Nothing Special but Delicious- Tuna Noodle Casserole

Sometimes when we cook at home, we go way out, and other times we just make something "not special." We aren't too proud to throw a frozen pizza in the oven, or even hit a drive thru someplace and get something fried and not healthy. We might make a fabulous meal with seared scallops and meticulously prepared risotto, but we are just as likely to slap a couple grilled cheese together. It's not surprising that on this Monday evening after a long day at work, neither one of us wanted to cook. Sadly, it's a necessary evil and I drew the short straw.

Recently I made a batch of my Mom's famous shrimp salad. The Chef gobbled it all right up and said it was something I needed to make all the time. Duly noted. My next trip to the store I stocked up on pasta and salad ingredients. I happened to stop in a smaller store and unbelievably they didn't have the baby shrimp I needed, so I grabbed some tuna. Mom used to make it with tuna once in a while so I figured I'd just tuck it in the cabinet until I made the salad again. 

Fast forward to Monday evening and our choices were a whole chicken that would need to be butchered before cooking, and cans of tuna. We weren't feeling a cold salad for dinner so...... why not whip up a tuna and noodle casserole and dinner is done? That's exactly what I did. I had a bag of frozen mixed vegetables in the freezer, plenty of cheese and some fun pasta shapes so dinner was in the oven in a snap. Here is how I made it.

The Baker's Tuna Noodle Casserole

2 cans tuna in water, drained and broken into chunks

1 lb package pasta such as farfalle or shells

1 can evaporated milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

2 teaspoons onion powder

salt and pepper

fresh chives or scallions

panko bread crumbs

3 tablespoons butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook per package directions until just al dente. Do not overcook- the pasta is going to be baked. 

Place the frozen vegetables in a large colander. Drain the pasta right over the vegetables. Let stand to completely drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in the same pot, add the evaporated milk and one can of water. Bring to boil, then remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Season with salt and pepper and add fresh chives or scallions (a couple tablespoons is fine) and the onion powder. Return the pasta and vegetables to the pot. Add the tuna and gently stir to coat the pasta.

Pour into well buttered 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle the top generously with panko bread crumbs. Melt the butter and drizzle over. Pop in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and golden brown on top. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Wasn't that easy? No canned cream of something soup needed to get a rich and creamy sauce. The panko make a butery crunchy top crust and those vegetables. LOVE those vegetables. Who doesn't love lima beans?!?!

The Company Cookbook Project

Of all the cookbooks on my shelves, those put together by churches, clubs, civic groups and other organizations are often my favorites. There is something comforting about the old casserole recipes, the easy to make cakes and desserts, and the funny names of those old recipes. Why have plain old sliced carrots when you can serve your family "Copper Pennies?" When is the last time you had "Wacky Cake?" If you're like me, probably not since you were in elementary school. I can always count on these assembled cookbooks to bring back the memories.

Often there is a salad section and it's usually packed with sparkly jello creations. Some of them are savory with cabbage and veggies and others are so sweet they should be a dessert. It's also common to find a few pickled veg type recipes too- like cucumbers and onions, or a tomato salad. My mom always made cucumbers and tomatoes with chopped onions in a vinegar and oil dressing. Pasta salads and potato salad are usually favorites. You might find a couple different family versions of bean salad, and don't forget the entree salads- like egg salad, chicken salad, and taco salad.

Just a few of my many club cookbooks

The entree section is usually where the real comfort foods are hiding. Casseroles of just about every kind lurk in there, with family secret spaghetti sauces, Dad's famous barbeque sauce, Gramma's bean soup and inventive ways to make tuna into something delicious. Up here in the Midwest, and especially Minnesota it's very common to see something called "Hot Dish" in those cookbooks. Hot Dish is a curious thing. It means something different to every cook. For some people it's tator tot casserole. For others it's something made with creamy soup. For my family it was some browned hamburger with chopped onion, a can of drained mushrooms, a couple handfuls of peas, cooked elbow macaroni and cream of something soup, stirred together in a big saucepan until everything is heated through. Completely NOT gourmet and not always delicious but it fills bellies and my mom made this on a fairly regular basis. Not a childhood favorite of mine but still a fun memory and it's interesting to talk with others from around here and learn about their family's hot dish recipe.

A few weeks ago my company sent around an email inviting associates to submit a recipe for a company cookbook that was being assembled. My employer places a great deal of emphasis on community involvement, inclusion and volunteerism. In an effort to raise money to support local food banks the company launched the cookbook project. Of course I had to get in on this deal. Picking a recipe wasn't all that tough, I knew I wanted to go with something relatively easy to prepare, with readily available ingredients and family friendly. I typed up my recipe for Philly Cheesesteak Lasagna, attached a picture and sent it off to the committee. 

Weeks go by, my recipe is proofed and sent back to me for a final look over. I can't wait for the day I can actually buy a copy of the company cookbook. One day I am busy working away on an account and I get a message- "Monica!!!!"  What's up, I reply, wanting to know what's so exciting. "Did you see the email?" Nope, I was busy with a client, haven't checked email in a bit. I finish up what I'm working on, check my email, and holy moly, there is an email from the company announcing not only the purchase days for the company cookbook but the cafeteria in our building selected five recipes from all the recipes submitted, to be prepared and featured as a lunch special for everyone to try and mine is one of them!! To some people this might not be too big of an accomplishment. After all, I know a lot of very successful chefs, competitive cooks, cookbook authors and recipe developers whose accolades far exceed mine, but in my small world and my little hobby food blog, this is big. 

