How about an easy dinner, or lunch?

Gosh everynight fixing dinner, balancing a career, family, pets, well you know it all too well, the list goes on and on.  Take a night off, sort of, let's make Tuna Melt Sandwiches.  Here we go...

The Players:

It is okay to use Miracle Whip or a mayonaisse type product, just use whatever you like to use everyday.  Butter for this one, I use salted but again it is your call.

Break up the tuna with a fork especially if you are using solid white tuna in water.

Salt and pepper as desired.  Add Miracle Whip, start out with just a little, you can always add more if needed.  You want just enough to make it moist but do not over-do it, a mushy sandwich will result:

Mix ingredients well, but do not overmix, just enough is the goal.

Start preheating your grill or frying pan at this point.  Butter the slices of bread, I had white bread on hand so I used this but normally we opt for wheat bread:

Best to butter the bread to the edges as close as you can for even browning on the grill. 

Our daughter Jeniece's dog Belle was visiting us while the family vacationed in Texas.  Belle loves it when she is at our home because, well let's just say she does get treated like a "special"  dog, which of course she is.  Here she is watching me from the door of the kitchen and yes, I did make her a sandwich too.  :)

Now you can see how small my kitchen really is.  But we love this cozy home.  Not so much on the lack of counter space.

Assemble the sandwiches, butter side down:

Place sandwiches on lightly buttered pre-heated grill:

It does not take long for the sandwiches to become nice and golden. 

One more sandwich can fit on the grill and that one will be for Belle. 

A couple views of the finished sandwiches. 

Tuna Melt Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1-2 cans tuna, solid white in water preferred but use your favorite

1/2 stick of butter, divided, for buttering bread and grill or pan

salt and pepper to taste

1 slice cheddar cheese for each sandwich  (just about any cheese will do)

2-3 tabs. Miracle Whip (or mayonaisse)

Bread, your choice, white was used here, 2 slices per sandwich

Directions:

Butter one side of each slice of bread.  Get butter to corners for even browning of bread.

Open can(s) of tuna, drain water, or oil from can.  Place the tuna in a bowl for mixing. Salt and pepper the tuna, mix. 

Add Miracle Whip to tuna, salt and pepper mixture.  Start out with a small amount, you can always add more, hard to take out if too much is added.  You want the mixture to be moistened but not overly moist or a soggy sandwich will result.  Mix but do not overmix.

At this point, pre-heat grill to high.  Adjust heat as necessary but for my grill I keep it on high. 

Assemble the sandwiches, butter side to the outside.  Add tuna to one side of bread, top with cheese.  Add second piece of bread to close sandwich.  Try to keep things as even as possible within the sandwich, in other words you do not want the cheese to slide off on the grill.

Place sandwich onto pre-heated grill.  A guesstimate for browning is under 5 minutes.  Keep an eye on the sandwiches, if they brown up too quickly but you can see the cheese is not melting much, then lower heat and continue grilling.  This way sandwich will not get too brown and cheese will have time to melt.  Turn sandwiches when they are nice and golden.  Allow time for the second side of the sandwich to brown and the cheese to melt, or "set-up".

Remove from grill, serve with a side of potato chips and pickles, even some cole slaw or potato salad works well with these sandwiches. 

Optional idea: In place of the tuna you can use ham, these sandwiches are equally as good, in my opinon.  If you use the thinner sliced deli ham use two slices, folded next to each other.

Enjoy!

Evelyn

Spaghetti & Chicken Strips

Hi Friends,

I hope everyone is enjoying a great Valentine's Day!  Tonight we are having crab legs with corn on the cob and all the trimmings we love with this meal.  But for tonight's recipe it is a spaghetti sauce, made for the first time by myself and chicken strips, purchased from Sam's Club; they are good though.  The kids like them and the spaghetti sauce although very easy to make is surprisingly good.  The spaghetti sauce recipe was adapted from a smitten kitchen recipe. 

Here we go:

The Players:

No, I did not miss anything, the sauce is super simply but quite good.  Chicken strips are from Sam's Club. 

