Fathers Day Food: Hash Brown Potato Casserole & Fruit Salsa Dessert

 I've been making this popular Hash Brown Potato Casserole for years!
 For this Fathers Day, I doubled the recipe as there were 24 people gathered together to honor ALL the Dads in the family.



 The ingredients are few & the preparation is very simple, even for a crowd that size.

I buy the BIG bag of hash browns from Sams Club as well as their large size shredded blend of cheese. (only used 1/4th of the cheese)




 You also need an onion, real butter, sour cream & either cream of chicken or cream of onion soup. 

I used the cream of onion this time, because of the vegetarians in the family.
Oh & don't forget the crushed cornflakes for the crunchy topping! 




Some of the melted butter goes into the mixture & some gets drizzled over top of the crushed cornflake topping.  I like to use one of my Pyrex measuring cups in the microwave, as they don't get hot.



You can find the complete recipe HERE.
 
I doubled everything to make the large quantity for this crowd.



  
This HUGE bowl was a gift from my daughter & she found it at a restaurant supply house.  It is great for mixing things like meatloaf or Rice Krispie treats...anything that you need a lot of room to toss ingredients.



 We had a wide assortment of delicious foods...BBQ ribs & chicken, smoked pork, baked beans, healthy salads ... everyone contributes something to the meal.
The Longaberger baskets (made in Ohio) are for holding cutlery & napkins. 



The salad bowl, with matching salad tongs are Armetale by Wilton,(made in Lancaster, Pa...Hi Yvonne!) which does a great job of keeping things cold, especially if you chill it before use. 


  
The potatoes were a big hit...this huge pan (non-stick by Oneida) was empty by the end of the night!  I highly recommend using a non-stick pan for this dish.







It turned out to be a lovely day after some morning rains washed away the pollen.



 After dinner, everyone gathered around to watch the U.S. Open & later we enjoyed some yummy desserts!  

I made a fruit salsa that I saw on Pinterest from allrecipes.com   
It consisted of a variety of fresh fruits, cut up into rather small, bite-sized pieces then tossed with brown sugar substitute, Splenda & low sugar Strawberry Preserves.  I added the fragile raspberries at the very last minute, so that they didn't get crushed.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

 

The insulated bowl I used is made by Aladdin...you know, the thermos people & has a lining of material that holds a chill well.  You put it in the freezer or refrigerator for a few hours, prior to use & it will keep your food cold for hours.

I'm glad you stopped by The Gazebo House today!

I'm linking up with Yvonne at StoneGable for her On The Menu Monday as well as Cuisine Kathleen for Lets Dish &  Michael Lee over at Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday along with The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays.  Lots of wonderful recipes to be found at both blogs, so stop by for a visit.