Tuna Noodle Casserole ... Crock-pot style

Thanks for reading this post, I'm so excited to visit with you!  

After you've gleaned all the good information you need, visit our new blog platform at www.farmandhearth.com to read even more fascinating tidbits from the kitchen and the fields. 

Dear windswept reader,

For those cold nights when you and the kids are busy stringing popcorn, making cookies to give away, and wrapping presents (ha ha!  What I mean is ...  doing homeschool late, cleaning the ever-invading mess, and trying to get six people going in six different directions), you might want a comforting, filling all-in-one casserole dinner.

Enter the tuna noodle casserole.  Well, we know and love this treat, so ...

Enter the tuna noodle crock-pot casserole!  Yes, yes.  Your life just got that much easier.

I didn't actually have a cheese shredder when I made this.  Chopped cheese
works just as well ... and it's easier to sample!

Tuna Noodle in a Crock-pot 
I made this on a cold, rainy night and my husband ate several servings ... followed by a thick slice of hot buttered banana bread! 

3 large carrots, minced
1/2 onion, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
2 tablespoons garlic powder or several minced cloves
1/2 lb pasta, cooked and drained (suggestions: spiral, wide, macaroni)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of anything)
1/2 can's worth milk
Fresh-ground pepper
1 cup corn
1 can tuna (2 if you like)
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese
Optional: peas, finely chopped broccoli

Put the carrots in a skillet and barely cover with water; bring to a simmer and cook for 10 - 15 minutes while you prepare the onion.  Add oil, onion, and garlic powder or minced garlic to the carrots (the water will be virtually all evaporated by this point).  Cover, stirring occasionally, and cook until soft, about seven minutes.

Place the drained noodles in the crock-pot. Dump the can of creamed soup into the noodles; fill the can halfway with milk and stir to dislodge leftover soup, and add to the noodles.  Grind in pepper to taste.

If using frozen corn, add to the crock-pot frozen.  Add onions & carrots, drained can of tuna, and any other vegetables you wish to include.  Stir in half the shredded cheese.  Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top.  Cover and cook until piping hot.  If cooking on low: cook for 1 - 2 hours.  If cooking on high: cook for 1 hour or less!  

Serve with Louisiana Hot Sauce

If you are in a hurry: steam or microwave the vegetables first.  

If using fresh ears of corn: boil two ears in water for about ten minutes or until grains are crisp-tender; shave off ears with a knife and add to crock-pot. 

Steaming and cooking,

Mrs H
twitter.com/_mrs_h
P.S. Does anybody else accidentally say tuna nooda casserole, too?  It's so annoying!

Free Downloads 

Christmas Spreadsheets ... Mandi, of Life ... Your Way has made all the charts, lists, and spreadsheets your precious heart could desire for managing the Christmas season.  Print out the e-book, or print individual spreadsheets.  They include everything from Thank You Card lists to Gift Ideas to a Baking Planner to an Address Book!  Get the free downloads here and manage your season efficiently and calmly!

Christmas Giveaways ... While you're there, check the Life ... Your Way Grateful Giveaways page!  Mandi is giving away 14 different gifts, and you just might want to enter for all of them!  Check here for new giveaways on her blog.

Book Give-Away: Serve the People

Dear hungered readers,

Welcome to December, and the first day of the 25 Gifts of Christmas here on the blog!  Every day until Christmas, I'll be including a link at the end of my blog posts for something downloadable and free for you!

But first, a gift give-away!  

I stumbled across this book in the library last winter, and fell in love.  I was so addicted to reading it that when my husband, a few siblings, a dog and I loaded into the Jeep to drive up into the mountains and find a Christmas tree, I brought the book and, bundled in many jackets and scarves, read it the entire snow-to-the-wheel-wells drive!  (I did manage to put it down for the hike, though.)  I thought my readers might enjoy it as well, so I contacted the publicist - they sent me two copies, one to keep and one to give to you!

Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China

This book is the story of a girl of Chinese heritage, raised in California, who goes back to China to investigate the roots of Chinese cuisine (readers may recognize the Maoist-era slogan of "Serve the People" re-purposed, tongue-in-cheek, for the book title here).  Jen Lin-Liu attends Chinese cooking school - and learns all about the rules on cheating - you my be very surprised! - and is then employed and interned at various cooking establishments across China:  from a tiny noodle-stall in Beijing to a celebrity Shanghai restaurant.

