For a rare treat when we were shopping at Woodbridge Mall, my mother would take me to the restaurant in Ohrbach’s. I remember very little about it, except I thought it was very elegant with lots of plants around.
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My favorite cake. A bakery near me still makes them!
See what happens? 
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Now flash back to something I detested even more than clothes shopping: the fabric store. We had two huge ones in our town and always had to hit them both. My mom would not usually pay for lunch, or anything else when we went anywhere. That’s why to have lunch at Kmart was a once a year event for me. Minnesota Fabrics and FABS= hell for this little boy. My mom made all my clothes until I was 10 or so. Picture the bunny outfit scene from Christmas Story. I was a leopard, with a detachable tail. Rarrarrrarr!
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Casseroles are mainly for potlucks (or, “hotdish” where I now live) in WI. Aside from lasagna, mac and cheese, not much casserole in our restaurants. Be a good platform for a buffet. I don’t think I’d chance opening a buffet in these times. Casseroles are almost too personal for restaurants. Everyone has their specialty, handed down through the ages. My main go-to is Polish chop suey. Turkey tet would be a good idea, so long as it maintained that saucy quality and not stiffen up through dehydration. Never made it in the oven, though, like most casseroles. That said, Polish chop suey, IMHO turns out better on the stovetop as well.
After Thanksgiving dinner, my mom made turkey tet with garlic bread. Aside from lamb shanks, might have been my fave as a tike.
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I don’t know about you, but I was devastated when our local Arthur Treacher’s went out of business. I adored fish and chips growing up. The Greek family that moved to town made up for it. First gyros I ever had, age 11 (1980). Transformative for me. Still in contact with Pete, one of the kids from that family. Poor kid had to hear me gush 24/7 about gyros. Now, he has his own Greek resty.
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Arthur’s Treacherous Fish & Chips was a favorite lunchtime jaunt at my first real job! And the only thing better is … a gyro, of course! I have my sources all mapped out. by proximity. TJ’s carrys (or used to carry, I haven’t been since the pandemic) gyro meat. That’s my idea of an emergency freezer stash …
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What is Polish chop suey? Is that like hobo stew, but with kielbasa?
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Well, that didn’t go as planned!
My son was the same way. Generally sunny disposition, but mention fabric store and hoo boy did he ever go into a sulk
I feel your pain. I really dislike sewing - just the thought gives me a stomach ache. And my eyes always water in fabric stores - maybe something used on the material?
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We’ve got about 60 sticky/flappy tabs in it, for recipes we’ve liked a lot over the last 30 years. I’ve always used it as a good idea generator for chicken and other poultry. And as mentioned above, I’m looking at it more often as other meats are going up in price faster than chicken.
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I’ve never heard of this and just looked it up - kielbasa, cream of mushroom soup, noodles, sauerkraut - looks like something I would love.
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I have a whole shelf of the various 365 books. Among many, many, many others …. Sounds like a good plan to adapt the recipes.
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Polish chop suey.
1 lb. pork ( cut up pork steaks are the bomb)
1 can (11Oz?) sauerkraut
handfull of Kluski noodles
6oz sliced mushrooms
small onion diced
French onion soup (yeah, use the instant kind, or treat yourself and make your own)
First I boil and salt the water for the kluskis and drain the kraut. Drain the can into a colander and run some cold water over it. My wife won’t tolerate the “full kraut” as she calls it.
Brown the pork, onions, mushrooms. As your browning it, reconstitute the onion soup, or get a good 2 cups of French onion soup ready to pour.
Pork/onion/mushrooms done browning, throw in the drained kraut, and onion soup, get ‘er bubblin’. Add kluskis when they’re close to done, let the whole mess reduce. Once the liquid is reduced away, you have Polish chop suey.
My wife once hated sauerkraut. Wouldn’t touch it. Then, 17 years into our marriage, I got nostalgic and made a batch of this. She could not believe that was kraut in there. Been one of her faves ever since.
I would not use kielbasa for this. The word kielbasa had evolved to mean this smoked sausage that really doesn’t speak Polish to me. I don’t see many places that carry what I consider Polish sausage, save for butcher shops in Milwaukee. I’d be sure Chicago, too. But, really, it’s a fresh sausage that we always ate at breakfast, with eggs. (Kiełbasa Biała Surowa) Little horseradish on it. This sausage screams Polish to me. But you can’t find it many places that don’t have Polish butchers.
Try it with the pork. But do drain the kraut for those who can’t take the full effect.
I also find kluski noodles hard to find some places. Whatever, use egg noodles. Thicker the better, though. The Amish by me make the best.
My grandma got me started on this dish. Said an Austrian woman gave it to her years ago. So, my grandma, who was Welsch, married
a German and fed said German Polish chop suey with a recipe from an Austrian woman. Now my Welsch, German, Ukrainian self is passing it on.
I still miss Arthur Treachers, though.
Gyros are a unique beast. Every city I seem to have one gyros place I prefer above all in that town. M’waukee, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Chicago, I’ll have only one place I prefer in each town.
Classic hotdish. Try and you like.
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I was a very happy child… until I saw where we were going. “Minnesota Fabrics” Walked in there like a dog to a vet clinic.
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