Not Yo' Mama's Tuna Casserole!

Okay, I admit it, I really like tuna casserole.  All that goopy cream of chicken soup and noodles, covered with melty cheese.  Yum!  Healthy?  Not so much.  So, over the years I have given my casserole a little "tune up" to make it slightly more healthy but still cheesy gooey yummy.

1 can white albacore tuna in water, drained
1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
1/4 C 1% milk
1/4 red onion or 1 shallot, finely chopped  (This tiny bit of raw onion adds a huge amount of flavor!)
2-3 large carrots, peeled and cubed
1 C frozen peas
1/2 bag No Yolks egg noodles
Black pepper and Herbs de Provence, to taste
Fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 C good-quality medium or sharp cheddar cheese

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Cook noodles and carrots together until noodles are al dente (slightly undercooked).  Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, flake tuna into a casserole dish.  Add soup, milk, onions, peas, and herbs, stir.  Carefully combine noodles and carrots with soup mixture.  Top with cheese and more parsley if you like.  Cook at 375 for 20-30 minutes.  May I suggest a nice pinot grigio for this lovely fancy meal?

You Say Cold Front, I Say Pot Roast!

What's more comforting than a big pot of roast with veggies and gravy?  Yesterday a cold front hit and all I could think was "it's time for pot roast!"  This is basically my mom's pot roast that I grew up with, with the exception of the mushrooms.  I love mushrooms and will pretty much sneak them into any dish!  Here goes:



1 2-3lb chuck roast
4-6 T all-purpose flour
1t Paprika
1t dried Oregano
1T Black Pepper

Heat a large cast-iron skillet to high heat with 2-3T extra virgin olive oil.  Trim roast of any extra fat or connective tissue.  Mix flour and seasonings together in a bowl and rub all over the meat.  It's nice to have an extra helper to stir and sample the raw flour!  Add meat into skillet and cook several minutes on both sides (turning only once) to sear the meat and form a nice crust.  This will add extra flavor to the roast and the flour will help thicken the gravy.


While roast is searing, add liquids to the slow cooker:
2 C beef broth (or 1 packet concentrated beef stock w/ 2 C water...I had a coupon)
1 can Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup
1 bay leaf
Turn slow cooker on high so that liquids can start heating.  You don't want to add a hot roast to a cold soup.  And don't judge on the "well-loved" crust of my slow cooker, she and I have been though a lot together!

Now you are ready to introduce Mr. Roast to his hot tub.  Toss that guy in and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Then, turn the cooker to low and add the veggies:

1 medium onion, chopped
2 russet potatoes (I like to "roughly" peel these)
3-4 medium to large carrots

4-6 oz white mushrooms, sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh rosemary

I like to large chop the veggies so that there are big, recognizable pieces in the roast.  Cook with veggies on low for 4-5 hours or until everything is tender.  Then add 1 T cornstarch to a splash of water in a small bowl.  Stir to mix into a "slurry" and add to roast.  This will help the juices thicken into a nice gravy.  Cook for another minute or two then turn heat off and serve.  Mmm....hearty and delicious!

Soup's On!

Ahhhh, fall has finally hit the Great Plains after the longest, hottest summer on record!  I say, bring it on.  I'm ready for tumbling in autumn leaves, wearing boots and jackets, and eating steamy pots of soup.  Lately I have been slightly fixated on chicken noodles soup.  I'm not sick.  I'm not sad.  Maybe a little stressed but what else is new?  Anyway, it just sounded...good.  So today I hauled out the soup pot and started cooking.  Here goes:

1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts, mine was 1.2 pounds
1 box chicken stock
1 C water
1 lemon, halved
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, halved and trimmed of ends
2 bay leaves
Several black peppercorns

Clean and trim chicken.  Add to pot with other poaching ingredients.  Poach gently on medium low for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove chicken to a large bowl and strain out solids from poaching liquid.  Reserve the onion and garlic, chop and add back to the pot with the other veggies.  Shred chicken with two forks and set aside.  Now onto the veggies!

