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Tuna Noodle Casserole with Parmesan Base

Ingredients:

2 cups egg noodles

2 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 stick butter

2 oz cream cheese

1 cup peas

1 cup parmesan cheese grated

1 can albacore tunafish drained

(Optional: instead of 1 cup peas, you can do 1/2 cup of peas and a 1/2 cup of diced carrots)

Makes two servings.

First off, I have to admit that I had an absolute love for Betty Crocker’s classic tuna noodle growing up. It was my favorite food that I always got on my birthday, and was easy for me to make myself as a teenager. Then, after years of this addiction, they changed their recipe. I was pretty sad about that, and turned to hard copies and virtual copies of tuna noodle recipes to get that same flavor. However, I quickly realized that practically every recipe I ran into called for cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup. This never created the same taste as I remembered my favorite meal having. Thus, my own version of what I thought a tuna noodle casserole should taste like. I think the secret is in making an alfredo sauce instead of using the condensed soup route (not that that is a bad thing, but it wasn’t the flavor I was looking for).

Tuna Noodle Base

To start this recipe, we begin with the milk, heavy cream, butter, and cream cheese in a sauce pan. Bring to almost a light boil while whisking to help dissolve the cream cheese.

Noodles, peas, and tuna fish

Once the cream cheese is blended and the liquid contents are almost to a boil, add the egg noodles, peas, and tuna fish. Cook until your noodles are el dente by covering the saucepan with a lid, and turning the heat down to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Lastly, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the parmesan cheese. Use your whisk to mix in the cheese. It is important to not add the parmesan cheese too early because the cheese will curd instead of being a smooth texture. You may get tuna fish, noodles, and peas in the whisk while doing this. That is okay. You can give your whisk a tap on the side of your saucepan and they will fall right out of your whisk.

Added in the parmesan

Now, it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. If you’d like, you can sprinkle a little more parmesan on your portion of tuna noodle casserole before serving.

Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed my version of a classical tasting Betty Crocker tuna noodle. 🙂

Lime Ginger Mint Sauce

Today’s recipe is for a sauce which is very refreshing and easy to make. It can be used for fruit salads as well as a sweet companion to your favorite alcoholic beverage.

Why not try it for your next summer party?

LIME GINGER MINT SAUCE

Ingredients
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 c Water

One lime zested and juiced
1/2 t Fresh Ginger, grated

1 T Fresh mint, minced

Instructions
Combine the sugar and water. Microwave on high for 30 seconds then stir until dissolved. Place in refrigerator to cool.

When cool, add lime zest, lime juice, and grated ginger.

When ready to use, add mint.

An excellent use is to pour over freshly cut melon and serve as a refreshing summer desert.

Pork Chops with Pineapple Mustard Sauce

Weekends are special around our home. That is a time when we try new dishes and new twists on existing ones.

This weekend I prepared Pork Chops on the grill and ate them with two dishes a friend prepared: Rustic Roasted Garden Vegetables and “Turnover Salad.”

Before grilling, the Pork Chops were brought to room temperature and seasoned with salt, ground pepper, garlic powder, and rubbed sage. The way to add sage to a dish is pour it out in your hands and rub your hands together over the dish allowing the sage to drop down seasoning the chops.

What makes this dish special is the sauce.

PINEAPPLE MUSTARD SAUCE

Ingredients
1 c Pineapple pieces
1/3 c Mustard, spicy
2 t Sugar

Instructions
Place pineapple pieces in food processor and process until liquefied (I used my Ninja). Place liquefied pineapple in small pot with mustard and sugar and heat thoroughly. Spoon over grilled Pork Chops and Serve.

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Now that the Thanksgiving Holiday is over, most people are usually tired by this time of Turkey, stuffing, and all the variations that can be made with the leftovers. So, I thought this would be a prime time to serve some of my Homemade Pasta Sauce. I am actually making this ahead for a party tomorrow, so after is has simmered I will cool it properly, place it in a storage container, and refrigerate it until tomorrow evening.

This is a sauce you can make ahead of time so it will be ready when you need it. You can store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze it for reheating the next time you want pasta – no need to purchase those expensive jars of ready made pasta sauce. Plus it tastes much better and is healthier, without the addition of any preservative chemicals. It can be used with a variety of pastas, including spaghetti, or as a sauce in your next Lasagna.

For this dish the pasta I will be using is Farfelle. Farfelle (the plural of farfalla, an Italian word) literally means Butterflies and are named this because the shape of the pasta looks like Butterflies. In the U. S. we know this shape pasta as “Bow Tie” for its resemblance to (you got it) bow ties. Because of its shape, farfelle pasta is good for holding the sauce in its folds.

For added interest and flavor I selected a farfalle that is multi colored with shapes not only the color of regular pasta, but also having green and redish pieces. The green shapes are flavored and colored with spinach. The redish shapes are flavored and colored with tomatoes.

Here is the recipe:

HOMEMADE PASTA SAUCE

Ingredients
6 T Olive oil
1 Large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

2 lb. Ground pork

2 Cans Crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
4 Cans Tomato paste (6 oz.)

2 T Sugar
4 t Salt, Kosher
2 t Oregano, dried
2 t Basil, dried
1 t Black pepper

Instructions
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onion in olive oil until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and heat thoroughly. Next brown the ground pork with the onions and garlic. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

If not using immediately, you can quickly cool the sauce by spreading it out in thin layers under a fan. The goal is to bring the sauce to room temperature within 30 minutes. Then place it in containers, and refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to use it.

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