In this series, we’ll pick some of our favorite things about Minnesota and share some related book suggestions. (We’re open to your suggestions! Comment below or email us and tell us some of your favorite MN things!) 

Favorite MN thing: Hotdish! 
Whether you like to make it, eat it, or had never heard of it before coming to Minnesota, hotdish is a yummy part of being a  Minnesotan!

Hotdish Haiku: 50 Haiku, 30 Hotdish Recipes by Pat Dennis “Get this marvelous collection of 50 haiku that honor hotdish. As a bonus, the book includes 30 oriental-style hotdish recipes including Seven Samurai Five Can Hotdish, Mama San(derson) Hotdish and Buddhist Temple Basement Hotdish.”

Hotdish Heaven by Jeanne Cooney
“Cub reporter Emerald Malloy is assigned to gather “church food” recipes from the owner of Hot Dish Heaven, a cafe in a small town in the Red River Valley. Upon her arrival, she learns of a local, unsolved murder. Confident that solving the case will catapult her from newspaper “gopher” to investigative reporter, she questions the locals while attending a benefit dinner-dance at the VFW. By the end of the night, she’s consumed lots of hotdish and bars while talking to everyone from the Irish, Catholic priest who lives among these Scandinavian, Lutheran farmers to the cafe owner’s eccentric aunts. She’s also met a hunky deputy sheriff and learned some tough lessons about herself. But the question remains, “Will she live long enough for any of it to matter?”

The Great Minnesota Hot Dish by Theresa Millang “Called casseroles in most parts of the country, the Minnesota hot dish really does come in more varieties than noodles, tuna and crushed potato chips. This best-selling cookbook will teach anyone how to master the one-dish-complete-meal system.”