Tuna Noodle Casserole

I've never been big on Tuna Noodle Casserole, but still, every so often, it comes up in the dinner rotation - as in the boyfriend says, "let's have tuna noodle casserole," which is what happened yesterday.  So I cooked up this recipe that he found and I actually liked it well enough that it's in the oven again tonight.

10 1/2 ounces cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup diced celery
6 ounces albacore tuna
6 ounces cooked egg noodles
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Mix the cream of chicken, mayonnaise and milk together in a large bowl.
Add the diced celery and onion.
Fold in the tuna, followed by the cooked egg noodles and shredded cheddar cheese.
Salt and pepper to your taste.
Place in a casserole dish. Cook at 375 degrees for about 40-45 minutes, just until the top starts to brown.

Amaretto Loaf Cake

Chris made this recipe for me last weekend because I LOVE amaretto and pound cake.  So together they are divine!!

The recipe is written to make little cakes.  We don't have small tins, so Chris made one loaf in a full sized pan.  He baked it for about 45 minutes, just a bit longer than the recipe listed.

The special part of this recipe is the delicious glaze that goes over the baked cake.  It soaks into the cake, keeping it moist.  Chris didn't use all of the glaze, but it might stretch differently over four mini loaves.

Also, Chris thinks the cake would be better with the sliced almonds on top of the cake rather than mixed into the batter.

This recipe comes from the February/March 2014 issue of Taste of Home.

Pouring the glaze over the cake

Little Amaretto Loaf Cakes

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup amaretto

1/2 cup canola oil (Chris used vegetable oil)

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup sliced almonds

Glaze

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1/4 cup amaretto

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease and flour four 5 3/4 x 3 x 2 loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, water, amaretto, oil and melted butter until well blended.  In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt.  Gradually beat into egg mixture.  Stir in almonds.

Transfer to prepared pans.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, for glaze, combine sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in amaretto.

Remove cakes from oven.  Cool in pans on a wire rack 5 minutes.  Pour glaze over cakes while in pans.  Let stand until glaze is absorbed, about 30 minutes.  Remove cakes from pans, store covered, in refrigerator.

Ham a la King in Pastry Shells

If you're looking for a homemade, rich cheese sauce infused with wine, look no further.  This would be delicious on so many things -- from pasta to chicken to vegetables and everything in between.

I had trouble getting this to thicken, which I think is because I used 1% milk.  I would either reduce the milk to 1 cup or increase the fat content, perhaps even use half and half or cream.  I used 1/2 pound of diced ham and it was plenty.  I think using the full amount will be way too much.  I didn't buy pastry shells -- I used Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits instead.

This recipe comes from a gem of a cookbook I checked out of the library called Cooking with Wine by Virginia and Robert Hoffman.

Ham a la King in Pastry Shells

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, minced

1 pound ham, diced

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup Chardonnay wine or Sherry (I used Stone Cellars Chardonnay)

1 cup frozen petite peas

6 prepared individual pastry shells, baked according to directions

On low heat, saute the pepper, onion, and ham until tender.  Set aside.  (The recipe doesn't say what to do with the peas -- I just tossed them into this mixture at this point.)

In a saucepan, make the cheese sauce by slowly melting the butter.  After it is melted, add the flour 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring constantly.  Add the milk slowly, and continue stirring.  Then, slowly add the cheese.  Still stirring constantly, add the wine or Sherry.  Cook over low heat until it bubbles.  (I cooked it over medium and it took awhile to bubble)  Add the meat and vegetables.

Pour into prepared pastry shells.  Serves 6.

Serve with a Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc.

Chunky chicken soup

I got this recipe from a friend back in October 2012.  I recently asked her where she got the recipe from and it turns out it came from a site filled with more recipes!  It's a low / no carb type of recipe, so good for those trying that out.  But even if you're not, it's an easy way to make chicken soup (I haven't the desire to work with a full chicken)!  This time I used our onion / veggie chopper on all the vegetables except the mushrooms (I bought a package of sliced), so they're all diced instead of chopped or sliced.  And I threw in some egg noddles (about a half package) because I felt like it (and we're not no carb at the moment) (there's also instructions on how to make a carb friendly egg noodle on the site).  Because it's soup, I just approximate on how much of the vegetables I'm putting in.

