reflections on "funeral potatoes"

This has been an exciting week for my niece, Jessica! She had her 8th birthday last Sunday. I got home on Wednesday and we made our plans for the "birthday date" which we did on Saturday. I took her to get her ears pierced and then we went for lunch. Today was her baptism day (a milestone for little girls in our church) and to celebrate, we planned a family dinner for Sunday afternoon.

We talked about what she wanted for her dinner. I said I could make a roast beef and she said all she really wanted was "funeral potatoes." Over the last few years, little Jessi has had many opportunities to become familiar with funeral potatoes. She has learned that death is a part of life and that visiting with family and friends is a big part of funerals. Here in our little town, funeral potatoes seem to be a staple for those after the funeral gatherings.

I've never actually made funeral potatoes. I often volunteer for other parts of the meal but my sister had the recipe and printed it off for me lickety split when I said I'd be making dinner for Sunday!

So I collected the ingredients yesterday after the "birthday date" and set out to make the potatoes this morning before church. The beauty of funeral potatoes is that you can make them ahead of time and then just reheat right before serving. I simply don't believe I realized what I had agreed to do until I was in the thick of it.

I like to eat healthy and I have made it my life's work to feed my family well prepared, healthy meals from scratch. I use real ingredients and my children never knew processed food before they left home.

As I began to prepare the funeral potatoes, I realized that this was something unlike anything I've made before. I'm always marginally aware of calories, fat content, sodium, etc when I'm cooking and I try to be smart about what I put in the pot.

I decided that funeral potatoes are nothing more than a heart attack in a pan!! You start out with frozen has browns and then you add butter, canned mushroom soup, sour cream, whipping cream, grated cheese, more butter and crushed corn flakes. As I was mixing up this conconction I couldn't help but think that this was probably the most unhealthy main dish I've ever made.

I was almost overcome with guilt as I began melting the second cup of butter and then it occured to me, "What the heck, Lorri! It's a party! You've really got to lighten up...live a little, why don't you?" So I closed my eyes tight, poured the whole cup of butter over the cornflakes and scooped the entire mess over the cheesey pile of sodium and cholesterol in the baking dish. AND for good measure I grabbed a handful of real bacon bits and threw that on as well! I prepared the second pan without even flinching (even though I'm sure my arteries started clogging just from being in the vicinity). I cooked those tender babies til they bubbled and smelled like something only served in Heaven!

of course, this photo does not really do the

potatoes justice! they were sinfully delicious!

The potatoes were a hit! Needless to say, Jessi was pleased. "Funeral potatoes are my favorite!" She licked her plate clean and asked for more. Some of the men had three helpings, while others were a little surprised with my step away from the conventional. Everyone, however, was thrilled with the addition of bacon to the original recipe. (I am twitching a little bit as I recount this operation; butter and bacon in the same pan!)

And I am left wondering if Christmas dinner can even come close to satisfying this crowd without the funeral potatoes?