Rep. Michele Bachmann dishes out some of her "Polar Vortex-Mex Hotdish" at Sen. Al Franken's annual contest. Nikki Schwab for USNWR
As an outgoing member of the Minnesota delegation, Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann hoped to have a leg up in the annual Minnesota Congressional Hotdish-off, a Capitol Hill casserole competition in its fourth year.
“I’ve been frozen out of every competition. I think this is the year when we’re actually going to win,” she told Whispers at Wednesday’s event. “At least I hope that the judges will take pity on me, since it’s my very last year in Congress.” She then scooted over to the judges – retired Minnesota Reps. Gerry Sikorski and Vin Weber – to try to butter them up.
Speaking of butter, there was a lot of it. The dishes – gluttonous Midwestern casseroles – starred pounds and pounds of tater tots, buckets of cheese and an assortment of meats. They were named things like “Grandma’s Minnesota Nice Mock Lasagna,” “It’s So Cold My Hotdish Froze” and “Ranger’s Hunting Camp Hotdish.”
[ READ: Donna Edwards Warns Climate Change Will Kill Off College Mascots]
The contest was started four years ago by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who also is responsible for the Senate’s Secret Santa gift exchange. Last year, Franken put out a free e-cookbook of all the recipes. “In Washington you say 'hotdish' to someone and they say, ‘What?’ And then you say casserole and they go, ‘Oh, OK,'” he explained. “This is tradition.”
The “Saturday Night Live” veteran then showed how it was done, sipping a “pop” (a Diet Pepsi) while munching on the various hotdishes. “Did I have lunch? No I didn’t,” he mused.
The judges soon made their decision. The dessert hotdish from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. – the one dubbed “It’s So Cold My Hotdish Froze” – took first runner-up, along with the “Morning ‘Hot Chow’ Hot Dish” by Rep. John Kline, R-Minn. But the winner, for the second year in a row, was Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who put together a Thanksgiving-themed, tater tot-topped, green bean-infused masterpiece called the “Turkey Trot Tater Tot Hotdish.”
“I’ve been frozen out of every competition. I think this is the year when we’re actually going to win,” she told Whispers at Wednesday’s event. “At least I hope that the judges will take pity on me, since it’s my very last year in Congress.” She then scooted over to the judges – retired Minnesota Reps. Gerry Sikorski and Vin Weber – to try to butter them up.
Speaking of butter, there was a lot of it. The dishes – gluttonous Midwestern casseroles – starred pounds and pounds of tater tots, buckets of cheese and an assortment of meats. They were named things like “Grandma’s Minnesota Nice Mock Lasagna,” “It’s So Cold My Hotdish Froze” and “Ranger’s Hunting Camp Hotdish.”
[ READ: Donna Edwards Warns Climate Change Will Kill Off College Mascots]
The contest was started four years ago by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who also is responsible for the Senate’s Secret Santa gift exchange. Last year, Franken put out a free e-cookbook of all the recipes. “In Washington you say 'hotdish' to someone and they say, ‘What?’ And then you say casserole and they go, ‘Oh, OK,'” he explained. “This is tradition.”
The “Saturday Night Live” veteran then showed how it was done, sipping a “pop” (a Diet Pepsi) while munching on the various hotdishes. “Did I have lunch? No I didn’t,” he mused.
The judges soon made their decision. The dessert hotdish from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. – the one dubbed “It’s So Cold My Hotdish Froze” – took first runner-up, along with the “Morning ‘Hot Chow’ Hot Dish” by Rep. John Kline, R-Minn. But the winner, for the second year in a row, was Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who put together a Thanksgiving-themed, tater tot-topped, green bean-infused masterpiece called the “Turkey Trot Tater Tot Hotdish.”
Walz had headed out for a vote, so Franken accepted the award for him. “If Tim were here, I know he’d thank me for organizing,” Franken joked, before handing the award to Walz’s staff.
Bachmann, who had made the “Polar Vortex-Mex Hotdish” – which did not win a prize, but the recipe for which you can find here – also had left the room, thus escaping her final hotdish heartache.
Bachmann, who had made the “Polar Vortex-Mex Hotdish” – which did not win a prize, but the recipe for which you can find here – also had left the room, thus escaping her final hotdish heartache.
Nikki Schwab is a reporter for U.S. News and World Report. You can follow her on Twitter or reach her at nschwab@usnews.com.