The Minnesota hot dish is another product of a community attempting to make due with the resources that they were provided with. The hot dish came to fruition via budget-minded farm wives that needed a hearty meal that could feed an entire family the fill necessary in order to continue normal work habits. What most city-dwelling folks might consider your average casserole is actually a delicacy to many throughout the Midwest. The Minnesota hot dish has become a staple at large holiday gatherings, church functions, banquets, and your average night in.
For those of you wondering the hot dish consists of a crispy, baked tater tot base covered with cooked ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, and mixed vegetables topped by a layer of smoldering cheddar cheese and an additional layer of tater tots. It's an extremely easy dish to recreate and remix to add different elements and flavors to your liking. The hot dish is so popular in Minnesota, the state's congressional delegation holds an annual competition to see who can make the best rendition of the casserole.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.