Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Tater Tot Hot Dish

Tater Tot Hot Dish is a staple in Minnesota especially in the winter time (yes it’s still cold here). Local favorite Haute Dish restaurant even serves a sophisticated “Tater Tot Hautedish” year-round that includes short ribs and handmade “tots”. It’s devine! If you haven’t made it over there to try this far-from-traditional dish, it’s a must. If you are looking for a more traditional (Grandma’s recipe) tater tot hot dish here is Senator Amy Klobuchar’s recipe from the 2011 Minnesota Delegation Hot Dish Competition. Insert Minnesota jokes here…

Recipe from Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Tater Tot Hotdish (credit: 2011 Minnesota Delegation Hot Dish Competition)

– Ground beef (1-1.5 lbs)
– Cream of mushroom (1 can)
– Cream of chicken (1 can)
– Onions (1 small)
– Garlic (couple cloves)
– Salt
– Pepper
– Pepper jack cheese, shredded (8-12 ounces)
– Tater tots (1 package)

Brown ground beef, drain off fat. Sautee onions and garlic.
In a large bowl, mix together beef, onions, garlic, both cans of soup, salt and pepper. Spread evenly into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Cover with about ½ of the shredded cheese. Then, place tater tops in one layer over the entire pan.
Bake at 450 for 30 minutes, or until tater tots are crisp. Cover with remaining cheese and bake until cheese melts.

Pair this with mixed vegetables and a glass of milk and I know you’ve reverted back to being a little kid sitting at Grandma’s kitchen table.

Reference: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/01/26/taconite-tater-tot-hot-dish/

Grammy Winning Okee Dokee Brothers at Toddler Tuesday

Toddler Tuesday was a huge success this week. We had the privilege of having great entertainment from the Grammy Winning Okee Dokee Brothers in the rotunda at Mall of America yesterday. The entire rotunda was packed with parents and toddlers. There was singing, dancing, coloring, push-ems and fun had by all who attended.

If you weren’t able to make it yesterday and would like more information check them out at http://okeedokee.org/ You can buy their music or find where their next shows are.

As always, Toddler Tuesday happens every Tuesday at the Mall of America. No registration is required and the event is free to everyone to attend. For schedules and information go to http://www.mallofamerica.com/events/feature/toddler-tuesdays

Hassle free Valentine’s Day Dinner

Did you forget to make dinner reservations for Valentine’s Day this Thursday and now the only place that’s still available is White Castle? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! You don’t even have to be a master chef to make this amazing meal for your sweetheart. (believe me I’m not) You’ll even score extra brownie points for the effort.

This meal includes
USDA Choice Filet Mignon– Just season and grill
Shrimp Scampi– heat in a skillet or the microwave
Roasted Baby Bakers– Bake in the oven or microwave
Super Sweet Cut Corn– heat on the stovetop or microwave
Asparagus Spears– heat on the stovetop or microwave

Pair with your favorite wine and you have a no hassle Valentine’s Day dinner without having to worry about valet parking.

MN Wild vs. Blue Jackets- its a WIN!

Kim and I had a great time at the WILD game last night, thanks to all who came out and supported us! I wanted to share a few pictures from the evening.

The teams warming up

Kim and I had to have our picture taken with the cutest little mascot in town

We spotted these girls sporting their Fruchi sunglasses last night from the Super Rink and had to take a picture

One lucky Schwan’s Hockey Mom was chosen to play lets make a deal Schwan’s style and won a $500 Schwan’s gift card

The best part is the Wild beat the Blue Jackets 3-2 in the final minutes of the game.

Join us at the Xcel Energy Center for the Wild game Tonight

Kim and I will be at the Xcel Energy Center this evening as the Wild take on the Blue Jackets at 7:00 p.m. Schwan’s will be sponsoring this game so come and find us at the entrance for your chance to win a $50 Schwans gift card. For more information on the game check out wild.nhl.com. See you there!

Are Frozen Vegetables Really Good For You?

In our quest to bring you healthier options for the New Year we wanted to help dispel any myths that frozen vegetables are not as healthy for you as fresh. We didn’t have to look very far. In November America’s beloved Dr. Oz wrote an article for TIME entitled “Give (Frozen) Peas a Chance — and Carrots Too,” he discusses the advantages of using frozen vegetables instead of fresh.

In the article, Dr. Oz talks about the flash-freezing process and how it helps preserve much of the vegetable’s vitamins and freshness. This is especially important in the winter time when fresh produce is not readily available in our cold weather climates. Unless you are growing produce in your home you can’t get produce any “fresher” than flash frozen. On his website Dr. Oz “recommends you choose frozen fruits and vegetables in the winter since the fresh kind would be coming from remote locations. Frozen produce is picked at its peak and frozen immediately, often containing far more nutrients than out-of-season fresh produce that is trucked long distances. Freezing stores nutrients better than canning—fruits and veggies often lose less than 20 percent of total nutrients in that canning process.”
Oz says that vitamins and nutrients, including carotenoids, thiamin and riboflavin are not affected by freezing.

“Which means you can eat frozen and never feel that you are shortchanging yourself,” Oz said.
At Schwan’s all of our fruits and vegetables are picked at the peak of freshness and flash frozen to preserve the integrity of the fruit. The biggest difference I notice in our vegetables versus others is the incredible flavor. I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin so I have a deeply rooted love for sweet corn in the summer. We would literally go out to the field and pick enough corn for dinner, shuck it, cook it and eat it. It was eaten less than an hour after picking. Schwan’s Super Sweet Cut Corn is every bit as good as the corn I remember from my childhood. Every bite is a trip down memory lane and the best part is it’s in the middle of winter.

Want to know more about Schwan’s fresh veggies? You can learn all about the process in this short video:

Schwan’s Veggies Fresh From The Farm

Oz is a vice chairman and professor of surgery and Colombia University, a best-selling author and the Emmy Award-winning host of “The Dr. Oz Show.”

References:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2129811,00.html
http://www.sharecare.com/question/when-buy-fresh-fruits-vegetables