When I originally saw my name on the list for a late-October blog post, I knew exactly what I was going to write about: a guide to being a Philadelphia Phillies fan in hostile New York Yankees territory. After all, the Phillies were supposed to still be playing baseball – a pre-season favorite to represent the National League in the World Series.

But alas, the cliché about “the best laid plans…often go awry” came true: the Phillies suffered an early playoff exit – and took my original blog post with it.

Not wanting to “throw the baby out with the bath water,” I figured I’d still do a Phillies-themed post. Because even though their record-breaking season didn’t end with a parade down Broad Street, I can’t help but look back on it fondly:

Sharing in the excitement of the Cliff Lee signing with friends and family back home in the wee hours of December 14…Buying my dad a “shirtsey” for each of the Phillies’ “four aces” and watching him open the box Christmas morning…Making the trip to Clearwater, Fla., for Spring Training with my sister and a friend, whose father – a big Phillies fan – had passed away just three weeks before…Treating my dad to two games at Citizens Bank Park, and marveling at how far the Phillies had come from the not-so-good ‘ol days, when his partial-season tickets meant spending money to watch a terrible team in an even worse stadium…Taking a last-minute road trip with my brother one Sunday afternoon in August to root for the away team in Washington, D.C….Enjoying Chickie’s & Pete’s Crab Fries, cold Yuengling and Dollar Dogs with my sister at “The Bank” while pulling for Roy Halladay to win his 16^th game…Being in the stands when the Phillies clinched their fifth straight NL East title.

As all of this suggests, there’s another – perhaps more important – cliché that best summarizes the season that was: “It’s not the destination, so much as the journey.”

 Only 112 days until the Phillies’ pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater. I can’t wait for the journey to start again.

-Amy

As the #2 independent food PR agency, it’s probably not surprising that Hunter PR has several foodies on its staff. However, you would not think that our office manager, Chad, was one of them. But last year, in a stroke of “culinary curiosity,” he became enamored with hotdish and bars. From what Chad learned, hotdish is a term used to describe a type of casserole – usually containing meat, a starch and a cooking soup – that’s popular in the Midwest. Bars are square-shaped desserts – usually cookies prepared in one long sheet and cut into individual pieces.

Chad’s musings about hotdish and bars got this particular foodie intrigued. One thing led to another, and before you could say “comfort food” a new Hunter PR tradition was born. This past Monday (January 25), we celebrated our second annual Hunter PR Hotdish & Bars Day!

The what, when and why were simple: On “Blue Monday” (the quasi-scientifically calculated most depressing day of the year), we decided to give Hunters the opportunity to lift theirs and others spirits by preparing a hotdish or bars recipe of their choice, which gained them entry into the festivities and an opportunity to sample everyone else’s prepared dishes. This year, we had 10 people participate, and an almost even split between hotdish and bars.

This year, the Hotdish & Bars Day participants voted on which recipe was their favorite, with the winner receiving a gift card to one of New York City’s premier comfort food restaurants: S’mac. The winner? Well, everything was SO delicious, there was a tie: Megan Weber for her Tater Tot Hotdish and Laura Trani for her Cheeseburger & Fries Hotdish. Here are their winning recipes

Cheeseburger & Fries Hotdish

1 to 1.5 lb of ground beef

½  lb. of sweet Italian sausage

2 cans (10 3/4 oz) of Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese soup

1 bag of frozen crinkle‐cut French fries

Pre‐heat oven to 350.

Brown ground beef and sausage in separate pans on the stove top.

Combine browned meats and add 2 cans of Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese soup. Mix well and spread in the bottom of  casserole dish.

Spread a layer of frozen French fries on top of the ground meat/soup mixture and bake in the oven at 350 for 45‐50 minutes, or until fries are golden brown.

Tater Tot Hot Dish

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 can Campbell’s Chicken & Rice Soup

1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken or Cream of Celery Soup

1 cup instant rice

1 ½ cups water

1 can mixed vegetables (optional)

1 bag tater tots

Dash of garlic

Dash of onion powder

Dash of salt

Dash of pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375°F.

Brown ground beef on stovetop. Once beef is cooked, season with dashes of garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper (to taste).

In a 13x9 inch pan, combine unheated soups, instant rice, water and mixed vegetables. Stir mixture until combined. Add cooked ground beef to mixture and combine.

Top mixture with tater tots (cover entire hot dish).

Bake hot dish in pre-heated oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour (ovens may vary).

Why not satisfy your own “culinary curiosity” about hotdish and bars and give these recipes a try? We hope they warm your hearts and spirits the way they did for us on a cold, rainy evening in January.

Amy