2-4 large carrots, chopped, diced, sliced, whatever
4oz. white mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 small Fresno pepper, finely diced (this adds a nice fruity, mild spice to the dish)
Notice I did not use celery, 'cuz I don't like it.  Toss some in if you want to be "authentic."
Reserved chopped onion and garlic from poaching liquid


Add veggies to the pot and simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Add chicken back in.  Add black pepper, paprika, and cumin.  While veggies are simmering, boil a pot of water and cook 6-8oz egg noddles.  Check seasonings  (you may need to add salt if you used unsalted stock).  Scoop noodles out of boiling water with a slotted spoon and add to soup.  It doesn't  matter if you get some noodle water, it is soup after all and the starchy water will add an extra consistency to the soup.  Cook, stirring, for a few more minutes until everything comes together.

Ladle into large soup bowls and top as desired (I used parmigiano reggiano and chopped chives) and serve with bread or crackers.  Mmmmm....mmmmm.....good!

Gorgonzola Stuffed Mini-Meatloaves

Yesterday, I pulled some ground beef our of the freezer to defrost and asked Hubby if he wanted meatloaf or taco soup for dinner the next day.  He replied "Um, meatloaf.  Have you ever met me?"  Touche, the man tends to shrink from anything labeled "soup" but I keep trying to shove it down his throat.  Not literally.  Yet.

I had some Gorgonzola and spinach hanging in the fridge waiting to be used so I thought I would use that as a starting point and here's what I came up with.

For Meatloaves:

1 lb lean ground beef (I like longhorn or sirloin)
1/2 small onion, chopped
Handful of button mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
6 whole wheat saltines, finely crushed.  Or 1/2 C bread crumbs.
2-4 T Worcestershire sauce
Black pepper, cumin, herbs de Provence
4 oz. Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, cut into 4 1 oz each pieces.  Or the equivalent amount of crumbled blue cheese.

Pre-heat a small skillet with olive oil.  Saute veggies until tender-crisp, then set aside to cool.  Meanwhile add remaining ingredients in a large bowl, except for cheese.  Add cooled veggies and mix until well incorporated.  Form a mound of meat in the bottom of the bowl and score it with the side of your hands to make 4 equal-ish wedges of meat mixture (a Rachael Ray trick).  Scoop out a wedge and form it into a patty, like you are making a burger.  Add the piece of cheese in the center and fold up the meat around it, like you are making an empanada.  Carefully form the meat around the cheese until the cheese is completely covered inside the meat.  Form into a football-ish shape and put in a glass baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.  Repeat with the remaining meat mixture.  Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes, until meatloaves are browned and cooked through.

Spinach and Grape Salad:

This one's tricky so pay attention...combine fresh spinach leaves, halved grapes, pecans if you have them, and dressing of choice.  Look the other way while your kids eat only the grapes.  Actually my daughter ate all of her spinach, and her brother's.  My little rabbit girl!

I also served this with Knorr Stroganoff noodles.  Yes, sodium-filled, processed, dehydrated, packaged food.  They're yummy and go great with meatloaf!  The spinach cancels it out, right?

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos

I've been in a rut with my pork loin roast, making it the same old way every time.  Toss it in the slow cooker, add some bbq sauce, some apple sauce, some seasonings, onions and bell peppers, cook on low all day, serve on buns w/ extra bbq sauce and maybe some salad.  It's yummy but this weekend I got a hankering to try something different, slightly.  I came up with pulled pork tacos!  Mmmm....  I googled a recipe but couldn't find one that really "spoke" to me, or the ingredients in my kitchen!  So, as usual, I picked and chose what I liked best from all of the recipes and here is what I came up with:

1 pork loin roast, my store sells them in 1.7lb packages
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 fresno or jalapeno pepper, minced
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 T each chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper (one recipe I saw called for unsweetened cocoa powder, like mole sauce, if I had that I would  have used it but I didn't so I didn't!)
Pinch of chipotle chili flakes
1 T brown sugar

Rinse pork and trim off extra fat and connective tissue.  Place in slow cooker and top with veggies.  Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl and pour over the pork.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.  I started mine at 11 and turned it to low at 2.  By 4 it was perfect and I turned the heat off to let it sit until dinner time.  When ready to serve, remove the pork and some of the sauce (depending on how saucy you want it) to a large bowl.  Shred with two forks.

Spoon onto tortillas and top with desired toppings.  I used diced tomato, shredded lettuce, pepper jack cheese, and an avocado sour cream sauce (mix 1 avocado, heaping T sour cream, 1/2 a fresh lime).  Use the rest of the lime for your Negra Modelo!  Yummy yum yum.  The kids even ate it.  I think I see a new "rut" in my future.

