Endangered dinners

Hotdish is going extinct.

Hotdish (and its close cousin, casseroles) were staples of my childhood. There was the tuna noodle kind, the despised hamburger hotdish, and my favorite, one made with wagon wheel pasta. Several times a week their steaming dishes graced the dinner table.

And now, except for holidays, (where Green Bean Casserole and Carrot Casserole, a tasty concoction of carrots, cheese, and croutons, frequently make an appearance) I haven't seen one for years.

It's a dying culture, an essential craft handed down for generations, a language that is being lost. It was a vital part of my childhood, but will I serve them to my children? Not likely. All jokes aside, that my children will not know hotdish makes me truly sad.

So I decided to bring hotdish back. From now on, anything serving in a large baking dish is a hotdish in my house, whether or (most likely) not it contains Cream of Mushroom soup or a crunchy fried topping. The dish Husband and I now know as Enchilada Bake? It's Enchilada Hotdish. Pasta bake has become Pasta Hotdish. And the brown rice that I threw together with tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, cheese, and adobo earlier this week? Late Summer Harvest Hotdish.