Are You Eating MN Sushi Over Labor Day? I Am.

I grew up in St. Cloud with a HUGE extended family from this area. My great grandmother had 10 kids and my other great grandmother had nine. You can about imagine how crazy holidays were.

We'd get together over Labor Day weekend sometimes for one last celebration of the summer. Without fail, someone would bring Minnesota sushi. I thought it was just my family who ate it...but, then I quickly realized, it's a Minnesota delicacy.

If you've never heard of Minnesota sushi, it's kind of confusing. It has nothing to do with seafood at all. In fact, the meat is all ham..and there's absolutely zero rice or seaweed involved.

It's a delicious piece of ham that's got a cream cheese spread, all rolled around a pickle. I'm not sure how it started, who invented it or any of the specifics. What I do know is that every single holiday my entire life, Minnesota sushi has been part of it.

We're pretty much old friends. I think I actually hated the appetizer as a kid...but, when it's always there, you start developing a liking for it. Now, I can eat an entire tray myself...and I don't even like pickles.

Minnesota sushi is a great summer appetizer because it's light, it's refreshing and it's pretty filling and healthy considering the protein. That's a win-win.

If you've never had Minnesota sushi, it's really easy to make it yourself. Here's the recipe.

Step 1: Buy a package of ham, spreadable cream cheese and small pickles.

Step 2: Remove a slice of ham from the package, spread a liberal amount of cream cheese over it and then place a pickle in the center.

Step 3: Roll up the pickle so it looks like a pig in a blanket. Then, slice the pickle into small half inch sections.

That's literally all there is to it. I think this dish was invented by someone's lazy aunt Marleen who only had pickles, ham and cream cheese in their fridge...and then it turned out to be a hit.

Happy Labor Day weekend, hopefully Minnesota sushi is in your future.