The canned tomatoes are added to the pot along with a medium onion cut in half, as well as the butter.  Easy peasy.

This is how the chicken strips come, they are raw so must be cooked, not just thawed and eaten. Follow package directions.

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. 

All done and ready to enjoy... 

Ingredients:
1 package chicken strips, aproximately 18-20 in package
Spaghetti; appropriate amount for number of persons being served
6 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted will work
1- 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
1 medium onion, halved
salt and pepper, if needed

Recipe:
Place whole tomatoes in pot, crushing on side of pot with back of spoon as they cook and soften.  Add butter and onion that has been cut in half.  Bring ingredients to a boil, over medium heat.  When sauce boils gently, reduce heat to medium low and allow sauce to simmer gently for 45 minutes.  Stir sauce occasionally.

Meanwhile cook chicken stips in oven on cookie as package directs, until done. 

Cook spaghetti when aproximately half way through the sauce simmering time.  Prepare according to package directions.  Drain, keep warm.

When sauce is done, remove the onion.  Add salt and pepper if needed, taste first, remember the canned tomatoes have added salt.

Add sauce to spaghetti on individual plates, serve with chicken strips, adding sauce to the chicken strips is also good. 

Serve with a glass of wine and some warm, crusty,  Italian bread.

Enjoy!

Evelyn

After what we are estimating to be 12" of snow, it is soup time....

A nice warm bowl of soup was waiting for my husband after he "braved the elements" as they say, and cleared off our driveway of about a foot of snow.  As I look out the window this afternoon I do see some stray snowflakes falling even now a day later. 

Time for some:

Chicken Noodle & Vegetable Soup

As I have mentioned before and you will see here, I do take advantage of short-cuts, one, if time is short and two, if they are just plain good, so why try and duplicate with all the fuss and work involved.  Shown here are a few examples of my doing just that:

I have always loved a soup starter per se.  A lot of the seasoning has been done for you and those little extras are taken care, plus I am sure there are probably enough preservatives in there to make the kids think it is from the local fast-food chain and they will love it.  Just kidding.  I really do not know about the preservatives but I do think they just might like this one.

I used the left-over turkey and bones but a deli chicken, some plain chicken pieces or any poultry will work here.  Try to make sure a bone or two is in there, even the chicken or turkey neck is great in this case.  It will enhance the flavors, you will discard before serving of course.

Add the turkey, or chicken to the broth mixture, whole, intact, this will be removed later:

Here is my honey or "sous chef", preparing the vegetables for me.  He is paid well, trust me.  :)

He does such good work doesn't he?

Add the vegetables to the soup pot:

Remove the turkey bones and all, from the soup, allow to cool; cut to spoon/soup size pieces:

Return turkey pieces to soup pot; simmer:

Mix everything well, allow to simmer for at about one hour, until vegetables are fork-tender:

This is also the time to add any vegetables that are already cooked i.e. left over corn, green beans etc..

Warm the soup bowls in the microwave, serve soup in the nicely warmed bowls:

Once again here we are adding another view:

Chicken Noodle and Vegetable Soup

The Players:

1 left-over turkey, with meat still attached and bones in place or

1 deli rotisserie chicken or left over poultry of your choice

1 32 oz. box of Progresso Chicken Broth

1 Bear Creek soup mix or any favorite soup starter type product (pictured is Chicken Noodle)

1 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. pepper

garlic and onion powders

3 stalks celery, wash and cut into bite size pieces

3-4 carrots, wash, ends removed, scraped and cut into bite size pieces

1 small onion, diced

any left over vegetables you feel like adding i.e. corn, green beans, white beans (a little of each will work too)

8 cups of water, more may be necessary as simmering may reduce amount of liquid

Noodles and/or rice, uncooked (will cook in soup)

Optional: add rice, additional noodles or macaroni when you add the left-over vegetables.  If you plan on freezing left-over soup, keep noodles separate as these will absorb all the broth.

Just make noodles the same day as you plan on serving the soup.  If noodles are in soup starter this will be just fine, it is the extra noodles that will absorb so much of the broth.  Is this clear as mud?

