First, a shout out to my mother, who I neglected to mail a mother's day card to this year. My mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law were also forgotten so now they know I've neglected everyone equally. Unfortunately, distance keeps me from taking them to brunch so I'll have to share some recipe ideas instead and then they can make it themselves, not on Sunday of course, but any other day of the week.
 |
| Hi mom! I love you. |
The Mr. and I have been juicing a lot lately after acquiring a free juicier from a friend and it's gotten me reading up on good produce practices. Organic produce costs a bundle more than conventional but
this handy article makes it easy to remember which fruits and veggies to buy organic when possible. Studies show that organic produce doesn't have any more nutritional value than conventional, but its the pesticides and other chemicals farmers use that I would like to avoid if possible. It certainly can't hurt not to eat pesticides but I find myself thinking its better to eat conventional fruit than no fruit at all. Its always best to eat locally and in season when possible but what's in your wallet often dominates good intentions. So educate yourself and use your best judgement.
While we're on the topic I've also been on myself to use homemade cleaning products, especially in the kitchen where traditional cleaners can leave chemical residues behind, and like I said before, if I can help not consuming chemicals, I will.
Here is an article about how to make your own cleaners at home and it's really not hard at all, plus they really work.
If you happen to have your mother close and you want to make her a nice meal on Sunday (or any occasion of course) then you should definitely try this stuffed Italian loaf recipe I found on Pinterest and tried at home a few nights ago. Oh. My. Goodness. Please loosen your belt and be prepared to enter heaven. This stuff is so good! Make it when you have lots of people to feed so that you don't eat it all yourself like we did. The recipe calls for an entire stick of butter, I think you could get away with using 3/4 of a stick if you're concerned about all that fat. But hey, we should all indulge once in awhile.
Stuffed Italian Bread
adapted from a recipe found
here
1 Italian loaf
1 stick of butter, melted
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 teaspoons chopped parsley
12 oz shredded cheese (I used a blend of
Italian cheeses)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the melted butter, oil, onion, garlic, and parsley in a bowl.
Cut the bread into cubes with X slices
without cutting all the way through the bottom crust.
Pour the butter mixture carefully into the X cracks using a spoon. Stuff the shredded cheese into the cracks. At this point, if you have a pulse, your mouth should be watering.
Wrap the loaf in foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and unwrap and bake it for another 10 minutes until all the cheese is melted. Serve immediately and be prepared to receive many compliments and requests for the recipe.
I also made a tuna noodle casserole because I had all the ingredients on hand and it seemed like a good pairing with the buttery stuffed Italian loaf, so a carbo load it was! Use
high quality canned tuna for extra flavor, or whatever you have in your cupboard will do of course. Measure your pasta accordingly so that you have enough roux to cover the pasta so it won't turn out dry. A panko topping gives it a nice crunch and turns ordinary fare into a gourmet meal.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
adapted from this
recipe
Serves 6-8
2 tablespoons butter
12 ounces dry pasta (your choice, I used Farfalle but you could also use traditional egg noodles), cooked al dente
16 ounces yellowfin or albacore tuna in oil, drained and flaked (recommended, Ortiz or Callipo)
10 ounces frozen peas, thawed
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Parmeasean cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 pint heavy cream
Topping:
3 cups panko breadcrumbs (Japanese)
3 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray a 13 by 9-inch ovenproof dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Cook
the noodles in salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and place under cold running water to stop the cooking. Once cooled,
pour the pasta into a large bowl with the tuna, peas and both cheeses.
Toss to combine.
In a large pan add the butter, the olive oil, thyme, and onions. Season with a sprinkle
of salt and pepper and cook on medium heat until the onions are tender
and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt
and cook gently until tender and darkened, about 5 minutes more. Add the
Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, and sprinkle flour over the entire
pan. Stir to help the flour to soak into vegetables and cook a minute
more to lose the flour taste. Raise the heat to medium high and add the
chicken stock. Cook until slightly thickened then slowly stir in the
heavy cream. Simmer until the cream is thickened slightly, about 4
minutes more. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Pour the mushroom
sauce over the prepared noodles in the large bowl and quickly stir to
combine. Immediately pour into the prepared dish.
To make the
topping: In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and olive oil. Season
with salt & pepper. Stir until the
crumbs soak up the oil evenly. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly
over the top of the dish and place uncovered in the oven until the sides
are bubbly and the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes.
