Tuna Noodle Casserole

There came a time when my sweetheart told me that he remembered a tuna noodle casserole that his mom made. So of course, being a good wifey, I asked his mother (who, by the way, is a very wonderful, sweet lady and totally another mom to me - I'm so thankful for my relationship with my in laws!)...problem is she didn't really remember a specific dish like that. So she gave me some basic ingredients, I did some research, and came up with with a pretty reasonable facsimile.

I'll be honest. The casserole is really tasty. However, I have come to realize that I really don't care for tuna. I might try making this casserole with canned chicken though, because the casserole itself is pretty good.

A note on the soup. I've always thought it is weird to put cream of chicken soup in a tuna casserole, and my honey and I don't really care for cream of mushroom or cream of celery, so we like to use cream of onion. It's up to you, though, however your family prefers it.

So, ingredients...

1 can cream of onion soup
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup peas, frozen or cooked
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
Garlic powder
2 cans tuna
2 cups cooked noodles (egg noodles, elbow macaroni, bowties, whatever you like)
Optional: Seasoned breadcrumbs or crumbled crackers

Preheat oven to 350. Mix soup, milk, peas, cheese, and garlic in a bowl, then add tuna and mix thoroughly. Pour noodles into a casserole dish, spread soup mixture evenly on top and lightly mix in. Cook 15 minutes. Pull out and sprinkle breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs on top, and more cheese if desired, and bake another 4-5 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Let cool a few minutes and serve warm.

Meatloaf

This is not your ordinary meatloaf. Not by a long shot! This is the best, most savory, most perfect meatloaf you may every taste. And it's rapidly becoming a staple in our house!

It is, of course, a simple recipe. And can pretty much be modified any way your family likes.

The way we like it is:

1 egg, beaten
1 lb ground hamburger
1/3 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
half package of dry ranch seasoning
dash of garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and any other seasonings you like

Preheat the oven to 350 and mush all the ingredients together. This is usually the point where I ask my honey to mix it up for me since I really don't like mashing raw hamburger and he's just better at it anyway. But I digress. Once all the ingredients are thoroughly mushed together, shape into the general shape of a loaf, and place in a pan. I like to drizzle ketchup over the top, or sometimes cheese depending on my mood.

At 350, it usually takes my meatloaf around an hour. The main thing is that it needs to reach 165 degrees inside. After it's fully cooked, let it cool a little because it falls apart right away otherwise. Let it sit about 5 minutes, then slice and eat plain, drizzled in more ketchup, on a hamburger bun, etc.

It's good. It's really good. I promise.

Oreo Pie

Oreo pie. Oh yes. Oh myyyyyyy yes. So good!

And so easy! If you know me, you'll know that I prefer recipes with 5 ingredients or less, and as short of a preparation time as possible. And this definitely fits the bill!

It started when my dearest and I were grocery shopping and we happened to wander down the baking aisle. He happened to look at pie crusts, and next thing you know, we're discussing the makings of an amazing dessert!

It goes something like this:

1 chocolate graham cracker pie crust
1 package cookies and cream pudding
1 2/3 cup milk
About 10 oreos

Basically you make the pudding with a little less milk than usual so it sets firmer. If you want a very full crust, you can use 2 packages of pudding mix and about 2 1/2 cups milk. Crumble about 4 oreos into the pie shell before pouring in the pudding, then crumble about 6 oreos on top before refrigerating.

Let me tell you, this is amazing!!! :)

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch salt, if desired

1 egg

​​

Topping:

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter, then mix in the sugar and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, salt if desired, and egg. Mix thoroughly. Dough should be sticky, place in freezer for 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon in a 2:1 ratio (twice as much sugar as cinnamon). Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mix. Place them about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet and flatten slightly. 

Bake for 8 minutes for soft cookies, 10 for crunchier cookies. Remove from oven, let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then place on wire rack to finish cooling. Store in a sealed container.

Chocolate!

OK, my cupcake recipe is pretty simple - usually goes along the lines of: 1 box cake mix, mixed to directions and baked till just done but still moist, and frosted with a can of frosting! Pretty simple, yes? Still, it's easy to add your own touches!

For instance, a dash of vanilla and a tiny pinch of salt add more vibrant flavor to the cupcakes! And chocolate chips (or perhaps even white chocolate chips) added to the cupcakes and sprinkled on the frosting, well, that's just decadence.

That being said, a cake mix can also become brownies. How, you ask? Well I'm glad you asked!

Brownies are basically just richer, fudgier cake, right? So a simple chocolate cake mix (or devils food cake mix, or dark chocolate cake mix - you get the idea) can easily become brownies.

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
Extra chocolate

So basically mix together, bake about 20 minutes at about 350 degrees. I say about, because of course that changes based on the size of your pan, the added chocolate, etc.

I added chocolate chips AND white chocolate chips, and ended up with triple-chocolate brownies that were to die for. Not even kidding.

Steaks on the Grill

Few things are as iconic of summer as the scent of meat on a grill...the smell wafting through the neighborhood, making everyone in the near vicinity begin to drool! My hubby is the grillmaster of the house, and wow does he know how to cook a fine piece of meat on the grill!

Last weekend we splurged on a feast: New York strip steaks, mashed potatoes, cheesy biscuits, and grilled carrots, with lemon squares for dessert. As I promised those protesting my facebook picture, here are the recipes!

Oh yes...oh my yes!

Steak Rub:
1/4 olive oil, a few splashes Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and a generous amount of steak seasoning, coated on the steaks before and during grilling.

Mashed potatoes:
Okay I confess, they were Betty Crocker dry mix garlic mashed potatoes...but I added extra melted butter and garlic to make them especially creamy and flavorful!

Grilled baby carrots:
2 Tbsp melted butter, a splash olive oil, a Tbsp lemon juice, garlic powder, and Mrs. Dash onion and herb seasoning; placed on aluminum foil and grilled about 10 minutes till barely tender.

Cheesy biscuits:
2 cups Bisquick, 2/3 cup milk, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, garlic powder and Italian seasoning, baked 10 minutes at 450 degrees, with garlic butter brushed on top.

Lemonade:
1 cup bottled lemon juice, 1 1/4 cup sugar, about 9 cups water, mixed and chilled


The meal was a success - a good deal of work but SO worth it. We'll definitely be doing it again!

Breakfast Egg Muffins

Once again, the idea started out when my honey made eggs, bacon, and sausage for breakfast one morning. We feasted like kings, then put the leftovers in the fridge. What to do with leftover breakfast? Make more breakfast, of course! And so, the breakfast egg muffins came into existence.



Ingredients:
1 cup hash browns, or 36 tater tots
1/3 cup cooked sausage patties, torn
10 bacon strips, torn
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.

Lightly cover the bottom of each muffin cup with hashbrowns (or 2-3 tater tots). Distribute the sausage and bacon till the cups are nearly full. Mix the eggs, milk, and Bisquick and distribute* evenly among the cups. Sprinkle cheese on top, bake 20 minutes.


*After several messy attempts with a spoon, my honey brilliantly suggested a turkey baster. Much less mess, although a little more difficult to wash.