 I never realized there was so much to know about Chinese cuisine!  Lin-Liu includes a few "side-dishes" between chapters, little food essays and some research on popular aspects of Chinese cooking (like MSG).  As a journalist and food writer, her work is impeccable and mouth-watering.  It's impossible not to feel like you are really right there in China, caught up in a swirl of hustling, bustling people, the aromas and odors pungent and sweet and harsh.

Which brings us to the best ... maybe the worst ... part of this delicious book.  After describing the succulent flavors, tender pork buns, soft noodles in hot broth, dumplings, drunken chicken, and other devastatingly wicked dishes she samples, Lin-Liu ends almost every chapter with a recipe for that very meltingly tasty dish she just enjoyed.  She includes a list of recipes in the beginning of the book, so you can skip straight to the dish that you wanted to try most.  From Smashed Cucumbers to Fish-Fragrant Pork Shreds, from Red-Braised Pork to Yangzhou Fried Rice - there is something for everybody here.  Deep Fried Shrimp?  Northwest-Style Noodles?  Instructions to make dumpling wrappers, and various fillings to pack them with?  All scattered throughout Jen Lin-Liu's excellent journalistic story-telling!  

You can win this gift for yourself - or win it to give to somebody special in your life!

To enter the giveaway: 

1. Enter Once: Post a comment below and tell us your favorite food cuisine.
2. Enter Twice: E-mail or Facebook this blog post to a friend that might be interested in winning a book, and leave another comment on the blog letting us know you shared the Christmas cheer!

Contest closes midnight on Saturday, December 10th, 2011.  A winner will be chosen at random using random.org; you will be notified via e-mail.

Ready with the wok,

Mrs H
twitter.com/_mrs_h

Free Downloads

A Special Advent Calendar ... Amy Locurto over at LivingLocurto created a delightful, free download for December.  Make a fun Advent calendar for the kids - or for your spouse, even!  Behind every little flap, Amy has written out a "treat" to be discovered ... you can use the ones she created, or make your own.  Read the instructions and download the PDF here.  

Entering Giveaways ... I'll keep you posted on any fun giveaways I find across the blogosphere!  Over at the Simple Living Media network, they are giving away various gifts this December.  If you want to enter the giveaways, visit their page here!

The 25 Christmas Gifts

Dearest festive readers,

I have exciting news!!!

I've trying to dream up a way I could give every one of my beloved readers a gift for Christmas, and I do believe I've hit on the perfect plan.

This December, every day until Christmas there will be a new download posted for you on the blog.  Either something I've created myself, or a link to another blog or website that is hosting a delightful FREE download.

What'll it be?  I've already got a big sackful of of treats for you, and I keep finding more ... free e-books, special Christmas crafts for the kids, Advent calendars, even some downloads so unique you can print them and give them away as gifts!

I'll keep posting my regular blog posts, but at the bottom of each one will be a special link with your daily gift.  And as they appear on the blog, I'll keep the whole list collected right here.  Check this page frequently for gifts you may have missed and to find bonus links that won't appear anywhere else on the blog!

Watch the blog posts in December for a new downloadable gift every day until Christmas!  

Wishing you cheer and good tidings,

Mrs H
twitter.com/_mrs_h

Look for Rosie the Snowgirl ...
she always shows up when there
are new downloads to be had! 

Kick-off Bonus Link! 

Tsh Oxenreider at SimpleMom has a few ideas for budgeting this Christmas, and has created a handy downloadable budget spreadsheet.  

This Gift

Dear reader,

Thanksgiving behind, Christmas ahead.

Time to count our blessings ...

We already have so many.  

An author once challenged us to start a list of "one thousand gifts," things in our life that we can find beauty in, thankfulness, presence.  The list grows and grows as we far exceed one thousand gifts!

