In college, I had this boyfriend that we referred to as “Dreamy Brad”. I thought he was smart and funny and talented. He had all of the ingredients of great boyfriend. He’d show up with flowers. Once, he claimed to have written me a song. He was from Minnesota and was more than just Minnesota nice. I met his mother and his father. And spent time with his home friends. He adored all of my friends and they adored him. He sang “Ashland Girl” instead of “Uptown Girl” before we were even dating. The thrill of hearing him sing “don’t you know, I’m in love,” left me swooning. I mean, it was all really good stuff. 
But then things started to come unraveled. It started out with minor things, like the story of how Helen pursued him endlessly before she went back to England, but he really liked me better. Then a friend asking how I liked our wine tasting adventure that I wasn’t on. Some weird blame-y things that are unimportant now. The random visit to an “ex-girlfriend” while I waited in the car. And then there was the story he told my friends about how I was cheating on him with a guy in Germany before I ever actually went to Germany. He ended up becoming a lawyer. I ended up having to clean up a mess with my friends that I don’t think we ever completely recovered from.
Relationships should be simple and easy. They should be straightforward, but interesting enough that not every day is exactly the same. People, interests, and passions should blend together to create something greater than the sum of the parts, like a decent casserole…er…um..hot dish. There should be shared experiences that help bring everything together. The thing is, one wrong step can ruin the whole thing.
When we went to visit Dreamy Brad’s dad and stepmom in Southwestern Minnesota, two things happened that I would’ve liked to have left in the past. First, I saw Dreamy Brad’s dad in his saggy, baggy, holey tighty whities. Secondly, his stepmom made hot dish. 
This was a classic Minnesota hot dish, known as goulash in some parts. Macaroni combines with ground beef and tomato sauce and is baked with cheese or something on top. You don’t grow up in the Midwest without eating something like this. We used to have something similar in the hot lunch line. The problem comes in when the stuff in the hot lunch line is preferable to what is being served for dinner. This poor hot dish was overcooked noodles, boiled ground beef, and a fresh can of tomato sauce. It lacked seasoning, nuance, flavor, and texture. They all loved it. I ate enough to be polite. Later when Dreamy Brad and I went for a tour of the town, he stopped and got me something else to eat.
As is the case with ex-boyfriends, some things are better left in the past. Since that weekend, I have had many, many more versions of this classic casserole. I shared a similar meal with a seminary student, his wife, and 5 children. Everything came from a box or a jar, but it tasted better and fresher than the Minnesota hot dish. 
When I really got interested in cooking, I knew the days of overdone, bland casseroles were in the past. When I married my husband, I knew for sure that I finally had the right mixture of ingredients for a successful relationship casserole. I never thought that starting a food blog would put me back into the place of flavorless hot dishes.
When I made the first of the three recipes using the Hamburger Dinner Mix, I mentioned that the mix lacked flavor and got lost in the creamy sauce. ***SPOILER ALERT*** It doesn’t get any better in tomato juice. And macaroni generally doesn’t need to cook for up to 15 minutes. 
Having simple dinner mix on hand is brilliant. Combine a few extra ingredients and dinner is on the table. But my dried tears from bad boyfriends alone are not enough to season this skillet meal and truthfully, he wasn’t worth any tears I shed. This is a recipe that needs a little Italian love affair. Add some garlic, basil, oregano, and rosemary. If that’s not your thing, a little flirtation with some South of the border spice may be up your alley. My point is, don’t settle for a lame, boring hot dish. By all means, make this recipe, but when you do, play the field a bit and don’t get your heart broken by something that isn’t really up to your standards.
The Recipes:
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For more quick and easy recipes check out: Quick Cinnamon Rolls, Supper in a Bread Loaf, and Chuck Wagon Casserole.
Beef and macaroni anything is a winner with me, although I don’t make it that often. (If I lived by myself, I’d probably make this recipe every other day. I’m serious.)
I like the idea of making the casserole “mix” – with additional spices – and keeping it on hand, even though I’ve sworn off parmesan cheese in a can.
As for the ex-boyfriend, the one you describe sounds like a real doozy.
In general, he was less bland than the hot dish, but exciting and exotic isn’t always better.