Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook Part 7

2 large cans (46-ounces each) Campbell's tomato juice

1 large bottle ( 46-ounces) catsup (the Swanville Funeral

Committee uses Heinz Ketchup)

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground black pepper (freshly ground is best,

of course)

Clean and chop the celery into bite-size pieces. Put them in a frying pan with a little b.u.t.ter and start cooking them over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Peel and chop the onions into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the frying pan with the celery and continue to cook them, stirring occasionally, until they're translucent.

Brown the hamburger over medium heat. Be sure to "chop" it with a spoon or heat-resistant spatula so it browns in bite-size pieces. (Joyce and her committee do this in a pan in the oven.) Drain the browned hamburger, and rinse off the fat by putting the meat in a strainer and spraying it with warm water. (We drained the hamburger, but we forgot to rinse it off with warm water it was good anyway.) Cook the elbow macaroni according to the directions on the box. DO NOT OVERCOOK. (Joyce's committee does not salt the water, but we did.) Drain it and set it aside.

Combine the undiluted tomato soup, the tomato juice, and the catsup. Mix in the brown sugar and the pepper. (Joyce's committee does this right in the electric roaster and then heats it before they add the other ingredients. We mixed up our sauce in the bottom of the disposable turkey roaster and didn't heat it before we added the other ingredients.) Add the cooked celery and onions to the sauce and stir them in.

Stir in the hamburger.

Add the cooked, drained macaroni and mix well.

Once everything is thoroughly mixed, cover the disposable roaster with heavy duty foil and put it into a 350 degree F. oven for 2 hours, stirring occasionally so that it heats evenly and doesn't stick to the bottom. (If you used an electric roaster, put on the lid, turn it up to 350 degrees F., and cook it for 2 hours, stirring occasionally so that it heats evenly and doesn't stick to the bottom of the roaster.) Joyce's Note: Joyce says to tell you that cooking the hotdish for 2 hours is mainly to blend the flavors since everything is precooked.

Hannah's 2nd Note: When we made this for the family reunion, we sprinkled shredded Parmesan cheese on the top before we served it. Marge says if she ever makes it at home, she's going to add pitted black olives to the sauce, because Herb and Jack like them so much. She's also going to make garlic bread to go with it.

Yield: Joyce says this recipe will serve 75, but they always serve plenty of other side dishes with it. If you plan to use Funeral Hotdish as your only main course, I wouldn't expect it to serve more than two dozen people, especially if they're really hungry.

GRILLED CREAM CHEESE SANDWICHES.

(Hannah Swensen's Very Best Mistake) For each sandwich you will need:

2 slices of bread (white, egg, whole wheat, take your pick)

1 package of chilled block cream cheese (not softened or

whipped)

Softened b.u.t.ter

b.u.t.ter two slices of bread. Place one slice b.u.t.tered side down on a piece of wax paper. Cut slices of cream cheese approximately inch thick to cover the surface of the bread. Put the other slice of bread on top, b.u.t.tered side up.

Preheat a frying pan on the stove. Using a spatula, place your sandwich in the pan. Fry it uncovered until the bottom turns golden brown. (You can test it by lifting it up just a bit with the spatula.) Flip the sandwich over and fry the other side until it's golden brown. Remove the sandwich from the frying pan, cut it into four pieces with a sharp knife, arrange it on a plate, and serve it immediately.

This sandwich goes well with piping hot mugs of tomato soup.

You can turn this into a dessert sandwich by using slices of banana bread or date-nut bread and sprinkling the sandwich with a little powered sugar. If you really want to go whole hog, top it with a scoop of ice cream. It's delicious that way!

*HANNAH'S CHICKEN SALAD 4 cups cubed chicken

4 peeled and chopped hard-boiled eggs.

cup crumbled cooked bacon (make your own or use real

crumbled bacon from a can I used Hormel Premium

Real Crumbled Bacon)

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley (it's better if it's fresh, but

you can use dried parsley flakes if you don't have fresh

on hand)

cup grated carrots (for color and a bit of sweetness)

1 cup well-drained, pitted black olives

4 ounces cream cheese

cup sour cream

cup mayonnaise (I used Best Foods, which is h.e.l.lmann's

in some states)

teaspoon garlic powder (or teaspoon freshly minced

garlic)

teaspoon onion powder (or 1 teaspoon freshly minced

onion)