Tuna Casserole

Years and years ago we used to get together on a regular basis with friends and have Trivial Pursuit championships - to give you some idea of how long ago I'm talking about, we used to have the 1988 version of the board game!  During these, sometimes very competitive, games we would either order in pizza or on occasion we would make a delicious tuna casserole that everyone loved and would be more than happy with second helpings.  Now, all these years later, I have absolutely no idea of the exact ingredients or quantities that went into it and I can't find the recipe anywhere :o(

So here I am, starting from scratch to find a tuna casserole that lives up to our wonderful memories - or at least one that comes close - and this one is wonderfully creamy with a little spice kick (which we love), so I think we might have a new winner :o)

Tuna Casserole
6-8 servings

2 cups dried pasta (penne or elbow)
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tsp dried garlic (or 1 clove, chopped)
2 cans (284ml) condensed mushroom soup
2 cans (170g) tuna chunks in water (1 drained, 1 undrained)
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cheese, grated (divided) - I used a nacho mix
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can French's fried onions

• preheat the oven to 400 F.
• cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water until just under al dente; drain and toss in a splash of olive oil to stop the pasta from sticking together.
• heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan or frying pan over medium-high heat, and saute the onion and garlic until softened;  set aside.
• in a large mixing bowl put the onion/garlic mixture and all the other ingredients, except 1 cup of grated  cheese and the can of French's fried onion.  Mix everything well to combine.
• add the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly.
• divide the mixture between two casserole dishes that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
• open the can of French's fried onion and pour into a small ziploc bag - crush until they're the consistency of breadcrumbs..
• sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese and the crushed fried onions evenly over the casseroles.
• bake for 20-30 minutes until the cheese has melted and the edges are bubbling.

 Tuna Casserole ingredients.

as the pasta is boiling, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil.

place all other ingredients (except 1 cup of grated cheese and fried onions) into a large bowl....

 ....and mix well.

add the 'soup' mixture to the pasta and combine.

put into two casserole dishes and sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese and crushed fried onions.

bake until golden brown and bubbling.

deliciousness in a bowl :o)

Pork Chops in Red Sauce

I can't believe that I'm going back on my comment from the last post already!!
Here I was thinking that I wouldn't have time this week to feed my hubby anything but cookies, treats and take-out, and what do I do?  I cook him pork chops!!!  He's soooo spoilt (only joking honey ;o)

It's not as if I slaved over a hot stove all afternoon to get these chops on the plate - it's a simple yet very delicious way to serve pork chops.  They come out so unbelievably tender you almost don't need a knife to cut them.

Pork Chops in Red Sauce
serves 2

2 large pork chops (or 4 small)
1 onion, sliced
1 cube beef bouillon
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp mesquite seasoning
1 can condensed tomato soup
pinch salt & pepper

• preheat the oven to 375 F.
• in a medium bowl dissolve the beef bouillon cube in the hot water.
• once the cube has dissolved completely, add the garlic powder, mesquite seasoning, soup, salt and pepper; mix well and set aside.
• place the pork chops in a baking / casserole dish and cover with the sliced onion.
• pour the tomato mix over the chops to cover them completely.
• cover the baking dish with either a lid (if you have one) or aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour.
• these are great served with practically anything, rice, noodles, potatoes - whatever you have a hankering for.

 Pork Chops in Red Sauce ingredients.

dissolve the beef bouillon cube in the hot water.

mix in all the other sauce ingredients.

cover the pork chops with the sliced onion.

pour the sauce over to completely cover the chops.

after an hour of cooking it almost falls from the bone.

tonight I served them with these potatoes.

Steak in Mushroom Sauce

There are two easy ways to heat our little cottage on these cold, wintry days.  Our wonderful wood burning stove with our pile of fir and cedar logs, or as I used today, having the oven on for about 6 hours straight - I had both going at one point and if it wasn't for the occasional pile of lingering snow outside (which I can see from my kitchen window), I would of thought I was on some desert island on the equator!!

I started off making the berry-licious sour cream berry muffins, and then had this steak dish in the oven for five hours on a low heat so that the meat came out melt-in-the-mouth fork tender with a rich brown gravy.  It only has simple ingredients but it definitely tastes like a lot more effort went into it.  I served it with some roasted asparagus and 'Crash Hot Potatoes' from The Pioneer Woman's website (if you haven't checked out her website go now, she's awesome - well, after you've checked out all of mine of course :o)

Steak in Mushroom Sauce
serves 4

2 lbs round or sirloin steaks (cut into serving sizes)
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 can condensed mushroom soup
1/2 can water
1 tsp dried garlic (or 1 clove, chopped)
salt and pepper

• preheat the oven to 300 F.
• place the steak in a casserole dish.
• sprinkle the dry onion soup mix over the meat.
• in a small bowl mix the can of mushroom soup with the water and pour evenly over the meat.
• cover and bake for 5 hours.