Philly Cheesesteak Lasagna Day arrives in the cafeteria. I can hardly wait to see how my recipe is prepared by someone else. The clock ticks ever so slowly all morning while I wonder how it's going to turn out. I get an email from a member of the cookbook committee telling me to be sure and stop down at the table to introduce myself and when I finally make my way down to the company cafeteria I am met with hugs and smiles and lots of introductions to the kitchen staff. Lucy, the executive chef/kitchen manager came over to talk about how much she loved the recipe, and how well it's been selling as the lunch special. 

Squeeeeee! That's my dish on the line!

To be honest, it made me feel a little bit like a celebrity for a few minutes! My coworkers in my department raved about the dish, and I have to say, the kitchen did a fantastic job replicating my recipe. They put considerable effort into making it just like I would have- caramelizing the onions, browning the mushrooms until they are golden brown, and NOT skimping on the cheese. It was delicious. I ate every bit, including the garlic toast.

I can't wait to get the actual cookbook in my hands. My copy has been ordered and soon will occupy a place of honor on my cookbook shelves. I know I will enjoy preparing all the recipes submitted by employees from all over the country and will always cherish the memory of this special opportunity.

Because Orzo is My Obsession

Ahhhhh orzo. The little bitty rice shaped pasta that I love so much. It's soooooo cute and so versatile. I like to use it as often as I can, and lately, it hasn't been all that often. But I've been in a creative kind of mood in the kitchen lately and leaning towards regional Italian dishes. Not your every day spaghetti and meatballs stuff either. Different pastas, sauces, using more vegetables, the sort of things I might find if I were shopping at a market in Italy.....

I miss shopping in Europe!

I've made a similar dish before with chicken sausage and cannellini beans and it was delicious. So much so that my fiance chef "stole" it from me and featured it as a special in the restaurant and the entree during a beer pairing meal. This time I'm going for a casserole type dish that's fresher and lighter than lasagna, and much easier to throw together. I am sauteing chicken for this dish but I could just as easily see this as a great way to shrimp. But then again, I've never met a shrimp I didn't like! 

Imagine shopping at this awesome meat market!

This dish comes together very quickly, with the chicken being the most labor intensive part, and honestly, it's not all that taxing to cut up and saute some chicken cubes or slices. I like slices, like you'd use in a stir fry, but that's just me. Let's get working on this easy to put together casserole style dish with a Tuscan twist-

Tuscan Baked Chicken and Orzo

1 cup orzo pasta
1 pound boneless chicken
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
4 or 5 green onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (plus more if needed)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
handful sun dried tomatoes, chopped
couple handfuls baby spinach (stems removed)

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. I made the "budget friendly" decision to buy bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and spent more time prepping the chicken than the entire rest of the recipe takes to prepare. Not doing that again! In large skillet heat the olive oil and butter until sizzling. Add chicken and cook, stirring often, until browned and mostly cooked. Remove chicken to bowl and set aside. Melt additional 3 tb butter in pan, add onion and garlic and cook briefly until softened. Add chicken stock to skillet, stirring and scraping up the tasty bits on the bottom. Add Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, spinach, orzo and chicken. Spoon into 11x7 baking dish. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, until heated and bubbly and orzo is cooked. You may need to add extra broth if the orzo absorbs too much- check about halfway through cooking time. This recipe makes the perfect amount for dinner for two but is easily doubled for a family. You may need to adjust the baking time. 

Note- You can use leftover cooked chicken also, but you would still want to brown it in the oil and butter- it really brings some good flavor to the dish.

So now that dinner is on the table, we need to think about sides. I think this dish pairs perfectly with a plate of sliced fresh tomatoes. No adornments or fancy dressings- maybe a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a very small sprinkle of chiffonade of basil. A pinch of sea salt. Some good rustic crusty bread. A nice glass of crisp Pinot Grigio. 

Close your eyes and envision that little village in Tuscany, that sidewalk bistro.......

****Pics from Italy courtesy of Deberah Tedesco-Roberts. She was gracious enough to share pictures from her recent vacation. Yes, I am jealous.

Joe's Version of Church Cookbook Food

Comfort food. Gramma's famous casserole. Church potluck. Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy and good inside. Around our house we don't normally make those "church cookbook" kind of dishes. But every once in a while we get that serious craving for really good comfort food. And what fills that bill better than Tator Tot Casserole ??

Everyone has a version of their own. Some people use tomato soup, others cream of mushroom soup. Some add veggies, some don't. My version and Joe's version are also vastly different. Tonight Joe shares his version.

Joe's Tator Tot Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup frozen green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms
1 small bag cheese
tator tots- enough to cover pan

Brown ground beef and onion, drain and season with salt and pepper. Combine with mushrooms, green beans, mushroom soup and just a splash of milk.

 Mix well and turn into 9x9 baking dish. Bake at 400 degree 20-30 minutes until heated through and beans are cooked. Meanwhile, place tator tots on cookie sheet and bake until almost done.

Remove casserole from oven, cover with hot tator tots.

 Sprinkle cheese over.

Return to oven until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown and sauce is bubbly.

Sooooooo yummy !!  Cut through the cheese, scoop the yummy casserole onto a plate and KEEP AWAY FROM ME !!!!!