Tried and True Tuna Casserole

Once again Pioneer Woman does not disappoint. I got this one out of a Food Network magazine and it was a hit! I made it early in the morning as I was ill the night before and then shared it later that afternoon with the inlaws. I think I might just keep this recipe. Now I just need to buy some pretty casserole dishes and throw my plain ones away.

Ingredients

12 ounces wide egg noodles
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, plus extra for buttering the baking dish
1 medium onion, diced
6 ounces white button mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups warmed whole milk
1/2 cup dry sherry
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Three 6.4-ounce cans (we only found these in bags) white albacore tuna in water, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the egg noodles to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the mixture and stir so that the flour coats the onions and mushrooms thoroughly. Cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the milk and sherry and whisk to combine. Cook the sauce until it's nice and thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste and stir. Adjust the seasoning to make sure the sauce is adequately salted.

Add the tuna and stir it into the sauce. Then stir in the bell pepper and 1 tablespoon of the parsley. Stir in the noodles until they're coated. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and transfer the noodle mixture to the dish.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a bowl in the microwave; stir it around with the breadcrumbs and remaining tablespoon of parsley.
Top the casserole with the breadcrumbs and bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve piping hot with a green salad and warm crusty bread.

To make ahead: Assemble the casserole and refrigerate, unbaked, up to 24 hours before baking. Allow an extra 10 to 15 minutes of baking time if you put it in the oven cold.

Ginger Crinkle Cookies

Charlie and I love the old fashioned taste of molasses around this time of year so when I came across this recipe naturally I had to print it and try it. Loved it! The cookies were soft for days and were a big hit with friends. I used regular sugar and they still turned out fine. (I guess I didn't want to pay the extra for the turbinando - could have been all the other spending I did during the month.)

Jamie's Old-Fashioned Ginger Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 large egg

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon turbinando sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, allspice and cloves.

Add the shortening, butter and the brown and granulated sugars to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Slip in the molasses and egg and beat until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture by scoopfuls and beat until combined.

 

Add the turbinado sugar to a small plate or bowl. Roll the dough into balls that are 1 inch in diameter (1/2 ounce in weight), then roll in the sugar. Place 12 balls on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies 9 to 11 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Cool on the baking sheets for 4 minutes, then continue cooling on wire racks. Repeat with the second batch.

Notes: These cookies are nice and chewy on the inside with a nice crunch on the outside. They have a wonderfully soft texture from using both shortening and butter. When you bake these cookies your house will smell like Christmas!

Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers

This might sound super silly but there is something I always wanted to try and make and just never did until now. I am not sure why either, it is not like I have had an infactuation with this food...nor is it something I remember mom serving as a child, in fact I think the only time I have ever eaten it was out of a box from the frozen foods section. So to put it bluntly - it just plain looks fun. Maybe I just enjoy stuffing things and cooking them and taking out the stuffing is like opening a gift at Christmas? That is why I am so picky about how to make my turkey on Thanksgiving. People have tried to encourage me to fry the turkey but I can't bear to think of no stuffing! So here we are. I used a recipe from Foodnetwork.com:
Ingredients

• 4 medium green bell peppers
• 8 ounces ground pork sausage
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Essence, plus more for seasoning, click on link for recipe
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, green part only
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 4 teaspoons unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the top quarter of each bell pepper and reserve. Scoop the seeds and veins out from the inside of each pepper and discard. Set bell pepper shells aside. Remove and discard the stems from each bell pepper top. Dice enough of the bell pepper tops to make 1/2 cup. Set aside.

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, crumble and brown the sausage until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, 1/2 cup diced bell pepper, and the celery. Saute for 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the rice and mix well. Season with salt, pepper and Essence. Cook for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions and parsley. Season the insides of the bell pepper shells with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon the rice mixture into the bell peppers.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and cheese. Season with a pinch of Essence and mix well. Sprinkle the crust over each pepper. Top each crust with 1 teaspoon of butter and place the peppers into an 8-inch baking dish or pan. Add just enough water to cover the bottom, about 1/3 cup. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are crusty and brown and warmed through. Serve hot.

Lots of cutting!! Fun!

Mmm - can you smell it?

The recipe calls for 4 peppers but I couldn't find very large or tall peppers. Now that I know I will buy 6 peppers in order to use all the filling as well as cut less off the top from what the recipe says.

Stuffing the peppers - the funnest part!

Butter and bread crumb topping...mmm!

All done and cooling...

Ready to eat. The next funnest part!

I had Charlie help me with the seasonings...he did a great job and the dish turned out perfect however we both agreed we will use less Essence next time. (We didn't go with what the recipe called for and just put some in to taste...it was awesome and very what's the word for Louisiana style food - creole or cajun?) Very good! But Savannah could not enjoy it sooooo she had leftover clam chowder.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast)

From Foodnetwork.com

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Banana Walnut Bread

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 fine salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature plus a little more to prepare the pan
1 cup sugar
3 very ripe bananas, pealed and mashed with a fork
1/2 c toasted walnut pieces

Directions

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don't worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer.

With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.