Monday, April 18, 2011

The Charm of Midwestern Casseroles

I used to think that here in the Mid West we had no food idenity.  We don't deep fry quite as much as the South.  We don't have an abundance of seafood or strange and exotic vegetables (artichokes and avocado).  We have a few regional specialties like the horshoe and fried pork tenderloin, but at what do we excel?  I've heard that in the Mid West the only spice we know how to use is black pepper.  In many ways this is true.  I make my sausage gravy almost burning with pepper, and my dad still covers the gravy with more pepper when it gets to his plate. Besides black pepper, MidWesterners also know a thing or two about casseroles.  Even though I like to make food from scratch, I still get nostalgic for Velveeta and condensed soups all cooked up together and baked in a dish.  I don't know if Velveeta can even really be classified as a food, but damn it tastes good.   Like my Monster Biscuit obsession, this too is one of my guilty food pleasures.  Below are steps for making Turkey Spaghetti.  I'm not sure where this recipe originally came from, so I don't want to give out the recipe, but you can probably guess all the amounts and still come out okay.  I'll continue to search out what the Mid Western cooking identity really is.


 Saute onions and celery then add cubed Velveeta
 Add cream soups and broth.  Cook until melted.
 Line a casserole dish with chicken or turkey.
 Top with cooked spaghetti.
 Add cheesy mixture
Bake and serve at potluck or carry-in.  (Look for a post on carry-in etiquette soon)

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