February, Breakfast for Dinner

February- Happy Valentine's Day!  February is the month of love.  And what better way to show friends, family, or a sweetheart some love than cook them an open-faced bacon and egg sandwhich!  Or cinnamon swirl french toast, brown-butter ginger sourcream coffeecake, or a veggie filled omelet, cooked to perfection...

This month's Project Cook theme is breakfast for dinner, suggested by my good friend and co-TA, Eric, who loves all things breakfast.  


At my apartment, we are going to be making crepes, and filling them with all kinds of sweet and savory ingredients. Like the idea?  Join Project Cook February 21st-24th from your own kitchen, and let us know how it goes!        

Need more inspiration?  Check out this story on The Food Network's cross-country search for the ultimate breakfast.  I can personally attest to their Wisconsin winner, Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant, where I have eaten the "legendary" swedish pancakes (but mostly love because of the goats that graze on it's grass lined roof all summer, making you feel momentarily transported to a Scandinavian countryside.)

photo credit:  http://barefootbird.blogspot.com/2011/10/love-people-cook-them-good-food.html

November, Squash

[Roasted Delicata Squash with Herbs and Parmesan Recipe here]

November- Acorn, Autumn, Butternut, Carnival, Delicata, Gold Nugget, Spaghetti, Sweet Dumpling... this month's inspiration:  Squash!

Squash are one of the oldest cultivated crops in the Western Hemisphere, with squash seeds in Mexico being dated back as far as 8,000 BCE.  They have also long been revered as one of the "Three Sisters" of North American agriculture, along with corn and climbing beans.  Squash are available almost everywhere that sells food this time of year, and are great for roasting, making into soup, and adding to curries or warm salads.   

Clearly an important staple food for generation after generation, this month we are going to appreciate the long and rich history of squash by cooking them into tasty dishes and eating them!   

Do you know your squash?

information credit:  Botany on Your Plate, The Regents of University of California, 2005
photo credit:  https://hikeandlearn.org/program/winter-squash-extravaganza-slow-foods-cooking-class/squash/

October, Chili and Pumpkins

[Quinoa Zucchini Chili Recipe Here]

October-  This month's Project Cook Night has two themes:  Chili and Pumpkins.  Chili, because it is now officially fall in Minnesota and in my opinion a warm bowl served with cornbread is the perfect soul satisfying food to enjoy as the chill sets in.  And pumpkins, because it's OCTOBER!  And they are everywhere.  Readily available to be carved, painted, roasted, filled with other things and then roasted, cooked into soup, baked into pie, muffins, bread, cupcakes, or used in any number of other creative pumpkin inspired recipes.  So do what inspires you.  At our house, we will be making Zucchini and Quinoa Chili and carving pumpkins while the chili simmers away and the cornbread bakes.  We might also dress like Zombies, but that is yet to be decided for sure.  

*For anyone curious about just how big a pumpkin can get:  check out these giant pumpkin contest winners from the 2011 Circleville Pumpkin Show in Ohio (2012 contest happens to be this weekend).  Last years winner= Dr. Bob Liggett, 1436.5 pounds.  1436.5 pounds!!

September, Mahnomin Madness Hotdish

[Sen. Franken's Mom's [congressional cook-off winning] Mahnomin Madness Hotdish Recipe here]

September- If you have ever lived in Minnesota, Wisconsin, or North Dakota, you will be familiar with this month's inspiration.  If you haven’t, keep reading and I will attempt to explain.  

According to Howard Mohr, author of “How to Talk Minnesotan” hotdish is "a traditional main course cooked and served in a single baking dish, commonly appearing at family reunions and church suppers."   Those of us from states other than Minnesota, call this a casserole.  However, the extent to which Minnesotan’s love and honor this "one pan wonder" makes it deserving of it’s own name: hotdish.

In addition to being found on menus from truck-stop diners to trendy restaurants in Minneapolis, hotdish is the subject of musicals, poetic tributes, murder mysteries, and even an annual cook-off between Minnesota Congressional Delegates.

What goes in hotdish

The traditional hotdish contains any starch, plus protein, plus canned or frozen vegetables layered in one pan, mixed with canned soup.  Basically, everything you might eat for dinner, mixed together, then baked.  From there, the possibilities are endless:  Crouching Chicken–Hidden Veggies, Buddhist Temple Basement Hotdish, Seven Samurai Five-Can Hotdish...

So this month, no matter where you are originally from, on Project Cook Night (September 21) channel your inner Minnesotan and bond with your roommates and friends over our strange and beloved hotdish.  Follow one of the recipes, or design your own (perhaps freshening it up with farmers market veggies and homemade soup?).  Then cook together, eat together, and enjoy!  

Endnote:  Other uniquely Minnesotan mannerism identified by Howard Mohr (for you to practice while cooking and eating your hotdish):

-Useful phrases such as "You bet" and "That's different"

-Refusing food three times before accepting

-The art of waving

-Talking about cars and starting cars in the winter.