Tuna Casserole

My paternal grandmother taught me most of what I know about cooking. She always enjoyed cooking, and was always really good at it. She also gave me lots of recipes, from fast and easy to a bit more elaborate and time consuming.

This tuna casserole is one of the fast and easy ones, but it’s delicious. It comes together fast, is very inexpensive to make, consists of things that usually seem to on hand in the kitchen, and is total comfort food. I did make a couple of changes to her recipe, so I’ll give it to you both ways. Do with it what you will.


Tuna Casserole:

12 oz. package of egg noodles, cooked for least amount of time per package instructions, and drained

5 oz. can tuna, drained and flaked

2 cups shredded mozzarella OR Swiss cheese

1 cup Miracle Whip OR mayonnaise

1/4 - ½ cup breadcrumbs, divided

Butter, for greasing the pan

Combine tuna, egg noodles, cheese, and Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise) in a large mixing bowl.

Generously butter a square baking dish. Coat baking dish with breadcrumbs.

Spread tuna mixture evenly into baking dish. Top with remaining breadcrumbs.

Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes, or until the top begins to turn a nice golden brown.


Enjoy!

My grandmother’s version uses Swiss cheese and mayonnaise. I hate Swiss cheese! I think it smells disgusting, and tastes worse. So I always use mozzarella cheese when I make it. My grandmother’s recipe uses mayonnaise. I’m not a huge fan of mayonnaise, so I usually use Miracle Whip, largely because it’s what I usually have on hand. I like it with mayonnaise as well, just no Swiss cheese! It’s basically a matter of personal preference, and what you have on hand.

The recipe is so easy that I rarely measure the cheese or breadcrumbs anymore. I just go with what looks right. It always comes out good!

Pumpkin Pie In June

Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite desserts.  It probably is my favorite dessert to have at home.  I don’t think it’s just for Thanksgiving; apparently most people disagree.

Yesterday was one of those days where you just really want comfort food.  I don’t eat chocolate, I don’t like it.  So that leaves me with a slightly different definition of comfort food.  Pumpkin pie is one of my go to comfort foods. 

I went to the grocery store after work for some other things and decided I would pick up a pumpkin pie from the frozen section rather than taking the time to make a home-made one.  There wasn’t a single pumpkin pie to be found in the frozen section!  Not one!  I couldn’t believe it.  I realized I wouldn’t find a pumpkin pie in the fresh bakery section.  I do understand that this isn’t the time of year when most people are thinking pumpkin pie.  But I thought surely I would find one in the frozen section.  That’s kind of the point to frozen foods isn’t it?  So you can have what you want, when you want it?

My husband was nice enough to stop at a different grocery store on his way from work, and ran into the same thing.  There was no pumpkin pie to be found anywhere.

Fortunately I tend to stock up on canned pumpkin around Thanksgiving when it’s on sale, so I was able to make a pumpkin pie last night.  I used my grandmother’s recipe and it was delicious.  A pumpkin pie in June did greatly improve my day.

Here’s the recipe, just in case you’d like your own pumpkin pie:

¾ cup sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

2 eggs

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1 can (12 oz) Evaporated Milk

1 unbaked 9 inch deep dish pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl.  Beat eggs in a large bowl, stir in pumpkin, sugar/spice mixture.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk.  Sprinkle bottom of pie shell generously with cinnamon.  Pour mixture into pie shell; sprinkle generously with cinnamon.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.