Instructions:

Place whole turkey carcass, or deli-rotisserie chicken in soup pot, over medium high heat on stove.  Cover with 8 cups of water, add soup starter mix and box of Progresso chicken stock.  Begin to simmer.

Add onion and vegetables to pot.

Add spices; sprinkle in onion and garlic powders to taste, add salt and pepper. Stir well.

Reserve any pre-cooked vegetables until later.

Bring soup to a gentle boil, reduce heat to medium low or low, allowing soup to simmer and vegetables to cook or at least one hour. 

When vegetables are fork-tender, remove turkey meat and bones to a cutting board, allow to cool until easy to handle.  Remove meat from bones, cut into bite sized pieces.  Return meat to pot, discard bones.

Add any pre-cooked vegetables to pot to heat through.  If using left-over vegetables that are frozen add at the same time, these will cook up quickly.  We save any left-over vegetable by putting them in small snack size storage bags, placing them in the freezer to be used later on soup day.  Also add any extra noodles or rice if you so desire, at this point.

Allow soup to simmer for about 10-15 more minutes. 

Place soup bowls in the microwave for a few seconds, to warm.  Add hot soup. 

Serve.

Any left-over soup can be frozen for another meal. 

Enjoy! 

Keep warm!

This should help a little bit. 

Evelyn

An Italian Family Favorite

Hi Friends,

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, I guess the Saints just won the game. wow, good for them, good for their city. 

Today's recipe is a classic for this family.  It has just a few steps but it is worth the trouble.  Here we go....

Chicken Cacciatore

Here is what you will need:

Shown here are some halved chicken breasts, you can use any chicken that you may already have on hand, including skinless, boneless chicken.

Very easy in that you pre-cook, if that is a word, the chicken pieces in the microwave.  Add to the sauce ingredients:

Simmer all ingredients for at least one hour so all the spices and flavors blend. Sauce will be a thin sauce.  If you use the recipe as much as we do here, I hope your recipe sheet looks as good or as bad, beauty is in the eye of the beholder in this case:

Yes, that is my cookbook an old cookbook my Mom gave me just before I got married 43 years ago. I believe I dated the cookbook for 1967.  Whew, long time ago.  But, you can see the page is well-worn.

All plated up:

Now for the details:

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

2  2 1/2-3 lb. chicken broiler/fryers, cut up or about 5 split chicken breast pieces

1 cup minced onion

2/3 cup minced green pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1  1 lb. 13 oz. can whole tomatoes (3 1/2 cups)

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 cup wine (red)

2 3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. thyme

dash cayenne pepper

1 box Spaghetti

Instructions:

Rinse and pat dry chicken pieces.  Place on microwave safe platter and microwave aproximately 10 minutes, until juices are almost clear.  Do not over cook chicken pieces as they will finish cooking in the sauce. 

Add onions, green pepper, spices, tomatoes, tomato sauce & wine to a large dutch oven or pot.  Stir well. 

When chicken pieces are finished in the microwave add to the sauce in the pot.   Simmer uncovered for aproximately one hour, until chicken pieces are fork tender. 

While sauce is simmering, cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Transfer chicken cacciatore to serving platter.  Pour sauce over all, serve over spaghetti.  Add parmesan cheese to individual plates as preferred.

Enjoy!

Evelyn

Did someone say Blueberry Muffins would be nice...

Maybe it was me?  It is Saturday afterall so time to make a little something extra nice today.  These are not your usual from the box muffins.  Filled to the max with fresh (or frozen) blueberries, topped with a crunchy, sugary topping mmmmmm delish.  I am using an adaptation of a blueberry muffin recipe from an old Woman's Day magazine.  Like from the 80's people. Whew that is old. 

Here is what you will need:

Plus salt.  oops I forgot to add the salt to the photo. Also, shown is unsalted butter which is fine but, I normally use salted butter in this recipe. 

