Five meals worthy of mom

It's getting down to the wire to plan Mother's Day festivities for this Sunday, May 13. If you aren't looking forward to spending the week cleaning your house and preparing a feast, consider these top five picks for Mother's Day brunch specials worthy of the woman who brought you into this world.
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Mo Perry

Think outside the beefy box with the Happy Gnome's MN Game Burger

In addition to being National Toxic Encephalopathy and Chemical Injury Awareness Month and International Audit Month (goody!), the Internet tells us that May is also National Hamburger Month. Far be it from the Hot Dish to dictate which holidays you should and should not celebrate, but we don't have a lot of suggestions on how to go about observing National Youth Traffic Safety Month (also May).

We do, however, have a few ideas on how to celebrate National Hamburger Month. There's no shortage of press on the best burgers in the Twin Cities, so this month we'd like to shine the spotlight on some of the best non-beef burgers you can find in the TC area, for those days when you need a patty between some buns but still want to like yourself in the morning.

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Crazy for Psycho Suzi's patio

Once again it's the season when Minnesotans flock to restaurant patios and rooftops to enjoy the weather. And while food is critical in patio dining, at this time of year a refreshing drink and relaxed conversation can assume just as much importance. We took a look at the best spots in both Minneapolis and St. Paul that combined a great patio with a vibrant bar scene. The attributes that landed a restaurant on this list included the view, the vibe, and a restaurant's happy hour food and drink specials. Here's our list of the top 5 patio and rooftops bars on both sides of the river.

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At the Gay 90's, the party rages on

​The Twin Cities gay scene is alive and kicking, with a taste for every want, whether it's classic, new and hot, something with a bit of kink, or a straight-up (ahem) neighborhood watering hole. 

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It's peanut butter jelly time!

At this point, anyone with a computer and a random craving could declare any day on the calendar to be National Pizza Day, or National Rhubarb Day, and social media being what it is, the world would believe it in a matter of hours. But when we learned that today is National Peanut Butter Day, we thought "who are we to argue?" Here we give you the top five ways to celebrate this auspicious occasion here in the Twin Cities:

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Reuters

​For the purposes of party menu-planning, it's a good thing that so many of this year's Best Picture nominees are set in food-centric locales, from The Descendants in Kaua'i to Midnight in Paris in, well, Paris, obviously. The Hot Dish is bringing you some of our favorite foods inspired by this year's most acclaimed movies.

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Break.com

​Chips. Dips. Lil' Smokies. Along with chili, beer, and something mixed with Velveeta in a crock pot, these are the staples of the Super Bowl diet. Perhaps you are planning on getting fancy with crudités, canapes, and blended drinks but have you thought about your game day centerpiece yet? If you're considering making one that's edible, scrap the tower of football shaped cupcakes with royal icing laces (you did that last year, everyone knows) and really go all out with a snack food stadium.

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There are better ways to celebrate Oatmeal Month than a trip to McDonald's

Once the New Year parties pass, January doesn't offer much to celebrate. A little industrious googling, however, quickly reveals some lesser-known January holidays. Did you know, for instance, that January is National Bath Safety Month, National Braille Literacy Month, and National Blood Donor Month? (The good people at the national month designation society seem to have gotten stuck on the B's). Thrilling though those designations may be, we are most pleased to report that it is also National Oatmeal Month. The Hot Dish came up with this list of the top five ways to celebrate this illustrious occasion here in the Twin Cities.

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Hello Kitty lunchbox from Amazon ($21.65 with shipping)

​There is a rather large section of the foodie population that gleefully self-identifies as geeks.  It makes sense, as only a geek could get excited about things like sous vide or which varietal of hop provides the best counterbalance for your home microbrew.
We at the Hot Dish have found some wonderful ideas for the nerdy nosher in your life.

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