I’d lived in New York four years before deciding to entertain with casseroles. I was sure my sophisticated, sushi-eating East Coast friends would pass over any Midwestern baked dish, leaving a Pyrex-full of carbohydrates and fats for me to enjoy alone for the next week.
But in the spring of 2004, when a certain domestic diva was about to be freed from prison, I knew that the Martha Stewart Release Party I was planning with my then-roommate was the perfect time for the New York debut of my signature Mac & Corn Casserole.
At the party, a restaurateur friend I can only describe as the Ultimate Food Snob devoured three servings, then gave up on plates all together and ate straight from the dish.
I knew I could no longer hold out on my friends.
After a few experimental dinner parties—at which my tuna, macaroni and green bean casseroles were each a hit—I organized The First Annual Casserole Party. The rules were strict and the competition was fierce. Each dish had to consist “of two or more solid ingredients (one is generally a noodle of some kind)…and baked in a casserole dish (generally known by the brand name, Pyrex); cast iron will also be accepted.”
The response was overwhelming. My apartment was packed, I gained five pounds, and the party was featured in the New York Sun. And, of course, my Mac & Corn Casserole placed second in a secret-ballot vote.
Last fall, the Second Annual Casserole Party (which was featured in the New York Post and Time Out New York) was even bigger. I took a risk, making a tuna noodle casserole, full-well knowing there would be other tuna noodle entries. My Tuna Jam didn’t place, but two New Yorkers, who had never even tasted a casserole, were crowned (well, technically just “sashed”) the winners for their Wild Mushroom Risotto Casserole (which, yes, I later found out was an Emeril recipe).
By this point, attendees and non attendees alike were requesting that recipes be shared over email and my fellow Brooklynites were thanking me for adding a touch of “domestic bliss” to their hipster culture. Those who missed the party begged me to throw another the following month.
In 2007, my dream came true when Time Out New York dubbed me “Queen of Casseroles.”
Yeah, I’m a dork. So what?