Mix all dry ingredients together in a big bowl, mix, then add blueberries:

Add the blueberries to the dry ingredients and mix to coat blueberries:

Add the melted butter/egg/milk mixture to the dry ingredients:

Mix just enough to have everything combined, do not overmix this batter:

Spray muffin tins with a cooking spray (or grease with oil or use cupcake papers), fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Top with sugar and melted butter combination and bake:

Bake until lightly golden brown on tops:

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tab. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, rinsed

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 tabs. sugar (for garnish)

1/4 cup melted butter (for garnish)

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

The How To:

In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.  Add blueberries, stir to coat evenly. 

In a small bowl, beat eggs with a fork; beat in milk and melted butter, add to dry ingredients, stir until blended.

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray or grease muffin tins. 

Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. 

Optional topping: Mix melted butter and sugar to a sand-like consistency, adding more sugar as needed to achieve this consistency.  Top each muffin with sugar mixture if desired.  Or top each muffin with sliced almonds.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Yield: 36 miniature muffins or 12 regular size muffins or 3-8 jumbo muffins.

Enjoy!

Evelyn

It's Friday must be Tuna and Noodle night?

Hi Friends,

When we were kids we got to pick what we would have for our birthday dinner.  Being a family of 12 this was no small feat when the "boys" would place their order but for me (and a couple sisters), it was Tuna and Noodles all the way.  I still think about this when I fix for my family now.

Here is what you will need:

Yes, there are cinnamon rolls there too.  We are a strange lot here but this is what I make when we have tuna and noodles.  Guess it is the sweet and salty thing.  Funny thing is no one here thinks it is strange or complains.  It is just the way it is.  You can skip this part, but why? 

The Prep, step by step:  (did I make a rhyme? Unintentional for sure, next I will break into reciting old knock-knock jokes.

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain and return to dutch oven, or pour into a casserole dish.  Add tuna, salt and pepper, onion and garlic powder if using, mix.

Add the cream of mushroom soup, mix to coat noodles and tuna.  At this point you can add peas if you wish.  We prefer them on the side unless they are the petite peas, then in they go.

Add bread crumbs to top of casserole, or, if you dare, do like my Mom does, add potato chips, just regular old  chips, drizzle the bread crumbs or the chips with melted butter.  This just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?  Could this be a small carb overload?  Oh well, take a nap later.  This casserole has tuna in it for goodness sakes, it should be good for you, right?  So go ahead and take the nap. 

Look at that action shot! 

All mixed up and ready for the oven.

This might be the real reason you will feel like a nap after dinner.  I want one of those now. 

And another view:

John loves this, I plate up his plate for the photo, he shoots a quick photo then he is off to the table to eat.  I am just figuring this one out, call me slow but no wonder he likes being the photographer.   Two shots here because he was not sure he liked having the fork in the photo.  So what does he do?  Yep, he added more food to his plate and took the fork away.  Yes, girls he is all mine. 

Ingredients:

1 bag flat egg noodles

3 cans of tuna, solid white tuna in water or chunk light tuna in water

3 cans cream of mushroom soup

1/3 cup milk

salt and pepper

the usual subjects: garlic powder and onion powder (opt.)

bread crumbs, plain here but seasoned crumbs work too, if you prefer

1/2 stick melted butter

1 tube of Grands cinnamon rolls (opt.)

The How-To:

Prepare noodles according to package directions.  Drain and place in casserole dish or return to dutch oven.  Add tuna, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders to taste. Mix.  

Add cream of mushroom soups, mix well.  Add peas at this time but mix gently so they do not break up.  Add a small amount of milk if casserole seems too thick.  Stir to mix again. 

Melt butter in microwave or on stove.  Sprinkle on bread crumbs or potato chips, drizzle with melted butter.  Do not mix again this is the topping. 

Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until bubbly.

While casserole is baking prepare the cinnamon rolls according to package directions.  I place them on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan on the top shelf in oven while casserole is baking.  Make sure to watch the rolls as they will bake up quicker on the top shelf. 

Serve with a vegetable, or if peas are used in the casserole, you are set. 

Enjoy my version of this old classic!

Evelyn