Recipe: Marci's Tuna Casserole

As previously mentioned in an earlier post, I would use this forum to share recipes that I cook. I'm not a big cook, but I can whip up a mean toast, a pretty stellar spaghetti, and on occasion a full course Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. (But, the latter, took years.)  Though I'm not using this virtual space as a food blog, I thought I would share some recipes for me to look back on (again, it's my journal, too) and if anyone finds it useful, by all means: help yourself.

This recipe, as I lovingly call "Marci's Tuna Casserole" was presented to me while I was working one slow day in retail.  Business that day was slow, as it usually was, and us coworkers would use the dead time to chit-chat with each other. One particular subject was "dinner."  What was everyone going to make? What was I going to make?  Marvelous Marci told me about her Tuna Casserole dish. Oooh!

(Note:I was younger at the time and my cooking skills were nowhere near bragging rights.  In fact, they were downright scary.  I owe Whole Foods a pat on the back for saving me my first few Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.  As well as Jenny-O pre-cooked turkeys. Thank you, to you both.  I also owe my current cooking skills to my co-workers who tirelessly shared me their recipes and tricks of the trade.)

Another note is that none of my recipes have MSG or Partially-Hydrogenated Oil. If you are like me (slightly crazy) and this is important to you, feel free in knowing that my recipes are "safe."

Anyhow, below are the steps to making Marci's Tuna Casserole:

Buy ingredients, such as these:

The ingredients. Easy! Simple!

Boil water, like this:

"A watched pot never boils." I'm watching like a boss and it's boilin' b*tches!

Strain water, reserve some goodness,

Steam = money shot. OOohh!

Put ingredients in first picture all together + one can of water/milk in the original noodle pot. (Noodles not included. They're chillin' in the strainer, remember?)

Open tuna quietly, like a ninja.  Forget smell. Outcome: unwanted guest in kitchen,

"You're gonna share....right?"

Shred tuna. Top portion: bad. Bottom portion: good!

Spare a little tantalizing tuna for unwanted kitchen guest. Watch happiness ensue!

"puuuuuurrrrr"

Add seasoning and noodles to tuna, soup, water mixture in pot!

Oooohhh-lala

Grease casserole pan with Pam. Place noodle mess in dish. Place in oven set at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Did I forget to mention "add peas"?  Add peas.

If you're like me, you like chips!  (Hey, we have that in common!)  I put a little "crunchies" on top.

"Crunchies" is a Marci term. See, "Marvelous" Marci fits!

For a more standardized version of this recipe, click here: http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/1088634-Tuna-Casserole.

Enjoy and Happy Eating!

Gettin' Our Grub On + Legos!

One thing to know about me, I love me some food. Now, granted I'm not very food adventurous, but I still enjoy some good eats!  I also enjoy reading reviews of places to eat (Yelp!), and LOVE (with a holy passion) the food category on Pinterest (follow me: http://pinterest.com/chococatsm!), but I am horrible at contributing my own experiences on these sites.  Here, in "my world" I going to, from time to time, blog about my eats. Some will be dining out and some will be my cooking. Feel free to share your thoughts on your own experiences.

This past weekend, my husband (going forward, in this "world," I shall call him Monkey) and I went to the mall to run some errands.  After we gallivanted around the Lego store, and of course made a purchase, we found our tummies a-grumblin'. (Fun times and Legos will do that to a person.)  We decided we both had a hankerin' for some Buckhorn.  Together we shared the Chicken Pizza - which, impressively, had lots of whole garlic cloves scattered all around. Un-impressively, was the initial taste - quite bland!  However, if you go their condiment bar, take a mini dip cup and squeeze in both BBQ sauce AND horseradish - it's pretty tasty.

Well, as you can see from the picture, we enjoyed it. (Picture taken minutes before it was fully devoured.)

On the way home, we got one of our favorite treats - Pinkberry!  Monkey's was pomegranate and passion fruit, with caramelized almonds (though he accidentally requested "caramelized onions" on autopilot), toasted almonds and a waffle chip. Mine, chocolate hazelnut with chocolate shavings, strawberries and a waffle chip.

Yum is a great "word" to describe it, our silence while eating is also a great indicator of its deliciousness.

Don't you just love weekends?  And, food?

