Kathy Kleisath takes in the spectacular scenery on an Alaskan cruise.
“It gives me such pleasure to see others enjoy the meals I’ve prepared or the dishes I’ve created,” says Kathy Kleisath of Anacortes, Washington.
Kathy’s Tuna Noodle Supreme combines her own canned tuna with a variety of veggies and herbs which makes not only a delicious dish, but a nutritious one, too.
She recalls, “I learned a lot about cooking from my mother during and after World War II. Mom showed us how to stretch a dollar and still provide tasty, well-balanced and nutritious meals.
“Growing up, I always had my hands in Mom’s flour as she kneaded the bread. I just loved cooking and baking. When I married, I made sure my husband had homemade bread and desserts to enjoy, too. Now, after 58 years of marriage we have so much to celebrate.”
Kathy counts her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren among her blessings. She says, “The kids are grown now and so are the grandchildren, mostly with families of their own. Now it is our great-grandchildren’s turn to ‘help’ in the kitchen, cleaning out the cookie bowls and sampling the dough. And once in awhile this great-grandma gets to join in the fun!”
This homey recipe from Kathy is comfort food at its best. It takes awhile to make but is very worth it.
Preheat oven to 375°. Place the onion, celery and bell pepper in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover the vegetables. Add the BAY LEAVES and bring to a simmer. Cook the vegetables until softened, about 7 minutes. Mix the soup or water with 2 cups milk and half and half or wine and add to the cooked vegetables. Season the sauce with the HERBS, MUSTARD POWDER, Worcestershire sauce, salt and PEPPER. Add the cornstarch mixture, stirring until thickened to a medium sauce. Remove the sauce from the heat and add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and 3/4 cup of the cheddar. Stir until well blended. Set aside. Melt 2 TB. of butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until transparent. Remove from the heat and set aside. Open the tuna, drain, and place in a bowl. Flake the tuna slightly with a fork, leaving it fairly chunky. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain the noodles and rinse with warm water. When drained thoroughly, add the mushrooms, chopped parsley and tuna. Pour the sauce over the noodle mixture and stir gently to mix. Taste to see if more salt is needed. This Tuna Noodle Supreme will thicken more after baking in the oven, so make sure it is not a dry mixture. If it is, stir in an extra 1/4 cup milk. Melt the remaining butter and mix together with the bread crumbs.
Pour the tuna/noodle mix into a large, buttered casserole and sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the top of the casserole. Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking until it begins to bubble, about 15 minutes. Before removing from the oven, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and allow it to melt. Serve hot from the oven.
Note: May use instead of cream; mix in before baking. Cream of mushroom soup is usually beef based and if you would like to keep this beef-free, water works well, as the cornstarch and cheese thicken the sauce anyway and the casserole has regular mushrooms plus a whole lot of flavor
Nutritional Information: Servings 12; Serving Size 1 cup (244g); Calories 370; Calories from fat 130; Total fat 14g; Cholesterol 80mg; Sodium 440mg; Carbohydrate 35g; Dietary Fiber 2g.
