Funeral Hotdish

Carrot Cake Murder

## Ingredients

* 1 bunch of celery ***(approximately 10 stalks)***
* 3 large onions ***(We used four because we love onion)***
* 6 pounds lean hamburger ***(We used 8 pounds because we like it beefier)***
* 2 two-pound boxes elbow macaroni ***(for a total of four pounds—Joyce’s Funeral Committee uses Creamettes Elbow Macaroni)***
* 1 large can ***(50-ounces)*** Campbell’s tomato soup, undiluted
* 2 large cans ***(46-ounces each)*** Campbell’s tomato juice
* 1 large bottle ***(46-ounces)*** catsup ***(the Swanville Funeral Committee uses Heinz Ketchup)***
* 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper ***(freshly ground is best, of course)***

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position or use an 18-quart electric roaster set to 350°F.

**Hannah’s 1st Note: Joyce says this is easiest with three people helping: one person to chop and sauté the celery and onions, one person to brown the hamburger, and one person to cook the pasta and mix the sauce.**

* Start by spraying the inside of your pan, or the electric roaster with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. ***(I used a great big disposable turkey roaster sprayed with Pam.)***
* Clean and chop the celery into bite-size pieces. Put them in a frying pan with a little butter and start cooking them over low heat, stirring occasionally.
* Peel and chop the onions into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the frying pan with the celery and continue to cook them, stirring occasionally, until they’re translucent.
* Brown the hamburger over medium heat. Be sure to “chop” it with a spoon or heat-resistant spatula so it browns in bite-size pieces. '***(Joyce and her committee do this in a pan in the oven.)'***
* Drain the browned hamburger, and rinse off the fat by putting the meat in a strainer and spraying it with warm water. ***(We drained the hamburger, but we forgot to rinse it off with warm water—it was good anyway.)***
* Cook the elbow macaroni according to the directions on the box. DO NOT OVERCOOK. ***(Joyce’s committee does not salt the water, but we did.)*** Drain it and set it aside.
* Combine the undiluted tomato soup, the tomato juice, and the catsup. Mix in the brown sugar and the pepper. ***(Joyce’s committee does this right in the electric roaster and then heats it before they add the other ingredients. We mixed up our sauce in the bottom of the disposable turkey roaster and didn’t heat it before we added the other ingredients.)***
* Add the cooked celery and onions to the sauce and stir them in.
* Stir in the hamburger.
* Add the cooked, drained macaroni and mix well.
* Once everything is thoroughly mixed, cover the disposable roaster with heavy duty foil and put it into a 350°F oven for 2 hours, stirring occasionally so that it heats evenly and doesn’t stick to the bottom. ***(If you used an electric roaster, put on the lid, turn it up to 350°F, and cook it for 2 hours, stirring occasionally so that it heats evenly and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the roaster.)***

**Joyce's Note: Joyce says to tell you that cooking hotdish for 2 hours is mainly to blend the flavors since everything is precooked.**

**Hannah's 2nd Note: When we made this for the family reunion, we sprinkled shredded Parmesan cheese on top before we served it. Marge says if she ever makes it at home, she's going to add pitted black olives to the sauce, because Herb and Jack like them so much. She's also going to make garlic bread to go with it.**

Yield: The Swanville St. Peter's Lutheran Church Funeral Committee says this recipe will serve 75, but they always serve plenty of other side dishes with it. If you plan to use Funeral Hotdish as your only main course, I wouldn't expect it to serve more than two-dozen people, especially if they're really hungry.