Mixing Bowl Kids

Mom's Tuna (or not so tuna) Noodle Casserole

Although I didn't grow up in the 50's, 60's or even really the 70's, I am well aware of the famous "Tuna Noodle Casserole" made by Mom's across North America during those decades.  While this retro dish doesn't fall under the category "gastronomically innovative", it does conjure up feelings of warmth for adults of a certain age.  

One day, while feeling stumped about what to make for dinner, I thought about pasta and tuna and voila...45 minutes later the family was eating my updated version of a tuna noodle casserole (note:  I can't eat it as I really dislike warm tuna) and really enjoying it.  Now that it's popular in our household, I will often make a pot of it on Sunday and use it for lunches throughout the week.  

The February issues of Gourmet and Bon Appetite magazines state that due to recessional times, cooks - professional and home-based - are now returning to comfort foods as an economical way of feeding their guests/families.  I hope that this will motivate you to try to bring comfort cooking, and tuna noodle casserole, into the twenty first century.  Enjoy!

Oh yeah....while making this batch (the one in the photo) for dinner last week I forgot to add the tuna! Just pretend you see up in the picture.  

Mom's Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 box of whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained

3 tbsp of butter

3 tbsp of whole wheat flour

1.5 cups of milk, warmed

1.5 cups of grated white cheddar cheese

1/2 lb of frozen peas

2 cans of tuna

1 tsp grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

~ Melt butter in large skillet over med-high heat.  Sprinkle flour over the butter and whisk together until it forms a paste-like consistency.  Cook for approx. 1 minute.  Add the milk and whisk vigorously until the flour paste has dissolved.  Continue whisking as sauce thickens.  Once the consistency of the sauce stays the same for a few minutes you can leave it to simmer on the stove.  

~ Add nutmeg and cheese to the sauce, combining well.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add peas and tuna and mix until all of the ingredients are incorporated.  Pour sauce into a large mixing bowl, add the pasta and toss until noodles are covered.  Serve warm with a side salad.

Sweet-cakes!

My children LOVE cupcakes, as I suppose most children do.  I mean, what's not to love?  Whether whimsically decorated or iced with a can of Betty Crocker frosting, these four-bite mini-cakes elicit feelings of comfort and fun for any child, all the while tasting so yummy.  

I call these cupcakes sweet-cakes, as they are just that...pure sugary sweetness in the form of the sweetest looking treat.  Iced so simply with nothing more than a mixture of icing sugar and milk, even the youngest little chef can whip this up in no time with nothing more than two ingredients, a bowl, mixing spoon and colouring agent, if desired. No exact measurements are required.   

Perfect for class parties, after-school snacks or in place of a birthday cake, these sweet cakes are sure to be loved by every child.

Sweet-cakes

As many cupcakes as desired, whether from a cake-mix or homemade (easy recipe below)

Frosting

1 cup icing sugar

1.5 tbsp milk

Colouring paste

~ Mix all ingredients together until you reach the desired consistency (more icing sugar will give you thicker icing, less will give you a thin version).

~ Add some amounts of colouring paste (I prefer this to food colouring) until desired colour has been achieved

Easy Cucpcakes

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, so I can't give credit to the author, but I do know I found it on the internet a few years ago and it has been our go-to recipe ever since.  Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes.

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

~ Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

~ In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

~ In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

~ Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

~ Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. 

~ Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

~ Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. 

Giant Toffee-Chocolate Cookies

The word "cookie" is derived from the Dutch word "keokje", meaning little cakes. Although they have been around for hundreds of years, the first cookies were actually created purely by accident...cake-bakers would put a dollop of batter onto a cookie sheet and bake for a reduced amount of time in order to check for proper cooking temperatures. Sometime in the nineteenth century, the British took a liking to them and began to serve them with their afternoon tea, creating a new afternoon snackthat, more than a few centuries later, children of all ages still enjoy today.

Seeing as February is the chocolate month, nothing seems more fitting than to profile these delicious and easy-to-make chocolate toffee cookies.  Trust me...your children will thank you.  Their melt-in-your-mouth texture, and gooey centre are guaranteed to send your little cooks to the pantry in no time...either to help you make them or to haul out the ingredients so you can prepare them yourself. Either way, served with a glass of milk and a cup of tea, they make the perfect after school or evening snack for you to share with your child while catching up on the events of the day. 

Giant Toffee-Chocolate Cookies (adapted from Epicurious.com)

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

• 1 3/4 cups (packed) brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup of toffee bits (Skor pieces bought in your local grocery store or from your bulk food supplier)
•   

• Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; whisk to blend. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm.

  Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then toffee pieces.  Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes.

  Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Make sure to space adequately, as these will spread to be large cookies.  Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets. Store in an airtight container.

Lunch Box Lessons

With the 100th day of school fast approaching, we have successfully completed almost half of the 2008/2009 school year. Aside from this being a gentle reminder that time really does go by quickly, it also means that many mom's have made almost 100 school lunches thus far.  School lunches that are required to be abundant and healthy, sometimes litter-less and always yummy.  This is no small feat as those of who do this task each day are aware and if you're anything like me, you welcome ideas for new ways to jazz up old favourites.

The above photo is my favourite come-home-with-a-friend lunch.  We call it The Platter Special, and it's nothing more than a hodgepodge of different items that hopefully 2-4 children will enjoy.  The quick assembly of a few sandwiches, some fruits and veggies, a dip or two and possibly a small sweet make this a complete meal with little fuss from the picky eaters in the group as surely they will find something they like in the mix.

This Platter Special is made up of pesto and chicken sandwiches (recipe below), peanut butter sandwiches, carrot and cucumber sticks, homemade hummus, grapes and a cinnamon-vanilla yogurt dip (recipe below) to accompany the apples.  Easy,healthy and delicious.

For the children who prefer (or are required) to stay at school for lunch, hopefully some of the following will offer some inspiration:

Sandwiches

Cream cheese with cucumber and grated carrot on a bagel

Brie and apple slices on whole wheat bread

Turkey, Swiss, lettuce and cucumber on a whole wheat wrap

Homemade lunch-ables - ham, cheese, triscuits

Hard boiled eggs and mini pita pockets

Snacks

Carrots and hummus

Homemade cookies

Air-popped popcorn

Yogurt and fruit for dipping

Continue to visit my blog over the next few weeks and I will try to offer some exciting suggestions and lunch box solutions and in the meantime, I wish all of the lunch-makers much success for the remaining school year...only another 100 lunches to go!

Pesto Chicken Sandwiches

1/2 cup Pesto, store bought or homemade

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped up chicken breast (from dinner left overs?)

1/4 cup chopped celery

Bread, bagels, wraps

Mix the first four ingredients well, and spread evenly over surface of bread.  Served with veggie sticks or sliced fruits.

Cinnamon-Vanilla Yogurt Dip

1 tsp honey

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup of your favourite vanilla yogurt

Mix all of the ingredients well and serve as an accompaniment to sliced fruit