It's a Family Tradition

What do you consider a staple food dish of your household? For my family and I, we look towards green bean casserole as our staple food dish. As the semester is winding down, we finished out class this week with presentations and the point of the presentation was to take a food dish that you know or wanted to make, and cook and present it to the class. Sounds like a piece of cake right? Not really.

I decided that I would take a classic dish of our family and add a fresh touch to it. I have never cooked the meal before and this proved apparent when the casserole turned out quite soupy. Note to self: The next time you use fresh green beans and mushrooms, realize that they have a lot of water in them that will leak out into the dish therefore causing it to become soupier. At this point I was a little disappointed presenting this to the class, because I then had green bean casserole soup; not my ideal presentation. But the thing is, the class loved it! I was so surprised and when I tasted it, it actually tasted good. I was able to add a successful marking to my first fresh green bean casserole dish...or at least a successful green bean casserole soup dish.

The best part of the presentation was researching it and explaining why it was a staple of my house. I discussed its meanings and how its meaning of food gave importance at my dinner table. I loved being able to share how such a simple dish of only 5 ingredients has proven to be such a hallmark side dish of my family gatherings and I had the opportunity to cook and share this with others! Isn't it amazing how food can relay such a powerful message to others? Think about foods and consider why they are important. How have they impacted you? Have you shared a meal with someone at their household where they gave you a staple dish of their family?

This is what the "ideal" green bean casserole is supposed to look like...

Mine turned out a little like this...but a lot more juicy

The goal of green bean casserole being created was to use the ingredients that you could easily find in your household and create the dish. This casserole was created in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly who worked in the home economics department of Cambell's soup company. This dish was created to provide an option to those who don't always have a lot and show them that a simple dish can be made that also tastes well. It is crazy to think that the point of a food creation is the impact it will have on the family and who will be sharing the dish. I know from personal experience that while there may not be a lot of food work into this dish, a fresh twist adds a unique flavor to this experience and I was beyond happy to share this with my fellow classmates and professors. So now I ask you, what is your favorite dish and how has it impacted you? Go out and share a meal, because there is nothing more filling that sharing that meaning of food with others.