VIA Times – May 2014 Issue Vital News, Vibrant VIews for Asian Americans in Chicago & Midwest
By: Sarah Lee
Some concentrate on healthy recipes. Lots others, myself included, zone in on recipes that bring us satisfaction, comfort, and delight. And one such most popular comfort food recipe that is not only easy to fix but by simply adding just few more ingredients to the “old, grandma’s, classic recipe can turn into a truly spectacular dish — tuna casserole. I tried so many recipes of tuna casserole and most are forgettables – usual problems: bland, dry, not exciting, not enough tuna. And my search finally ended with the “hot dish” tuna noodle casserole (we haven’t had it in a while), I fixed for dinner using ingredients I raided from my pantry and fridge one cold April night. A freshly made rich bechamel sauce (with sour cream and canned cream of chicken soup), a sprinkle of dry and liquid seasonings, canned tuna (4 of them), grated cheddar cheese and a crispy topping of buttered breadcrumbs — voila, a muchneeded makeover. And nothing to worry about leftovers, the noodles are nicely soaked up in flavorful sauce and will stay moist and never never dry out. This dish will certainly be a regular appearance on our dinner table. You can even add sauteed broccoli and mushrooms, why not. Or how about using jumbo pasta shells. Or top ’em with panko bread crumbs, crushed potato chips or corn flake crumbs. The possibilities are endless. Make some tonite!
Saucy Supreme Tuna Noodle Casserole
Casserole (Bechamel Sauce, Tuna and Pasta):
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 celery stalks, diced
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 10 1/2 oz cream of chicken soup
1 cup coarsely grated cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons of sweetened condensed milk
Patis or fish sauce to taste
1 lb pasta of choice, cooked al dente and drained (ziti, spaghetti, penne, etc)
4 (6 oz each) water-packed tuna, drained
Bread Crumb Topping:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Lightly Pam-spray a large skillet or Pyrex dish; set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions, minced garlic and diced celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with old bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Whisk in the flour, cook for a few minutes, stirring, to get rid of the rawflour taste, until lightly browned. Gradually stir in the milk, whisking continually to keep lumps from forming (use wire whisk). Cook the sauce, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in sour cream, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese, sweetened condensed milk and fish sauce to taste. Stir in cooked noodles and tuna. Spoon mixture into prepared large skillet or baking dish; top with bread crumb topping (using a fork, mix ingredients together in a bowl). Bake for 20 minutes until nicely browned and bubbly. Serve hot with french bread slices and mixed greens salad. (BTW, if chicken by the sea aint your thing, then by all means, use canned chicken white meat). I would like to thank Stephanie Jimenez, Senior Account Executive of SS Public Relations for sharing these amazingly easy meatball recipes (you can find Mama Lucia Mini-Size Meatballs in your favorite supermarkets). Gotta have them in your next summer party yo! Drunken Meatballs 38.4 oz. bag Mama Lucia Mini- Size Meatballs 1 cup ketchup 1 cup light brown sugar 1 cup whiskey Put all four ingredients in a slow cooker and heat on low for 4 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours. Crescent Meatball Sandwiches 1 tube crescent roll dough 16-24 Mama Lucia Mini-Size Meatballs Grated Parmesan cheese Spaghetti sauce Preheat the oven according to package directions on the crescent dough. Unroll and separate all of the dough triangles. Put the meatballs in the microwave for 1 minute to thaw. Spread a strip of spaghetti sauce along the shortest side of the triangle, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and place 2-3 meatballs on top. Roll up starting at the shortest side of the triangle. Place rolls on a parchment-lined or nonstick baking sheet and bake according to crescent roll instructions. May 15, 2014 happens to be National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and Nielsen-Massey is prepared to help you join in the fun with a crispy-chewy bakery-style Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Make the recipe your own by using different kinds of chocolate chips, adding in nuts or sprinkling the tops with sea salt, or sandwiching the cookies with buttercream frosting or ice cream. With these cookies, this is sure to become your family’s new favorite holiday.
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Recipe courtesy of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas and Renee Hartzler)
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon Nielsen-Massey
Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla
Extract
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, soda, salt, baking powder and cream of tartar. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop with a #40 scoop (looks like a metal mini ice cream scoop) or a rounded measuring tablespoonful about 2-inch apart onto an ungreased insulated baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly: remove from baking sheet. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen crackly, chewy-crispy bakery-style cookies. They are wonderful! Share your recipe by email (celebreatylink@ sbcglobal.net) and if published, I’m sending you a complimentary copy of THE CELEBREATY RECIPES COOKBOOK. Buy one, get 2nd copy at 50% off. Please make checks ($18.00 for 2 books) payable to: Glenn Turner, 127 N MAIN ST #1, Crystal Lake, IL 60014. Shipping is free. I hate colds so take steps to avoid catching or spreading one — most effective way is hand washing. Wash hands often and if you can, avoid putting your fingers to your nose and eyes. And don’t rely on Vitamin C alone, no study has ever shown it to be a super-pill for cold prevention. And, yes, to VT May birthday celebrants (Titah V and me, it sure rhymes!) and many many more (including Nora Aunor, for real, and Direk Gerry Rebello) — Happy Birthday! FACEBOOK: Celebreaty Link and Via Times NewsMagazine BLOG: Celebr-EAT-y by Sarah Lee (hit subscribe to blog when you visit my blog) BLOG LINK: http://celebreaty4recipes.wordpress. com
CREDIBLE CRAVINGS
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