Groundhog’s Day Dinner

First, I want to say, “Happy Groundhog’s Day! What is Groundhog’s day? It’s this crazy thing we have in North America that a rodent foretells the weather. As the story goes, if the groundhog sees his shadow, Spring is right around the corner. However, if the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow, we will get six more weeks of Winter. Just about the same thing, in my book! Strange, isn’t it? The odd customs we have.

Groundhog day started in 1887. It has roots in Germany and was brought to Pennsylvania with the German settlers, who chose to use groundhogs, rather than hedgehogs as was done in Germany, since the groundhogs were plentiful in Pennsylvania.

Male groundhogs come up in February, not to predict the weather, but rather to find a mate. Then they return to their dens to finish their Winter hibernation.

So, back to dinner. I decided to make a special celebratory dinner for the “holiday.” But what to make? Finally, I decided on Salisbury steak, but in a special way. What if I could make a groundhog peeping up from his hole? I decided to give it a try. I started with lean ground beef, spices, green beans, and my dairy free mashed potatoes with some beef gravy. Here’s the whole of it:

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 Tbsp. granulated onion

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

Mix spices into the ground beef well. Use about 2/3’s of the meat into four hamburger patties. The rest form into about three inch long “groundhogs,” bending the head portion to form an almost candy cane shape.

For the patties, cook on medium heat. When you flip the patties, add the “groundhogs,” flipping along with the patties. I put it together with a patty on the plate. Then I “frosted” the patty with my dairy free mashed potatoes. Next I surrounded the “frosted” patty with green beans. After, I made a hole in the mashed potatoes, stuck in my “groundhog” and shored up the potatoes around it. Around the “groundhog” I drizzled gravy to make it appear as if he had soil coming from his hole. It was so cute! Take a look:

Enjoy! And Happy Groundhog’s Day!