Tuna Casserole

Tuna casserole is a great comfort food if done right. Here's a recipe that I created on my own that gets gobbled up around here. The kitties help munch on a few pieces of tuna, too!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 bag of pasta (I use scoobidoo noodles, but you can use penne or macaroni)

1 can of your favorite creamy soup (or use 1 whole recipe of creamy soup substitute - recipe follows)

1/4 cup diced onions

2 cans tuna, drained

1 can corn, drained

1 cup shredded cheese

cayenne pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

black pepper to taste

STEPS

• Boil the pasta for a few minutes less than the package requires. (It will continue cooking in the oven).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• If using creamy soup substitute, prepare the recipe.
• Add the cayenne pepper, garlic powder and black pepper to the creamy soup substitute or the can of creamy soup.
• Stir the cheese into the creamy soup mixture.
• Add the flaked tuna and the can of corn to the mixture and stir well to combine.
• Stir in the pasta and pour into a 9x13-inch casserole dish. You can sprinkle additional grated cheese on top if you like.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Creamy Soup Substitute

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

10 ounces milk (or you can use 5 ounces milk and 5 ounces chicken stock)

OPTIONAL: you can add chopped celery or onions for flavor

STEPS

• Heat butter and oil in a pot, then add flour and salt, stirring to form a roux.
• If desired, add the celery or onions and cook for about a minute.
• Add the milk and stir until thickened.

Moist and Tender Ribs

My mother-in-law emailed me today with a delicious new recipe for ribs. It's a twist on the old faithful that we make in the family, but the ribs come out even more tender and the meat just falls off the bone and melts in your mouth.

INGREDIENTS

1 rack pork side ribs

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon adobo sauce

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

STEPS

• Put the ribs into a pot and cover it with hot water. Add 1 tablespoon of garlic and 1 tablespoon of chili powder. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and allow the ribs to simmer for 30 minutes.
• Mix all other ingredients in a bowl to make the barbeque sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Once the ribs have simmered, remove them from the pot and place on a large piece of aluminum foil. Cover both sides of the ribs with the barbeque sauce and wrap it fully in the foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 1.5 hours.

We had ours with whole wheat baguette and herbed butter. Yum!