Stove Top Tuna and Noodles

Do certain foods take you back in time? Is there a dish that takes you back to the past? I can recall lots of dishes from my childhood. Tuna and noodles is one meal that I remember vividly and even learned how to make at a young age by watching my mom. There never was a written recipe, just a little of this and a little of that style of cooking. 
When I was growing up I can remember my dad coming home on his lunch break. He worked outdoors and when he would come home on a steaming hot summer day he would sit right in front of the window air conditioner and let the cold air blast. My mom would make this stove top tuna and noodles for the entire family and we would devour it. It was absolutely wonderful.
I still enjoy making this dish, and my daughter loves it! I hope that when she is old enough she can learn how to make it, too. Here is the recipe for my family's famous stove top tuna and noodles.

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 - 5 ounce can tuna in water
1 1/2 cups dry small shell pasta (the really small ones, sometimes they are called salad shells)
salt and pepper, to taste
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once it is melted, add the flour and cook through until it is bubbly. Add the milk and stir until it thickens. Lower the heat and add the tuna, salt, and pepper. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to directions on the package. Drain the pasta and add it to the tuna sauce. Serve with crushed ridged potato chips. We always used Ruffles. I can still remember the fun of getting to crush them with our hands over our food.

And that's it! It's that easy!  No baking, no waiting, and just a few simple ingredients! So make some today and enjoy!

Vegetable Tortellini Soup

I have another soup recipe for you, my friends! Full of vegetables and pasta, this soup has tons of flavor to warm up any cold winter day. There are no leftovers when I make this soup. Even my picky eater loves the tender pasta in this one. Serve with garlic bread and enjoy!

Vegetable Tortellini Soup
1 pound Ground Hamburger
3 cloves Garlic
½ cups Chopped Onion
½ teaspoons Pepper Or To Taste
1 teaspoon Salt, Or To Taste
1 cup Green Pepper, Chopped
1 cup Cut Green Beans
½ cups Chopped Carrots
1 cups Corn
1 - 14-½ ounce can Kidney Beans
1 envelope Italian Dressing Mix (0.7 ounce)
2 quarts Crushed Tomatoes (I used my canned tomatoes)
6 cups Beef Broth
2 boxes Cheese Tortellini (I used 7 ounce boxes)
Brown hamburger in a large pot with the onion and garlic. 

Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the tortellini. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. 

Add the tortellini and cook until the pasta is tender. Some additional water or broth may be added if needed.

You can print this recipe here!

White Chicken Chili

It's national soup month and we sure have had our share of yummy soups lately! I try to add new soups to my recipe box but this white chicken chili is a super favorite around here! I love that I can adjust how spicy it is and the creaminess of the broth. Try this chili and it will be one of your favorite soups, too! I promise!

White Chicken Chili
1 1/2 pounds cubed chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups chicken broth
4 ounce can chopped green chilies
2 can northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
Heat oil in a big pan. Add the chicken, onion, and garlic and cook until chicken is cooked through. Add the chicken broth, beans, chilies, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add sour cream and heavy cream. Mix through and serve.

You can print the recipe here!

Buttermilk Pancakes

This morning marked the beginning of our holiday season. Our elf, Alfie, made his first appearance. We put up our Christmas tree. I set out our nativity scene. And I made homemade buttermilk pancakes. We love pancakes at my house. LOVE them. My daughter asks for them every weekend. This recipe makes pancakes that are a little thinner than your traditional fat, fluffy pancakes. They also have a slight tang from the buttermilk that makes them extra special. Just the way that we like them!

Buttermilk Pancakes
2 cups flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups regular milk
Mix all the ingredients together. Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, warm up your griddle. I use an electric griddle at 350 degrees.

 Using a 1/3 measuring cup, pour the batter onto the griddle. I use slightly less than the full 1/3 cup.

Cook for about 1-2 minutes on the first side, or until the pancakes start to bubble and the edges start to look dry.

Flip over and cook for about 1-2 minutes longer.

Remove from the griddle and butter right away. Stack them on one top of the other so that the bottoms of the pancakes will soak up a little butter from the pancake underneath of it. 

 Isn't this the most delicious stack you've ever seen? So buttery. So thin. So tangy. And so yummy. Just add syrup!

I get about 2 dozen pancakes when I make this recipe. The leftovers freeze very well. Just wrap each pancake individually in a sandwich baggie, put them all in one big freezer baggie, and freeze. They warm up well in the microwave. In about 30 to 60 seconds you can enjoy the yummy goodness all over again.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I was awake very early this morning with a sick child. What do you do when your child falls back asleep but your are too worried about them to fall asleep yourself? Bake these amazing muffins from Two Maids a Milking. Seriously, they are delicious.

