"Janet B." > wrote in message
...
>
> "maxine in ri" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > to the potluck this coming Friday. Hmmm, hotdish. Isn't that a mid-
> > western phenomenon of the casserole kind? What elements make up
> > hotdish, and how creative can one get when making it?
> >
> > If all else fails, I'll bring mac&cheese casserole, but I would like
> > to try something different.
> >
> > TIA
> > maxine in ri
> >
> Baked beans qualify in this category. So would hot German potato salad.
> They hold up well and don't turn to mush.
> Janet

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A couple of my suggestions follow:

Boston Baked Beans
-------------
Ingredients
1-16 oz package of Pea Beans or Navy Beans
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
4 oz. pork fat
1 medium onion chopped
Directions:
In a large sauce pan, soak beans in water overnight. The next morning, add
water to barely cover the beans and simmer about one hour or until some of
the beans crack open and are soft. Be careful that the water does not boil
over; watch it closely. If you leave the pot uncovered, place a long wooden
mixing spoon across the top of the pan so it won't boil over. Drain the
water, saving two cups of water. Mix the two cups of water with molasses,
brown sugar, mustard and onion. Put a chunk of salt port (about a two inch
square scored) in the crock pot first. Then add the bean mixture. Cover
and cook on low for about 10 hours. Stir mixture and add a cup of water a
couple of times while cooking. I spray the crock pot with Pam before
cooking, so it will be easy to clean after cooking.
============
Another recipe is:

Easy Lasagne using Mostaccioli pasta

1 Box of Mostaccioli tube like pasta noodles
1 large jar or 2 regular size jars of Ragu Spaghetti sauce
(I use the one with onion and garlic or onion and peppers)
1 bag shredded cheese
1 egg
fresh parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
salt and pepper
Cheese for the top of the lasagne
Directions:
Mix together, the Ricotta Cheese, egg, shredded cheese and one cup of
parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
Then, mix this mixture with the cooked pasta.
Layer in a 13" X 9" casserole dish the following:
first layer- some sauce
second layer - 1/2 the pasta mixture
third layer - sauce
fourth layer - 1/2 the pasta mixture
Top with a little sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 45 - 50 minutes. Remove foil ten
minutes before finish and let top brown.. It took me about 60 minutes to get
it all hot
==========
Other ideas might be Potatoes Au Gratin, Hashed Brown Potatoes, Sausages,
Peppers and Onions with or without sauce, Mexican Rice Casserole,
Fettecinni Alfredo with chicken and broccoli, Spaghetti with meat sauce,
Ravioli and Meat Sauce, a Chicken casserole,