What's More 1950s Than Tuna Casserole?

I'd imagine that most people have not only eaten, but have also cooked, tuna casserole. It probably has a million variations, most starting with egg noodles and cans of tuna and cream of chicken soup. Over the years, I developed a distinct distaste for cream of chicken condensed soup; it's too salty and it... tastes fake. Because my Tommy Lee also dislikes it, and I wanted to have tuna casserole once in a while, I developed this way of making it. It completely eliminates the cream of chicken soup, uses albacore tuna instead of regular, and I like to add jalapenos to it, too!

By making your own sauce - which is surprisingly simple, TBH - it put YOU in control of the salt and preservative content of your casserole, something that the test kitchens of 1950s wrested away from us housewives long ago. It's time to take it back.

Watch me make this childhood favorite with a new twist here:

And download the recipe card to print by CLICKING HERE.

Text Recipe:
Tuna (Melt) Casserole
2 or 3 cans of tuna
1 pkg egg noodles
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
3 tbls chicken boullion
1 tbls granulated onion
3 cups water
1/4 cup Half & Half
1 cup shredded cheese
Jalepenos (diced - optional)

For topping:
Crushed crackers
1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare egg noodles per package directions.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter or margarine and add flour to make a roux. Remove from heat and mix in chicken boullion and granulated onion. Add water, return to heat, and whisk to combine until flour/butter mixture is fully incorporated into the water. Add Half & Half and bring to boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add cheese, stirring to incorporate.

In a large baking dish, combine drained tuna, pasta, and sauce. Stir to distribute tuna and sauce evenly throughout pasta. Level the pasta, then top with crushed crackers and cheese, spreading to cover completely.

Bake in 375-degree oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.



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Weekend Review: theBalm Schwing Eyeliner & Meet Matt(e) Hughes Lipstick

Over Mardi Gras weekend, theBalm had a sale, so I thought I would try out some of their products. I'd had some eyeshadow, lipstick, and eyeliner in my Amazon shopping cart for a while, so the sale at theBalm's web site made the purchase irresistible. I was going to get the same things from the sale, but the lipstick I wanted ("Committed") was sold out, as was the eyeshadow I wanted, but I did get their Schwing Eye Liner and Meet Matt(e) Hughes lipstick in a similar color, "Honest."

These purchases were delivered yesterday, so I thought I would give them a go this morning and see what I thought of them. My criteria for a good eye liner is as follows:

1. The applicator needs to be able to make a wing point that could draw blood
2. The liner itself needs to be thin enough to create said wing, but thick enough that it doesn't run into my eyes before it dries
3. Smooth to apply; no clumps
4. Dries quickly
5. Doesn't make my eye lids itch (I have this problem with a lot of liners) or swell up
6. Lasts all day

My criteria for a great lipstick are these:

1. Color looks great with my skin tone and makeup style
2. Lasts for at least a few hours
3. Doesn't get clumpy or make my lips dry or cracked

On the Schwing eye liner: I'm impressed. The applicator is small and sharp and lifts out a goodly amount of liner liquid, enough to make the whole wing and fill it in in one dip, which I like. It goes on smooth and does seem to dry quickly, as I didn't have to keep my lids low for too long while it dried. I've been wearing this application for about three hours now and I don't have any itchiness or swelling, which is a problem I have had in the past with some brands of eye liner.

As you can see, the Schwing eye liner delivered on making a sharp wing. My overall rating? A+! I love it so far! I will update if anything changes by the end of the day or after using it for a week, but the outlook on this one is BRIGHT!

On the Meet Matt(e) Hughes lip stick, the first impression I got from it was the scent of it. I had never really given a lot of thought to how a lipstick smelled, but this was really nice. It has the scent of Peppermint Patties with a strong chocolate overtone to a minty scent. My second impression of it was the color, which seemed really orange. I was a little afraid of how bright orange the color was, but I only applied it to my upper lip and then pursed to get it on my lower lip. After a soft blot with a tissue, I actually really liked the color, too.

I'm not usually one for a lipstick that is so matte as this one is, but I knew what was coming based on the name of the product. I actually like it a lot with my skin tone and coloring, and it seems like it will be good for understated looks. Plus, I've been wearing it for a few hours now, and it is still on, just like when I put it on, and I've eaten some crackers and cheese in the meantime. Makes me a happy glamper.

Overall rating on the Meet Matt(e) Hughes lipstick? A+! I'll definitely be buying the "Committed" color from Amazon next time I place an order.

St. Paddy's Day Pinup Hair Flowers!

I said I would try to post when I put new items in my Etsy shop, and so I am! There's still plenty of time to get your Irish themed hair flowers in time for your festivities, so don't wait! 

Click Here, Here, or Here to buy now!

It's Still Winter? How About Some Soup? Mid-Century Kitchen Episode 9 - Tortellini Soup!

Nothing warms up your bones in the winter like a big, steaming bowl of tasty soup... so, despite the fact that it is now March and we ought to be thinking about spring time, we here in Idaho still have 2 feet of snow on the level and it's supposed to snow some more every day this week. With that in mind, I give you one of my favorite soup recipes: Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup!

With complex flavors and easy directions, this soup will likely become a favorite in your house, too! I can whip this up in about half an hour including prep time and it really hits the proverbial spot, I'll tell you what.

Watch me make it here:

Download the printable recipe card by CLICKING HERE.

Here's the text recipe:

ITALIAN TORTELLINI SOUP
1 lb Italian sausage
2 cups carrots (chopped)
2 cups apple cider (not juice)
4 cups water
1 pkg fresh/frozen tortellini (any style)
2 cans tomato sauce
2 tbls onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbls dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp crushed fennel seeds
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan (optional)

Brown sausage in the bottom of your soup pot. Deglaze pot with apple cider. Add tomato sauce, carrots, and water. Add all spices. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until carrots are fork tender. Add tortellini. Cook 5 minutes more or until tortellini floats to the top.

Serve hot and topped with fresh Parmesan cheese if you desire.

Serves 6 to 8. This soup is also fantastic reheated the next day!
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