You can find the original recipe here. I doubled the recipe, used 1 15 ounce can of pumpkin, and used about 1 3/4 cup chocolate chips.

These are so yummy! Make them today!

Fresh Tomato Goulash

My husband had a great little garden this year. He grew jalapenos, sweet corn, banana peppers, radishes, and of course tomatoes. He says there is nothing better than a garden fresh tomato. I don't particularly care for fresh tomatoes, but I love to prepare them in dishes, such as my fresh tomato goulash. This goulash has that great fresh tomato taste with a bit of garlic and pepper. Just the way we like it!

Fresh Tomato Goulash
garden tomatoes, about as many in the picture
fresh garlic, to taste (I used 2 cloves)
diced onion, to taste (I used about an inch thick slice from a medium onion)
ground beef, about a half to a full pound
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
butter, about 2-3 tablespoons
elbow macaroni, about 1 1/2 - 2 cups dry

(Can you tell I don't measure much when it comes to certain dishes?)

In a large pot, boil some water. Dip your tomatoes in for about 30-45 seconds. Transfer immediately to cold water. This will make your tomatoes easy to peel.

Peel and crush your tomatoes. You can leave them chunky for the goulash or blend them to make them smooth, like I did.

Simmer your tomatoes with the butter, salt and pepper on medium low heat for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown your hamburger with the garlic and onion. I used 2 cloves of garlic and an inch thick slice of onion.

Cook your macaroni according to package directions.

Add your cooked hamburger and macaroni to the tomatoes.

Enjoy! This goulash is sure to please everyone.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

We LOVE pizza at my house. We love it so much that we have Friday Night Pizza Nights just about every Friday. I try new recipes or stick to our old favorite traditional recipe. Whatever we choose, it is great to have the good eats and the family time. Here is a recipe inspired by an Italian favorite, a classic alfredo. With chicken and a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, it is sure to be one of your family favorites, too!

Chicken Alfredo Pizza
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
2-3 TBSP olive oil
alfredo sauce
mozzarella cheese
cheddar cheese
optional toppings (roasted red pepper, broccoli)
pizza crust (you can find my recipe here)

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Meanwhile, chop the chicken breasts up into small chunks and add them to the pan. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Cook until chicken is cooked completely through.

Spread some alfredo sauce on a pizza crust. You may use however much you prefer! I use about half the jar.

Spread the cooked chicken and other toppings of your choice around on top of the sauce.

Cover with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until it is starting to brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. (If you can wait. I tell you, the smell is absolutely wonderful. It's hard to wait!)

You really can't go wrong with this delicious pizza. You can always simplify it even more by buying a premade crust and precooked chicken. If you like alfredo, you are sure to like this twist on pizza!

Simple Summer Salad

Oh how I love summer and everything about it. The lightning bugs, long days, and lemonade. The popsicles, sandals, and grilling. And with grilling you always need a simple side dish. This pasta salad is simple and quick to make. You can vary the ingredients how you prefer. This pasta salad is my go to salad when I need a side dish with a great burger.

Simple Pasta Salad
16 oz. tri-color rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions
pepperoni, cut in half
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped tomato
McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning
Italian Dressing

Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. Be sure to rinse the noodles in cold water! This stops the cooking process and doesn't heat up the ingredients or melt the cheese!

Chop the pepperoni and tomatoes, add them to a bowl along with the cheese. The amount you use with each ingredient depends on how much you want. You can also add other vegetables such as cucumber or radishes. You can also use cubed ham in place of the pepperoni.

Add the cold pasta to the bowl. Toss with the vegetables. Add the dressing to coat. Add a couple palmfuls of the salad supreme seasoning and mix (the salad supreme mix is my secret to give this salad more umph!)

Mix to make sure the seasoning gets incorporated and the noodles get coated. Chill and enjoy!

Try this salad with some tasty ground pork burgers or roast beef sandwiches!

Slow Cooker Roast Beef Sandwiches

In the summer we grill. A lot. Once in a while I like to use my slow cooker, especially on a rainy day when grilling can get wet and soggy. One of my favorite summer recipes for the slow cooker is roast beef sandwiches. I cook the beef in the slow cooker and then shred it at the end of the day for juicy sandwiches with tons of flavor. You just can't go wrong with these roast beef sandwiches!