 Steak with Mushroom Sauce ingredients.

sprinkle the dry onion soup mix over the meat in a casserole dish.

mix the mushroom soup, water, garlic and seasoning in a small bowl.

pour the wet ingredients over the meat and cover.

after five hours it's browned and thickened and delicious :)

I served it with some simple roasted asparagus - tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, and baked alongside 'Crash Hot Potatoes'.

 it didn't take a fraction of the time to eat it as it did to cook it :o)

Zucchini-Sausage Casserole

I love the concept of 'one-dish' cooking (that's probably why I have not one, but two slow cookers in my cupboard!), so when I saw a magazine by Better Homes and Gardens entitled 'One-Pan Recipes' at the grocery store the other day, you can bet I was leaning over my trolley to grab it from that shelf they put deliberately alongside the till, just for that impulse buyer (ie: me :o)

I do have one small criticism about this first recipe that I tried from the magazine, although maybe that's my own pre-conceived notions about what 'one-pan' really means.  For me, like most of my slow cooker recipes, I just want to throw everything into the dish, pop on the lid, turn it on, and leave it - and ultimately (apart from the plates/dishes I serve it in), I only have the one dish to wash up.  With this zucchini dish, aside from the dish I baked it in, I also had another two bowls and a skillet - that's just me though!! :o)

I altered the quantities of ingredients just a little and added garlic (only because I use garlic in as many dishes as I can), just for my own personal taste.

Zucchini-Sausage Casserole
serves 4

500g sausage meat (I used italian sausage, and just took the meat out of the skins)
1 tsp dried garlic (or 1 large clove, chopped)
1 medium zucchini
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed chicken soup
3 Tbs sour cream
salt and pepper
1 package Stove-Top stuffing mix
1 Tbs butter, melted

• preheat oven to 350 F.
• lightly grease a 13" x 8" deep dish and set aside.
• in a bowl, empty the stuffing mix and mix with the melted butter until well combined; set aside.
• in a large skillet, cook the sausage and garlic over medium heat until the meat is browned; drain off any fat.
• meanwhile, half the zucchini lengthwise and slice crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces.
• add the zucchini to the sausage in the skillet, and fry slightly until beginning to colour.
• in a small bowl combine the chicken soup and sour cream; stir into the sausage mixture.
• spoon half of the stuffing mixture into the prepared baking dish.
• spread sausage mixture over the stuffing in the dish, and spoon the remaining stuffing mix evenly over the top.
• cover with foil and bake until heated through - about 30 minutes.

 Zucchini-Sausage Casserole ingredients

 greased baking dish, stuffing topping and chicken soup mix.

I didn't have any bulk sausage meat, but just take the skins off of your favourite sausage and that works great.

don't slice the zucchini too thinly - you want them to still have a little 'bite' to them once they're cooked.

I didn't saute the zucchinis for very long, just enough to get a little colour.

add the chicken soup/sour cream mixture

spread half of the stuffing mix on the bottom, then the sausage and then remainder of the stuffing to make a crispy topping.

I popped a quick dish of roasted tomatoes in the oven alongside.

(just half some cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and italian seasoning - roast at the same temperature and same time as the zucchini-sausage casserole.)

 simple and tasty.

Chicken Casserole with Biscuits

Everyone should have at least one recipe in their repertoire that requires the absolute minimum of preparation, using ingredients that will probably already be in your fridge, freezer or pantry.  Just for those days when the least amount of effort for a huge and tasty payoff is required.  This one is even cooked in the slow cooker, so even better.

This is mine.....
(By all means, if you have the time or inclination, please, please make your own biscuit dough for the topping, but I'm more than happy with using those tube biscuits - like I said, 'minimum preparation'!! :o)

Chicken Casserole with Biscuits
6 servings

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbs butter, softened
1 onion, sliced
1 can condensed chicken soup
1 can condensed mushroom soup
1-2 tbs dried garlic (or 1-2 cloves, chopped - but that was just too much effort today :o)
2 Tbs chicken seasoning
pinch salt & pepper
vegetable stock
1 tube refrigerator biscuits

• in a 4-6 quart slow cooker, combine the chicken breasts, butter, onion, soups, garlic, chicken seasoning and salt and pepper; pour in enough vegetable stock to almost cover the chicken, and mix well.
• cover and cook on LOW heat for 4 hours.
• remove the chicken breasts and chop into bite size pieces; return to the slow cooker and mix well, check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• break each biscuit in half and arrange across the top of the casserole, sinking them into the sauce slightly.
• turn the heat to HIGH, and cook for a further 1.5 - 2 hours, until the biscuits are puffed up and golden.

 Chicken Casserole with Biscuits ingredients.

this is about the hardest of the prep work that you'll have, apart from opening a few cans ;o)

I just love the concept of throwing everything in the slow cooker and leaving it to do it's own thing - ingenious!

mix everything up well.

I didn't even use a knife to cut the chicken, just the spoon that I was going to mix it back into the sauce with - it's soooo tender.

I always jump at the 'pop' as the tube explodes open - I usually expect them to fly across the room!!

tear the biscuits in half and submerge them slightly in the sauce.  Don't worry if you think the sauce is a little too 'liquidy' at this stage - the biscuits will soak some of that up as they bake.

the biscuits puff together and are wonderfully moist.

if, like today, I wanted as little work as possible I make ours pretty basic, but on occasion I'll add some frozen vegetables (peas, corn, green beans - whatever's handy) just before I put the biscuit topping on and it's delicious that way too.