Rachael Ray's Turkey Tamale Pie

Last week on her show, Rachael Ray made this yummy turkey tamale pie and it reminded me to give it another spin.  I have seen her make a similar recipe before (you know, cuz I apparently watch a little too much RR) and I remembered that Hubby really liked it when I made it.  This newer recipe was a bit different than I wanted, but I used it as a jumping-off point for my own dish.  So, here is the original recipe:  Tex Mex BBQ Turkey Tamale Pie

Here is my slight variation:

1  lb lean ground turkey
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large or 2-3 small to medium cloves garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and cubed

Brown turkey in cast iron skillet with olive oil.  Drain liquid if needed (turkey tends to put off a lot of watery liquid).  Add veggies and cook until tender-ish, about 8 minutes.  Next, mix sauce  ingredients.

Sauce:
1 can no-salt-added tomato sauce
Small handful of brown sugar
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
1-2 cups chicken stock or borth, start with 1 cup and add more until you get the consistency that you want
2-4 T worchestershire sauce
1 T each chili powder, cumin, and oregano
Pepper to taste

Pour sauce into skillet and stir.  Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, adding more stock as needed.

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix, prepared according to package directions.
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used medium cheddar)

Spoon cornbread mix gently over the turkey mixture.  Spread as evenly as possible.  It won't be perfect!  Top with cheese and cook at 375 for about 20-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and cornbread is fully cooked.  Spoon into bowls and enjoy!

 This was super yummy; thanks Rach!!!

Book Review: The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

This is our book club selection for the month.  It was a tasty little treat of a book, much needed after reading some heavier things lately.  Some books I refer to as "palate cleansers."  Basically, lighthearted, fun books to clear the head (often these are romance novels...shhhh).  This book would fit into that category and I wouldn't even be ashamed to carry it into the doctor's office!

Lillian has a gift and, as often happens, she discovers this gift under tragic circumstances.  When Lillian is seven, her father abandons them and her mother sinks into a deep depression.  Lillian begins experimenting with food and discovers that she has the ability to create powerful emotions and memories with her delicious recipes.  With the help of a local shop owner and food mentor, Abuelita, Lillian finally succeeds in "waking her mother" from her depressive stupor.

Fast forward a few decades and Lillian is a successful restaurateur and chef.  Her true passion though, is teaching her Monday night cooking classes.  As the class assembles, we meet a variety of characters, each dealing with some individual pain or inner conflict.  In each class, a dish is created that speaks to one individual student, creating clearness where there was confusion or closure where there was sadness.  The multiple points of view allow the reader to get to know each character and their story, all woven around the frame of that Monday night's recipe.

In Lillian's world, food is life.   It is luscious, exciting, and magical.  This book is engaging, with likeably flawed characters and delicious imagery.  It will make you happy (and maybe hungry) to read it.  I can't wait to hear what my book club ladies have to say about it on Thursday!

Slow Cooked Chicken Noodle Soup (aka The Only Soup My Daughter Will Eat)

I used to buy a whole chicken, roast it, pick it, then boil the bones with herbs and veggies, to make my own stock. It was a 24 hour + job. Then, I got smart and cut out a couple of steps and several hours. I start with a very small (1-1 1/2 pounds) free-range, local chicken. I remove the skin and yucky fatty bits (this makes me feel better about being to lazy to skim the fat after the fact). Of course, it changes a bit every time but here's the basic story. 1 small free range, local chicken 2-3 T olive oil Salt, pepper, herbs de provence to taste 1 large onion chopped 2-3 cloves garlic, minced, 3-4 medium carrots, diced 1 bay leaf 1/2 lemon 1 can petite diced tomatoes 6 cups water 1/2 Cup frozen corn Minced fresh parsley 6-8 ounces alphabet (or other small) noodles, cooked separately Rinse chicken and pat dry. Remove as much of the skin and fat as possible. Preheat large cast-iron our enamel oven-safe soup/casserole pot with olive oil. Season chicken liberally and sear in very hot pot, turning once until chicken has a nice crust on it. Add all other ingredients except corn and parsley. Cover and cook on medium low on stove top or at 250 in oven for 2-3 hours, until chicken is falling off the bone. Remove chicken, bay leaf and lemon. Pick meat off of chicken and return to pot with corn. Cook a few more minutes until soup is heated through. Stir in noodles individually into bowls and top with parsley. Yummy yum, homemade soup with fresh stock in a fraction of the time!