1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 boneless chicken breasts, diced, 10-12 ounces
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped, 2 ounces
1/2 cup celery, sliced thin, 2 small stalks
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced, 2 ounces or 4 medium
1/4 cup onion, chopped, 1 1/4 ounces
2 cans chicken broth or 4 cups homemade broth
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup carrots, sliced, 2 1/2 ounces or 1 medium carrot
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Salt, to taste
Egg Noodles

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chicken; cook and stir 4-5 minutes or just until no longer pink. Add the green pepper, celery, mushrooms and onions. Cook and stir 7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender crisp. Add the broth, bouillon, water, carrots, parsley, pepper and salt. Simmer, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Add the Egg Noodles and simmer a few minutes until heated through.

Makes 6 servings 

Marinated Olive and Cheese Ring

This recipe is FABULOUS!

Ir is much easier to make than it looks.  All you have to do is cut up cheese, put it in a circle, plop olives in the middle, and mix up a quick dressing.  Use whatever olives you like.  I just got a variety at the olive bar at our grocery store.  I used dried spices, but using fresh as directed would punch it up even more.  (1 Tbsp of most fresh herbs = 1 tsp dried)

It comes from the December 2013 issue of Taste of Home.

Marinated Olive and Cheese Ring

1 pkg cream cheese, cold (it's easier to cut it when it's cold)
1 pkg sharp cheddar (the recipe says white, but I liked the variation of white and yellow)
1/3 cup pimiento-stuffed olives
1/3 cup pitted Greek olives

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp minced fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar 2 oz pimiento strips, drained and chopped

Toasted French bread baguette slices (I served it with crackers)

Cut cream cheese lengthwise in half; cut each half into 1/4 in slices.  On a serving plate, arrange cheeses upright in a ring, alternating cheddar and cream cheese slices.  Place olives in center of ring.

In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, parsley, basil, and garlic until blended.  Drizzle over cheese and olives.  Sprinkle with pimientos.

Refrigerate, covered, at least 8 hours or overnight.  Serve with baguette slices.

Egg Casserole for Kids

This year I decided to do a New Year's brunch for Chris and me.  I already knew I wanted to serve the Caramelized Ham and Cheese Buns I discovered last month in Taste of Home.  I was looking for something egg-based to go with it in The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas.  I didn't find anything I wanted to try in the "Breakfast and Brunch Casseroles" chapter, but I found a winner in the "Casseroles for Kids" chapter!

This recipe is so versatile -- you can put in whatever veggies or meat options you like and it would be just as good.  I used bacon instead of ham, and I added broccoli to mine and left out the mushrooms (Chris doesn't like them).

The secret ingredient?  CROUTONS!

Egg Casserole for Kids

2 cups seasoned croutons (I love garlic and cheese flavor)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 cup diced cooked ham
6 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp prepared mustard

Preheat the oven to 325.  Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Spread the croutons over the bottom of the pan.  Top with the cheese, mushrooms, and ham.  (Or whatever you've chosen to use -- my broccoli was sticking up out of the egg mixture and it worked out just fine.)

In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and mustard.  Pour over the layers in the pan.  Banke for about 1 hour, until the eggs are set.

Easiest-Ever Beef and Wine Casserole

This recipe makes a delicious, tender beef that you won't even need a knife to cut!

I was flipping through The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas for new ideas for 2014.  I had a beef roast in the freezer, so I honed in on the beef chapter.

The author found this recipe in her late mother-in-law's things and didn't think it sounded very good.  But she made it anyway as an experiment and discovered it was a keeper!

This recipe is ridiculously simple.  I'm not sure I'd classify it as a "casserole," but I sure am glad Beatrice included it!

I served it with peas and my favorite scalloped potatoes recipe.

Easiest-Ever Beef and Wine Casserole

1 pound lean beef stew meat (I cut mine into large chunks, about 1 1/2" square)
1/2 cup red wine (I used a pinot noir)
1 can (14 oz) beef broth
1 tsp salt (I'd cut back on this next time -- salt isn't my "thing")
freshly ground pepper, about 7 turns of the grinder (that is her direction, not mine!)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup fin dry breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 275 if you prefer to let the casserole bake for 6 hours, or 300 if you'd like it to be done in 3 hours.

Combine all of the ingredients in a 2-quart casserole.

Bake, covered, according to the directions above.