My Blog - Welcome to It

I don't think I've started this blog out properly enough. You see, I re-started blogging because I wanted to be able to leave an imprint of my life...somewhere. It's true I can scribble on pieces of paper, but in the end they get crumpled, sometimes tossed out, or more likely lost in abyss of "stuff" I have collected and will collect through the years.  I wanted a place where I could easily categorize my thoughts and then go back when I wanted to. Like taking a peek inside my brain, or into my memories.  I have Facebook, but those thoughts are quick, sometimes witty, little bits that pop up.  They are neither deep or in-depth of any personal moments in time.  Plus, I can't go back and look through. Scrolling down gets exhausting and boring very quickly.

Throughout the entire year of 2011 I wrote a journal entry every single day. It was the last year of my 20's and I wanted to be able to see if I lived life to the fullest. Carpe Diem'ed the crap out of my 29th year of living!! I did it the ol' pen and paper kind of way...well, most of the time. The other time, I did it digitally.  Herein lies the problem: I have 365 separate thoughts randomly located in my home. While I dutifully committed to taking a moment and writing down thoughts and what I had done that day, the mere idea of organizing 365 of these tidbits was...ugh...too much.  So they sit, some on my desk, some on the computer.  They will never, ever get organized.

In 2012, the year I was 30, I lived the motto: no need to chronicle - just live life!!  It was a great not to feel obligated by my own goal to sit and write everyday. However, when I think back on the year, I have nothing to look back on - and that's a little sad. 

So here we are. 2013. It's not January 1st, but it's still January - and I have not yet turned 31. I decided to blog because here, in this virtual world, I can do more. I can write and, bonus!, I can add pictures. (Which honestly, that's what was missing in my original journaling. Words are great, but I wanna see the "money shot" of me eating that ice cream cone or Mittens being cute and funny!)

So, welcome to my world. It's not always perfect, but I guarantee it's almost always adorable!

Gettin' My Read On

I'm so excited! Ever since I got my ereader early last year, I have discovered some amazing authors.  The ereader is nothing less than extraordinary. You can read lots - and cheap!  As in life, some are hits and some are misses.

In my journey with the ereader, I have found a few authors whose writing has been so fun to read that I've read all they have to offer.  With a few of them I have even gone on Facebook and "Liked" them.  In doing this, I have been able to get up-to-date information and release dates for new books.

Recently, an author named Michele Gorman, posted that she is looking for 20 readers in the US and UK to review her book before the official release date. As an avid reader, I jumped at the chance!

Today I got my new book and I cannot wait to start it!  The only downside is not being able to read the book on my computer - I must use the Kindle.  (This is a secret indulgence of mine, as I like to pull up my book on the computer and read it when I'm bored and the Kindle is too far away.)

I will update as soon as I finish!

See you on the other side...

Another Year...

In 14 days (two weeks, lol) I will be turning 31.  I seem to be doing a lot of reflective thinking - especially as the years pass me by. I think about friendships, relationships, work, family, money, career and life.  I know that I am happy overall, but I cannot help but question:

Am I doing enough?
Will I regret anything that I haven't done in the past, what I'm not doing now, or the things I have yet to do in the future?
Have I taken enough risks - and are the risks that are out there, worth taking?

I have not planned anything for my birthday, and the ability to do so is only narrowing further and further down.  I enjoy my birthday for a number of reasons.  Well, mainly two.  (1) I feel like birthdays are days specific for the birthday girl/boy. (And don't "duh!" me on this.) Own it! Celebrate it! It's YOUR day. (2) I also feel like it's a day to honor the mom's out there. They did A LOT that day. Some went through hours of labor, some had to have emergency surgeries, some even horrifically pass way - birth is no simple manner.  Of course, my mother experienced none of the aforementioned moments as I "arrived" in 45 minutes.  But still, I imagine it was painful...albeit for less than an hour.

...Anyhow, my point is: I'm getting old.

I gotta tell ya, I'm not diggin' it. Maybe that's why I haven't planned anything - I just simply don't want to bug everyone to come to a dinner or an event when even I'm not feeling it.  But really, I should. Life is too short not to commemorate everyday as the last...or the first.  (Because really, the first day of your life was filled with hope and possibilities....and so much poop and crying.  I guess I could just do that too: poop and cry.  Nah. I'll at least wait until everyone has gone home to do that.)

I can tell you readers one thing: there will be wine!  Lots and lots of wine!