What are you thankful for?  Keep the list going ...

filtered water with ice cubes, refreshing

fuzzy socks

my husband starting Christmas music while I'm in the kitchen

squinting when the sun is too bright

oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar, shared with my husband on cold mornings

twittering birds just outside my window, cheery no matter how early the hour

caramel tea from a tea boutique my cousin took me to

washing the dishes in hot water, from the tap

the creaking, crackling sound of the house breathing when the wood relaxes with the morning sun

counting the stars, again and again,

Mrs H
twitter.com/_mrs_h

Leftovers Live On: Turkey Burrito

Dear frugal reader,

What a blessing it is to have leftover food filling the refrigerator!  If you're like us, you love those leftovers like nobody's business because they mean feasting for days.  But be on the alert - -

Don't let that leftover turkey go boring!  

Here's another wrap-and-roll recipe for leftover turkey that wins big points around our house ... I'll be preparing this by the weekend, that's for sure!  Be sure to check out our fresh recipe for Moo Shoo Turkey Wraps to make sure you feed your crowd over the long weekend.

Have you ever made a turkey pillow?  Last year, using printed
fabric from my mom-in-law, Chickadee and I put together a fat,
fluffy bird that would never make it to the dinner table ... despite
being fully stuffed with, well, stuffing! 

Turkey and Bean Burrito 
If you so desire, drizzle into your burritos a little Louisiana Hot Sauce, some homemade spicy ketchup, or some enchilada sauce!  

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 pint diced tomatoes
1 - 2 tablespoons chopped chiles or pickled jalapenos or you can purchase a can of tomatoes with diced chiles in it
2 tablespoons lime juice or the juice from one small lime
4 cups shredded cooked turkey or chicken
1 pint pinto beans, fresh-cooked or canned, rinsed
6 tortillas, warmed
8 ounces shredded Monterey, pepper Jack, or cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded green cabbage (one small cabbage, or less than half large cabbage)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and saute, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in garlic, cumin and chile powder and cook for 30 seconds or until the spices release a fragrant scent.  Add tomatoes and lime juice; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until onions are very tender, about 20 minutes.  Stir in turkey and cooked beans and continue cooking until the mixture is heated through, approximately five minutes.  Fill tortillas with the turkey and bean mixture; top with cheese and shredded cabbage, roll, and enjoy!

Thankful for leftovers,

Mrs H

tweet us @_mrs_h for chewy nuggets
Pin us at Pinterest for pretty photos and intriguing articles
Follow us on Facebook for recipes, giveaways, and brilliant flashes of perspiration!


P.S. If you're still in the mood for an old-fashioned turkey sandwich, here's a recipe that looks pretty amazing.

The Thanksgiving Song

Dedicated to the littlest sister, my Chickadee

The Thanksgiving Song

Aa is for Apple Pie, a holiday feast tradition
Bb is for Broccoli Salad, I love it, who doesn't?
Cc is Cranberry Sauce - to forget is perdition!
Dd is for Deviled Eggs, prepared by the dozen.

Ee is for Eggnog, as winter sets in ...
Ff is for Frog-Eye Salad, which is really quite nice!
Gg is for Gravy, rich and brown,
Hh is for Ham, that pig spiral-sliced.

Ii is for Iowa Pea Salad, a frozen concoction.
Jj is for Jell-O Salad, layered or creamed.
Kk is for King Arthur Chocolate Cake, a true confection;
Ll is for Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake, rich as you dreamed ...

Mm is for Mashed Potatoes, piled creamy and high.
Nn is for No-Fuss Cherry Pie, a juicy delight!
Oo is for Olives, with fingers to ply,
Pp is for Pumpkin Pie, an honorable right.

Qq is for Quick 7-Cup Salad, fragrant of cherries.
Rr is for Rolls, soft and tender.
Ss is for Stuffing, the meat and bread marries;
Tt is for Turkey, that poultry of wonder!

Uu is for Upside-Down Pineapple Cake, ¡ǝɹɐlɔǝp I
Vv is for Vanilla Ice-Cream, a pie-slice topper -
Ww is for Whipped Cream, to include this is fair.
Xx is for Xylitol Sweetener, a new-fangled offer;

Yy is for Yams, candied to the brim ...
Zz is for Zwiebach Pie - without which, this dinner is sin!  

Now you know your recipes, next time won't you feast with me?! 

Thanking Him for blessings and wishing you the happiest Thanksgiving, 

Mrs H
tweet us @_mrs_h for chewy nuggets
Pin us at Pinterest for pretty photos and intriguing articles
Follow us on Facebook for recipes, giveaways, and brilliant flashes of perspiration!