southwestern chicken casserole

While most people aren't so thrilled with the end of Summer, I really don't mind it. I love the chilly weather, the layers and the coats, the return of hot coffee, and the change in seasonal cuisine. I've said it before and I'll say it again - casseroles are one of my all-time favorites. You really can't screw them up, and they're almost always delicious. I tend to make the same ones over and over (ahem, tuna noodle), but I do like to brand out. For my first new casserole of the season, I made a Southwestern version. Is there anything Southwestern about it? I have no idea. Readers from New Mexico - feel free to weigh in! It has salsa, and I think to those of us out on the East coast, anything with salsa in it is "Southwestern." Whatever. It's good, try it out. Here's what you'll need:

• 2 servings rice, cooked
• 1 large chicken breast
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Dash of black pepper and salt
• 1 package cheddar/monterey jack shredded cheese
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (or chicken, your choice)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 jar medium, chunky salsa

tuna noodle casserole, part deux

As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of casserole season. Now that the weather is friggid out, I've been revisiting some favorites. Tonight, I was in the mood for a tuna noodle casserole. I've made one once before that I've posted on the blog. However, the last time I had this, I felt it was a little...underwhelming. I found a recipe for homemade - yet still simple - tuna casserole. I added my own touch to it and gave it a whirl. It turned out fantastic. If you love the dish in general, you'll definitely love how this one turns out. Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup butter, divided
• 1/2 package uncooked medium egg noodles
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 oz button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/8 cup flour
• 1.5 cups milk
• 2 cans tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 small can French's fried onions
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

So, this is going to sound like a lot of time and energy to put into a simple dish. However, you can do all three of the following paragraphs simultaneously and it will only take about 10 minutes to prep. It's not as bad as it sounds - promise.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Butter a medium baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, cook per the package directions and drain.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the chopped onion and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Increase the heat to medium-high, and mix in the mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms soften.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking 5 minutes, or until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, and cooked noodles.

Transfer everything to the baking dish. Spread the cheddar cheese in a layer across the top, and finish everything off with the French's onions.

Bake for 20 minutes covered, and then uncover for 2-5 minutes, or until the onions on top begin to brown just a bit.

It's probably due to the insane amount of butter, but this dish was incredible! So much flavor, and such a huge improvement over the last tuna casserole recipe. And to boot, I got a huge dinner and two generous lunches out of it - all for under $20. Can't beat that.

Bon chappétit!

tuna noodle casserole

I've always been a big fan of casseroles. They just seem to be perfect to me - easy and delicious. One of my favorites has always been tuna noodle. I've tried a number of different ways to make it, but this seems to be my favorite thus far. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 can of tuna in water
• 1/2 bag of egg noodles
• 4 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 bag of frozen peas
• 1 small can of French’s Fried Onions (or half a large can)

Cook the 1/2 bag of noodles per the box directions. While boiling that, mix the tuna, peas, mushrooms and soup in 10” cooking dish. Drain the noodles and mix into dish. Cook covered for 30 min on 350 degrees. Then uncover and sprinkle a layer of the onions on top, broil until onions begin to blacken just a smidge. I usually get a dinner and two lunches out of this puppy.