The Cookbook Experiment: Tuna Noodle Supreme

Tonight's dinner experiment came about because I was not feeling well enough to go to the store. I took stock of everything in the freezer, cabinet and fridge and then consulted the cookbook. The recipe that came the closest to the ingredients on hand was "Tuna Noodle Supreme" by Pat Hannas. Now, I have to confess I don't think I have ever met Pat but I have met and know Riley Hannas. He is a young man about the age of my son. They know each other from school and church youth group.

Tuna Noodle Supreme by Pat Hannas

(4 1/2) cups of wide egg noodles
(1) 12 ounce can Tuna, drained
(1) cup Sour cream and mayonnaise
(1/2) cup grated Parmesan cheese
(1/2) cup milk
(1) teaspoon Dijon mustard
(2) cups broccoli, cut up
(1/3) cup red bell pepper
(1/4) cup green onions, sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, milk and mustard. Salt and pepper to taste. Add hot pasta, tuna, broccoli, red peppers and green onion. Stir until blended. Place tuna mixture in a baking dish. Cover and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 6

My take-a-ways for this recipe:

• I did not have egg noodles and I was not going to the store. I used elbow macaroni.
• I have never seen a 12 ounce can of tuna. I used to 5 ounce cans of Albacore (my husband only likes Albacore so that is what I have on hand)
• Please don't use cheap Parmesan, even though this is a tuna recipe. Just don't.
• I was not sure if the recipe meant a cup of each sour cream and mayo or 1/2 of each mixed together. It's not clear. I only used half of each and it turned out to dry after it was baked. I guess it means (1) cup of each. Lesson learned.
• I used what I had and that was (1) 14 ounce bag of frozen broccoli. Should it have been fresh broccoli? It does not say. I cooked my broccoli in the microwave according to package directions first before I used it.
• I had about (1/2) cup of Parmesan leftover in the bag and figured it was not enough to use for anything else so I sprinkled it all over the top of the casserole before I put it in the oven.
• I did not have any green onions. I used some fire-roasted peppers and onions that I had in the freezer. 
• I did not have any Dijon mustard. I used some sweet and spicy mustard. It tasted good to me!
• The husband and son and I enjoyed it for the most part. My hubs said it probably would have been better with the egg noodles. I think he is right. BUT the best part about trying this recipe was that I did not have to go to the store.

Thanks Pat for the easy recipe!! I appreciate not having to go to the store. I guess I altered the recipe quite a bit but it got me through feeding everyone.

The Cookbook Experiment: Broccoli Quiche

Tonight my lovely daughter was the cook! Paulina is my youngest girl and she is quite amazing. Her baked goods are just to die for! She decided to tackle dinner tonight for me. I got to stay out of the kitchen (and that does not happen very often!).

The recipe that she picked is one from an amazing woman at church who is known far and wide for her cooking. She makes a chicken salad and a homemade pimento cheese that is so amazing. Ms. Stella Smith is a wonder woman. Paulina and I are anxious to try ALL of Ms. Stella's recipes.

Tonight's recipe was Broccoli Quiche. It is a vegetarian dish that once again includes broccoli. We seem to be on a streak of making things with broccoli. It is one of my son's Nick favorite vegetables.

Broccoli Quiche by Stella Smith

(1) box frozen broccoli, thawed (we used a bag, I don't think I have seen frozen vegetables in a box in a long time)
(1/2) cup onion, chopped
(1/2)  cup green pepper, chopped
(1) cup of cheddar cheese, grated (get the good stuff...yes, I am a cheese snob)
(1 1/2) cups of milk (we used whole milk, it is all we keep in the house)
(3/4) cup of Bisquick mix
(3) eggs
(1) teaspoon of salt
(1/4) teaspoon of pepper

Grease 10" pie plate and mix broccoli, green peppers, onion and cheese in the dish. In a separate dish mix the remaining ingredients; beat one minute then pour over ingredients in pie dish. Run a for through the dish to mix everything together slightly, sprinkle a little cheddar cheese on top and bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. The right size pan is important. Adjusting the cooking time will be required if a smaller and/or larger pan is used. Make sure to cook it until it is set but don't overdo it.

This was DELICIOUS!!! The only take-aways from preparing this recipe for me is that I would have chopped the broccoli up smaller than it was in the package. Be sure to use the exact amount of green pepper as it adds a strong flavor. I think I would have liked more onion in it.

We are very happy to have tried this recipe and I am sure we will make it again. Thanks Ms. Stella!

Sausage Gravy over biscuits

Yep....you read it right. I flew right off the handle and straight into the loving land of Comfort Food. I guess I am stressing about a few things and just needed the comfort of my mother's cooking. Sausage gravy was something my mother made frequently. Sometimes she even made it with plain old hamburger. It depended only on what was on sale or how much money she had for groceries that week.

Sausage gravy:

(2) rolls of mild sausage gravy (the kind you slice into patties)
Fresh ground black pepper
Almost room temperature whole milk (if you are going to cheat, do it right!)
Flour


Instead of cutting the sausage into patties, I just squeezed the tubes out into a large, deep pan and crumbled and fried it until nice and done and lightly brown. Liberally pepper the sausage as you fry it. When it is done move it out of the pan to a plate.  The remaining drippings left in the pan - you decide how much you want to use.  I did not drain any of it as I wanted all the flavor. I added approximately 1/2 cup of flour into the drippings and stirred well to make a light brown roux.  Slowly stir in the milk.  I used almost 2/3rd's of the gallon of whole milk. I keep it over medium heat and keep stirring until it starts to thicken up. At this point I add my cooked sausage back into the pan.

As I am standing in my kitchen and stirring I start to get rather melancholy.  I realize as I stand here by myself that my children won't really know how to make these recipes that are so dear to my heart.  They won't know what it is like to stand in the kitchen with my mother and learn the old ways. Sometimes I think this blog will end up being the only way they will ever know how to make the comfort food that I used to make for them after I am gone.  But then in walks a hungry teenager asking if dinner is almost ready and I snap out of my sorrowful state and get back to the business at hand!

The gravy thickens up nicely and I call everyone to the table.  Nothing like breakfast for dinner! We pour our sweet, milky comforting sausage gravy over flaky biscuits and enjoy.

 I love sit-down dinners with my husband and my kids.  I hope some day they do the same thing with their families, whether they have children or not.  Dinner should be eaten together, at the table, thanks given to God and laughs and stories of the day shared.  Reminds me of the words that I try very hard to live by:  In ALL things give thanks.  Thank you Jesus for my family and my life.