Roast Beef Sandwiches
beef roast (your preference of cut and size)
1 packet onion gravy mix
1 packet au jus mix
pepper, to taste
1 cup water

Combine everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. I don't add any salt because I think that the gravy mixes give it enough.

After 4-6 hours, I let the meat sit in the slow cooker on the keep warm setting for several hours before I touch it. After the meat has set in the slow cooker, take it out and shred it. Then put it back in the slow cooker to soak in all the juices for about a half hour to an hour before serving. This step is very important!

Serve on buns with your favorite toppings. The meat will just melt in your mouth and the bun will soak up some of the juice. It's hard to eat just one sandwich!
You can also use the juice in the cooker as an au jus dip if you want to make french dip sandwiches. It has a ton of flavor from the gravy mixes and juices from the meat.

However you like to eat your sandwiches, this is a simple recipe that makes flavorful, juicy meat. Enjoy!

Linking up to Hunk of Meat Mondays!

Ground Pork Burgers

If there is one thing that I make on the grill that is my hubby's favorite, it's these ground pork burgers. With onion and cheese, these burgers satisfy the need for a burger that is a little different!

Ground Pork Burgers
1 pound ground pork
chopped onion
shredded cheese
salt
pepper

Chop the onion. Add it to a bowl with the shredded cheese. The amount you use depends on your taste, although if you use too much it will be hard for the burgers to stay together.

Add the ground pork and the salt and pepper. Don't be afraid to add a little more salt. The salt will help to absorb some of the moisture and help the burgers to bind. I probably add about a teaspoon.

Make as many patties as you wish. I usually make four patties for us.

Grill on a preheated grill until done. They will stick to the grates and make a mess, so it is a good idea to grease them first. Except I usually am too lazy to do that.

Serve with tomato, onion, lettuce, cheese, jalapeno, and any other topping you wish! My hubby prefers mayonnaise. I eat mine chopped up with pork and beans. My daughter eats hers by dipping in ketchup.

Happy grilling!

Valentine's Day 2012

I know it's not Valentine's Day anymore, but a post about it is better late than never, right? We had a great Valentine's Day this year. We were able to celebrate as a family and enjoy a meal together! With the heifers calving that does not happen much this time of year! Hubby is also busy loading out hogs and getting the barn ready for new ones. There's always something to do on the farm!

 Holly and I made a heart shaped pizza, using my homemade pizza recipe. I let her help me spread the sauce and add the toppings. She had a blast and it was great to spend the time together! I think that she will like cooking as much as me!

Holly and I got flowers at school from Daddy. She loved it! I got her from daycare so that she could see them. I wish I would have had my camera. The look on her face was priceless. She was trying to smell them and smiled when I told her they were from Daddy. She is such a Daddy's girl!

 
I also made cupcakes for Holly to take for treats to daycare and some for us at home. As you can see I did not get a chance to decorate them. Holly took off with my red frosting before I could use it! (It showed up a few days later, although I don't actually know where it was. I swear I looked everywhere for it!)

We bought David this picture. He is a very proud farmer and I thought this would be a nice tribute to that. I bought the picture online at Old West Cedar Mill.

I hope that all of you had a great Valentine's Day and got to celebrate with your loved ones!

Miscellaneous Monday: A Favorite for Monday

I just wanted to share with you one of my favorite songs this morning. Everyone needs a feel good song on a Monday morning! Enjoy your week!




Linking up to miscellany monday over at lowercase letters!

S'mores Bars

I am definitely a summer gal and I love everything that comes with summer. I especially like summer foods. Nothing beats a juicy burger off the grill with a tall glass of lemonade and fresh sweet corn. I even like cooking hot dogs over the campfire. And I LOVE s'mores over the campfire! I recently found a recipe for s'mores bars on Pinterest that I thought I would try and they were delish! I can now have s'mores year round, even during a blizzard (given I have electricity)! If you like s'mores as much as I do, you need to make these! You can find the original recipe here.

You need:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (I used 4 regular sized bars because that is what I had)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Add in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide the dough in half and press one half into the bottom of your pan. I used my handy Baker's Roller. It made it real easy and left a nice ridge on the edge.

Put your chocolate bars on top. The original recipe says that two king size bars will fit about perfectly in the pan. I had regular bars so that is what I used.

Spread the marshmallow cream on top of the chocolate.

Spread the other half of the dough on top. I flattened pieces with my hands and pieced them together to make a top crust. It worked for me best this way.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Cool before cutting, if you can wait! Don't these just look fabulous?

Linking up my new favorite remind me of summer treat to Made From Scratch Tuesdays with From Mess Hall to Bistro!