Tuna Noodle Casserole

If you happen to be like me and enjoyed tuna noodle casserole when you were younger, this recipe is for you.  My mom made tuna noodle casserole like every other woman out there in America, you know, with the cream of chicken or mushroom soup, thanks to a certain red labeled soup manufacturer.  When my husband and I were first married, I continued using the same cream soup and making food similar to what he and I had grown up eating.  It wasn't long before I decided to find my own cooking identity and make food in a different way.  Since I don't use canned soup and my children haven't grown up with me making casseroles, they don't like them very much.  My husband requested tuna noodle casserole, so I decided that our casserole ban would be lifted and we would enjoy a new take on a classic favorite from my husband's and my childhood.  This casserole continues to remind me of my childhood, and now that I came up with this recipe we can enjoy it in a whole new way, without sacrificing the comfort food part of this recipe.

Growing up we ate this more like a creamy noodle dish rather then a crumb topped baked casserole.  This is a combination.   My husband didn't want the overcooked noodles you get when it is baked 

but still wanted the casserole with the crunchy topping.

Ingredients:

12 ounce bag of Wide Egg Noodles
2 Cans Albacore Tuna in Water
1 cup finely grated Grana Padano (Parmesan Cheese will also work) plus 2 tablespoons
3/4 package of Ritz Crackers
1 bunch Green Onions
3 large cloves Garlic
1 Yellow Onion
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Cold Water
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Fresh Thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons Dried Thyme
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup softened Butter

Dice onion, cut green onion, and press garlic.

Saute onions in a deep saute pan with the olive oil over medium heat until tender, add garlic
and cook  until tender.

Add cream, salt and pepper to taste.

Add Grana Pardano, stir and cook over medium heat until cheese has melted.  Stir in drained tuna.

Cook noodles in large stock pot of water, al dente, to the tooth.  Cook for the shortest recommended time on the package, remove from pan and drain in colander.

Add cooked noodles to cream sauce, green onions, and thyme.

Crush the Ritz Crackers.

Pour tuna noodle mixture into a butter baking dish.

Cover noodles with crushed crackers, cheese, and dabs of butter.

Broil until crumbs brown, cheese melts and bubbles.

Doesn't that look like a plate of comfort food to make any one remember a happy childhood?

Enjoy!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

12 ounce bag of Wide Egg Noodles
2 Cans Albacore Tuna in Water
1 cup finely grated Grana Padano (Parmesan Cheese will also work) plus 2 tablespoons
3/4 package of Ritz Crackers
1 bunch Green Onions
3 large cloves Garlic
1 Yellow Onion
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Cold Water
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Fresh Thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons Dried Thyme
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup softened Butter

Process:

Dice onion, cut green onion, and press garlic.

Saute onions in a deep saute pan with the olive oil over medium heat until tender, add garlic and cook  until tender.

Add cream, salt and pepper to taste.

Add Grana Pardano, stir and cook over medium heat until cheese has melted.  Stir in drained tuna.

Cook noodles in large stock pot of water, al dente, to the tooth.  Cook for the shortest recommended time on the package, remove from pan and drain in colander.

Add cooked noodles to cream sauce, green onions, and thyme.

Crush the Ritz Crackers.

Pour tuna noodle mixture into a buttered baking dish.

Cover noodles with crushed crackers, cheese, and dabs of butter.

Broil until crumbs brown, cheese melts and bubbles.

Enjoy!

Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb

I am a complete novice about cooking lamb.  I did some searching trying to understand how to cook it.  I am still learning.  When I went to the butcher, and picked up the leg of lamb, he suggested a boneless lamb.  He kindly removed the bones in a leg of lamb and tied up the meat into a nice roast.  My inspiration for the flavors was from Serious Eats.  The guy on the website is amazing about describing how to cook food and gives reasons why he chose what he chose, and how he does what he does to food.  My other inspiration for dinner comes from the butcher who sold me the lamb and the local Greek population.  The butcher told me make sure I had potatoes with my lamb.  The Greek flavor is garlic, and herbs. 

 The coloring is a work of art I think.

 Ingredients for this recipe are: 4 lbs. boneless leg of lamb tied up in a bundle, 2 teaspoons dried
thyme, 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, 8 cloves of peeled garlic, and 3 tablespoons olive oil.

 Press garlic into a small bowl with herbs and olive oil.

 Mix marinade, this will be our marinade for the lamb for the next 24 hours.

 Push and rub marinade into all crevices and all over the lamb.

 Place lamb in large gallon size Ziploc bag and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Next day - are you ready to roast this beautiful meat?

Preheat oven to 275 Fahrenheit

 Place lamb in a roasting pan with rack.   My roasting pan is huge.  The lamb looks small. 

Roast lamb for 3 hours or until internal temperature reaches 130-135 for medium/rare.

The smell of this lamb is so lovely.  Halfway into cooking time, as in 1 1/2 hours into roasting,
I flipped the lamb over.

 Remove lamb from oven and check temperature with instant read thermometer.

Allow lamb to rest for 10-15 minutes to redistribute juices.

 Slice lamb.

Enjoy!