Oooo but look what I did today!

Maybe you’re thinking “big whoop,” but to me, this was spectacular! I boiled some raw, fresh broccoli and some baby spinach leaves while boiling my Ramen. I dumped in the seasoning and YUM. The broccoli was especially good. An instant, nutritious (and tasty!) lunch in less than 5 minutes! Sweet.

Do you add foods to your Ramen?

Oh it looks good enough. What dish doesn’t look scrumptious with lots of cheese, eh? Shesh, even a criminal background check looks better with a little cheese, right?!

But for starters– it’s the wrong kind of cheese. I used cheddar when I should have used Monterey Jack. I was out of Monterey, though.

And the tomatoes. I should have sliced them up. I thought that perhaps grape tomatoes would be small enough. Nope. When you popped one of these babies into your mouth, it was a surprise squirt– too shocking.

I don’t like macaroni and cheese very much. It’s too bland and too… I don’t know…. mushy. The reason I tried this recipe was because it called for cottage cheese! Quite a surprise. Maybe it would taste better with the cottage cheese?

I am delighted to say that I thought the flavor and texture was improved with the cottage cheese. But I used too little. I just didn;t have the right ingredients.

1. Wrong kind of pasta. Used ziti when shells or elbows would have been better.
2. Too little cottage cheese.
3. Tomatoes, which were a nice touch, were too large.
4. Don’t use cheddar cheese. I hate cheddar cheese. Why didn’t I just go out and get the Monterey?!
5. I added leftover broccoli to the recipe. That was a terrific addition, it was my favorite part of the dish!

So my quest for the perfect macaroni & cheese dish continues… stay tuned, lol.

SO it took a team of horses to drag me into a tuna casserole recipe (this was a few years ago). I skipped the peas and the pasty sauce. Instead, I used cream of celery soup and cheese and lots of tuna… and YUMMMMM it was good.

Since that first brave casserole exploit 20 years ago, I’ve tried to improve the recipe somewhat with quirky additions here and there. I’ve added broccoli, used mozzarella or monterey jack cheese, dill, s video cables, Creole seasoning (OK, just kidding on the cables– who noticed that?)….

But today, my daughter made the most luscious tuna casserole I’ve ever had. HOW did she do it?? She’s so young!

Well, here’s her recipe. This was goooood stuff. It was so good that I never got the chance to snap a photo. And it was such a pretty casserole, too.

Yummy Don’t-Worry-There-Are-No-Peas Tuna Casserole
serves 6-8

4 cans of tuna, with juice
1 box medium shells pasta, cooked and drained
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 cup fresh kale, shredded into small pieces
2 Cream of Celery canned soup
1 1/2 shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
minced white onions (optional)

Throw all the ingredients into a dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

It is SO GOOD. I think the kale is what does it for me. YUM.

Now if I can just get the daughter to improve my pot roast recipe….

Easy Shrimp & Chicken Garlic Pasta
Serves 6-8 hungry people
1 5-lb bag cooked, frozen shrimp
3-4 chicken breasts, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
3 handfuls of raw kale, de-stemmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 pounds thin or vermicelli spaghetti
2 Tablespoons pesto sauce

Place the frozen shrimp in the sink and run under cold water, to thaw.

In a large wok, add the olive oil and toss in the chicken cubes. Turn on medium-high and simmer.

Remove the tails from the shrimp and toss them in the wok. Stir the chicken and shrimp until both are cooked/warmed well. Add the kale and garlic and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes, until the kale softens. Turn off the heat. Add pesto sauce and stir well. Serve over spaghetti.

Tip: Do not overcook the chicken or it will turn to rubber. Don’t add the garlic until last– you want it a little raw and not burned to a crisp.

This stuff is SO good, more filling than nitrix, I think. I’d eat it every night, if I could. It’s very good for you, too, because the olive oil, garlic and kale are very healthy.

I try to avoid ramen noodles, although my son loves loves loves them. The pre-packaged kind (with the small aluminum packets filled with powdered seasoning) are so unhealthy. I don’t like all that sodium and chemical stuff in it. But I think the ramens themselves are “ok.”

But when I buy the ramen and my son cooks them, the delicious smell of them makes me want them.

This week there are four questions about ramen noodles.

1. How do you usually make ramen noodles?
2. What’s your favorite flavor of ramen noodles?
3. Do you add anything to your ramen noodles?
4. Is there a flavor of ramen noodles do you wish was on the market?

