Potluck Obsession

When I got married, my aunt (Hi, Susan!), gave me a trivet that says, "The Potluck stops here, I'm a Lutheran." It has a place of honor in our teeny kitchen, and we often joke about eating hotdish and bars. If you don't believe that Lutherans love their potlucks, take a look at any Lutheran church cookbook. One cookbook I have is from a Lutheran church in Minnesota, and it has twenty-seven pages devoted to hotdish. For those who are unfamiliar with the rites of potluck, hotdish=casserole. Bars are cookies that are just spread in a pan and baked. I stopped counting after page 47 when I was counting bar cookie recipes.

I have never ventured to make some of the hotdish recipes, because dishes entitled "Chili Con Weenie" or "Chinese Chop Suey Bake" just don't do it for me. And I'm pretty sure someone of Mexican or Chinese descent did not create those meals. I was taught how to make authentic tamales by a lady from Tijuana, and I know Hebrew Nationals were not part of the recipe. Those kinds of hotdishes are against my religion.

Thanks to the wonderful invention of the Crock-Pot and the patience of The Rev. who so generously threw all of the ingredients together, I am presenting beet stew tonight to the potluck participants. Beef Stew, people. Not Beef and Beanie Weenies or Beefy Tater Tot Surprise.

I hope no one is disappointed.