cookbooks from a variety of Lutheran congregations in the area, and some are even family cookbooks, like the Zimmermans of Rothsay (from whom I descend).
Some family recipes are really special, like the ones compiled in The Stock Family Recipe Book from Christmas of 1982 (edited by my Aunt Betty and typed by my dad’s cousin Jackie). It’s 12 pages stapled together and it contains everything from my mom’s chocolate chip frosting recipe, to my Great Grandma Clarice’s Ginger Cookies (that call for bacon fat!!).
And who can forget the Claire Ann Shover cookbooks from the 70’s and 80’s that so many around Fergus Falls have used for years! I loved making Liz Hoff’s grasshopper bars, and I know I’ve made Kathy Stofer’s Lemon Bar recipe several times.
And then there are the hotdish recipes…
I’m kind of a hotdish girl. I know some call it a casserole, others call it low-brow. (Let them eat raw oysters.) I just think that no matter what the ingredients, hotdish is usually a comforting and happy way for me to settle in on a cold night.
I won't say that I haven't had some bad concoctions, usually involving the addition of canned peas or corn. And although I’m no hotdish snob, there’s just something about hotdish at a potluck, or a funeral, that sends up the red flags for me. I’ve seen some interesting kitchens—and there’s an awful lot of expired items, and spice cans from the 70’s that are still hanging around that make me a little wary.
I’ve probably created every kind of cream of soup, meat and vegetable combo on earth, and many of those ideas have come from all those wonderful cookbooks piling up in my house. But frankly, I’m still looking for that ultimate hotdish recipe.
I guess I like my hotdish to be more classic. Less “cream of” soups and more fresh veggies to give it an updated flavor. Or just to give it flavor.
I tried a new recipe the other night that was pretty basic, but tasted really fresh. While I don’t hold a candle to my mom’s hotdish skills, this is a little bit of an update on my her standard hamburger tomato hotdish. Mostly because I didn't use tomato soup...
From Simply Recipes">
Updated Hamburger Tomato Hotdish
1 pound ground beef
1 yellow onion, chopped (or mixed chopped green onion greens and yellow onion)
Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
Dash crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 large can (28 oz) of diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 cups uncooked macaroni (use rice pasta for wheat-free version)
Get a large pot of hot water heating and begin cooking the macaroni as per the directions on the macaroni package.
In a skillet, brown the ground beef and onions. (I added a little minced garlic). Add a dash of crushed red pepper. Add seasoned salt. Add celery seed. Add canned tomatoes. Add Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in the drained and cooked macaroni and parsley. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serves 4.
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