1. Like I said, I try not to. But we eat them maybe 2-3 times every other month.

2. Chicken or beef. I dislike the “shrimp.” That’s shrimp, yeahhhhh rrrright.

3. Unfortunately, usually just the powdered seasoning packets. I used to get creative and add small florets of broccoli or kale or whatever. But I’m busy. I don’t make lunch for the kids anymore, they make their own.

4. Hmm, interesting question. Maybe chocolate flavored?!?! LOL. I am pretty happy with the chicken and beef.

How about you?

Well, I spotted another easy recipe, Penne with Three Cheeses that rates a whopping 4 out of 5 stars. The recipe was awful! I had to force myself to down it. It was pasty and sticky and WAY too cheesy. I thought about giving the leftovers to the dogs, but I didn’t think they’d even eat it, despite all the dog training we’re giving them to eat the scraps. This stuff was awful.

I mention it here because it goes to show you that the ratings mean next to nothing (to me, anyway). In case you are curious, here’s the Penne with Three Cheeses recipe:

10 ounces refrigerated Alfredo sauce
1 cup milk
12 ounces evaporated milk
4 cups shredded Italian 3-cheese blend
1 pound uncooked penne pasta
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

I couldn’t even bear to snap a photo. The stuff was like glue, and the milks and cheeses melted before the pasta was done, so on top of the glue-y cheese, the pasta was chewy.

I guzzled about 5 cups of cold water after having some.

And look! We even got to sit out in the DINING ROOM to eat it! Hurray, no more eating in the garage with the bats, mice, hornets, and flies! Yay!

We usually only serve water to drink with meals, but this being such a special occasion and all, we got Vitamin Water for the kids.

They seem convinced that it makes them stronger and healthier. I don’t know… does it? Will guzzling this stuff suddenly make you win sports trophies?? Me, I still like water with my dinner.

So we are BACK into the house, cooking, cleaning an eating. Ahhhhh… life is good.

Well, I have copied the recipe (below) but I’ve made a few modifications to make things a little easier and to use fewer cooking pots than the Disney recipe calls for. This is a GREAT recipe! My kids ate everything in this dish.

Tortellini with Edamame and Kielbasa
serves 6

Ingredients

1 pound frozen cheese tortellini
1 cup shelled edamame (frozen section of the grocery store)
1 cup diced red pepper
1 pound Kielbasa
1/2 cup Italian dressing (I made my own using a dry packaged mix– I also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil)

Directions

Take the tortellini and the edamame packages out of the freezer to loosen up a little.
Fill a big stock pot halfway full of water and set to boil.
While the water is heating up, slice the kielbasa into 1/4″ slices, and dice the pepper.

When the water starts to boil, dump in the tortellini, and boil for about 5 minutes.
Add the edamame, and boil for 2 more minutes.
Drain in a colander and set aside temporarily.
Set the stock pot back on the hot stove and dump in the kielbasa slices and diced peppers. Heat on high, rapidly stirring, for about 2 minutes. Dump in the Italian dressing to heat.
Dump in the tortellini and edamame, stir.

EAT!

I served a salad on the side, but it wasn’t really necessary. The edamame is very filling, and the meal is very well-rounded. My kids ate the edamame! I’m still beaming.

Steak Pizzaiola
Serves 6

2 28oz. can chunky-style crushed tomatoes
8 Tablespoons olive oil
6-8 large cloves of garlic, pressed well, or chopped lightly
6 slices very thin eye-round beef slices, 1/4″ thick or thinner
2 Tablespoons dry oregano
2 Tablespoons dry basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

In a Dutch oven, take 4 Tablespoons of the oil and heat. Add half your garlic cloves and saute for about 2 minutes, until it starts to turn brown (don’t burn!). Add the tomatoes and the basil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, while you prepare the meat.

In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the garlic cloves, dried oregano, and mozzarella cheese; mix and set aside.

Take the remaining olive oil and heat it up in a large frying pan. Add a few slices at a time, not crowding the meat. Saute the meat, browning both sides and cooking for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove each slice onto a plate as it finishes. When all the slices are cooked, dispose of the greasy fat at the bottom. To the empty frying pan, add a little bit of the tomato sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of meat slices (how many slices depends on the size of your frying pan; I add two at a time). Now spread a small handful of the garlic/oregano/mozzarella over the slices; sprinkle some of the grated cheese; add more sauce to cover. Repeat the layers until all the stuff is used up.

Cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes or so. I shake the pan lightly to keep the bottom from sticking. (I have a glass tile/glass-top kind of stove, so cooking contents often stick to the bottoms of my pans).

This is a delicious meal with some vermicelli pasta and a green salad– nice and light but SO flavorful! Manja, manja!

Photo courtesy of the Leftover Queen.