Tour of Fifty States: Minnesota's meal

Minnesota, chosen by Brandi, is another state that Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in!  That’s just too funny.  She is re-reading the books one at a time, just like I did at her age. 

Food Network is on just about all the time at our house, and one of the shows we don’t really like but we can’t stop watching (LOL) is Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.   We recently saw an episode that made us all say we want to try what Guy Fieri was eating – Juicy Lucys (MMM hamburgers stuffed with molten cheese!) That is exactly what I picked for Minnesota.  J

With the burgers we’re having Hotdish, which is cooked and served hot in a single baking dish and commonly appears at family reunions and church suppers.  Senator Al Franken holds an annual Hotdish competition.

Dessert will be Kolackys (also spelled Kolach and Kolache) due to Minnesota being the “Kolacky Capital of the World” and the state holds an annual Kolacky Days festival. Hmmm…what jam to choose for the filling?   

Menu:  Juicy Lucys, Hotdish, Kolackys

Outcome:  Oh, the burgers were so good!  Everyone really liked the Hotdish and the kids asked us to make it again.   The Kolackys filled with strawberry preserves were just right.  Not too big and very easy to make. 

Next up:  Bridget’s turn!  She chose Massachusetts!

Minnesota's Meal!

Summer Fruit Pizza

Dessert for this past weekend was Fruit Pizza that everyone, kids and adults, just loved.  I’ve seen lots of variations on websites and in magazines, and this fit the bill for an easy and “healthy-ish” summer dessert.  This is definitely going on our go-to list for favorite desserts.  Noone has to know that it’s good for them. ;-)

NO I didn’t take any pictures. I just forgot!  Again!

Dinner for Two From the Fridge

During Spring Break, all of the kiddos were gone ... Bill and I had been eating leftovers or just snacking on quick items for dinner over the week.  For our last night alone, I thought I'd make a nice candle lit dinner.  Looking in the fridge, I found a bag of spinach, a box of strawberries, some tomatoes and onions, and a ham steak.  I think it ended up as a nice meal.

Here's what I came up with:
Mustard Glazed Ham Steak
Spinach au Gratin
Tomato and Onion Salad
Strawberry "Cheesecake" Trifle