Sidewalks, tuna and in between

OK, first let me start off with a question for Tennessee. Tennessee, what’s the deal? Why aren’t their sidewalks in your neighborhoods?

Jonah and I had a good day today! We went for a walk, even though it was still wet from rain. It was cold enough that Jonah wore his snowsuit, minus the boots (he wore running shoes instead). He enjoyed looking at all the Christmas decorations along the way and wanted me to push the stroller through all the puddles and over all the drainage grates (not sure what else to call ‘em). Back at Jerin’s house we played outside for a little while with a ball we found and then went inside.

After a snack, it was time to start working on cooking a tuna casserole for supper. I gave Jonah a wooden cutting board, a metal bowl, a plastic bowl, a plastic spoon, a whisk, a plastic ice-cream scoop and a dish cloth and he was in paradise. I accidentally dropped some chopped onion, which he quickly claimed. Then I gave him some frozen peas and corn. He ate most of it, including the raw onion!?!? He told me he was cooking onion, peas and egg. (I think he started liking peas the day I started calling them “green balls.”) He actually played there for at least 30 minutes!?!? Eventually I let him choose one spice from the cool spice cupboard and he spent a lot of time sliding out the shelf, picking up the container, putting it on the next shelf, closing the door, opening the door, taking the container to his bowls to add some spice to his food, and then putting it back. It was very cute and it made my cooking job very easy!!

I didn’t have a tuna casserole recipe, so I looked up about 10 on the internet, figured out the general ratios of ingredients, and made up my own recipe. It was pretty good, so I thought I would share it with you here:

Chicklav’s Tuna Casserole (chuckle)

-a 16oz package of egg noodles
-2 6oz cans of tuna
-1 mixed cup of sautéed onion, red & green pepper, and celery
-1 cup of frozen mixed vegetables – peas, corn, carrots, green beans, also sautéed
-1 can of cream of potato soup (10 or 11oz)
-1 cup of milk
-shredded cheddar cheese
-crushed saltine crackers
-seasonings (like salt, pepper, garlic salt, seasoned salt)

Cook the egg noodles, drain and put in a large bowl
Add tuna, all vegetables, and mix
Spray a 9”x13” casserole dish with cooking spray
Spoon mixture into dish, occasionally sprinkling with cheese and seasonings
Dollop with a little butter here and there.
Poor soup and milk mixture evenly over everything
Sprinkle with crackers and cheese (you choose the amount!)
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees

Here are some things to take note of:
-I used cream of potato soup because we were out of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups… it worked just fine, so the next time your at the grocery store, figure out which one is best nutritionally and go with it!
-The next time I make it, I might add an extra can of tuna and an extra cup of vegetables.
-I’m still learning to eat more cooked veggies, and right now I just prefer if they are closer to over-cooked than under-cooked… so you might not want to sauté all the veggies like I did. I chop them pretty small too.
-This tuna casserole is fairly dry. If you prefer mushy, consider baking it for less time, or adding an extra can of soup!

And if you make it, let me know how it goes!

p.s. Happy Birthday Sissy!!