May the best hotdish win

Hotdish Cook-off at the Legion raises money for veterans

By Brenda Erdahl

The Hotdish Hotties, AKA the American Legion Post 131 Auxiliary Club, have been pouring through their cookbooks and will soon be slaving over a hot stove once again in preparation of the second annual Hotdish Cook-off.

Everyone is invited Sunday, April 7 to the Maple Lake American Legion, where starting at 3 p.m. they’ll be asked to taste and judge an eclectic collection of Minnesota’s favorite comfort food. All proceeds raised will go toward caring for local veterans and their families.

Last year the event raised $350 through free will donations, and the public had more than a dozen unique recipes to choose from. Only one of the 13 entries was duplicated and that was the standard Tator Tot Hotdish, organizer Toni Paumen said. Everyone has their own take on this classic meal and last year it showed. Some recipes incorporated pasta and others Chinese noodles. The winner was a steak and gravy, noodle combination that demonstrated a nice use of spices, according to Paumen.

This year’s event will feature mostly recipes from the Hot Dish Hotties, as they call themselves, but they won’t turn away anyone from the public who wants to submit their favorite concoction. Preregistration is not necessary, just stop by, Paumen said.  Entries are all anonymous to maintain the utmost secrecy, until after the winner is announced that is, then everyone comes forward to claim some well earned praise and recipes are passed around without discretion. So, in addition to a tasty meal, you may go home with a new recipe to try out on the family.

Last year’s competition was the Auxiliary Club’s first and this year it is being brought back by popular demand. The group wanted to host a fundraiser and they chose a hotdish competition, because, well, hotdish is a true northern staple, Paumen said. If someone’s favorite entry has leftovers, they are welcome to purchase a container of it to bring home, she added.

New this year, the club will host a bake sale at the same time as the competition, so bring your sweet tooth.

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