Tuna Noodle Casserole

The inspiration for this recipe is really wacky, so bear with me.

The last night we were in Florida, it was just me, Johnny, and my brother Michael. I was in the kitchen of the rental home cooking fruit filled pancakes and scrambled eggs for our dinner. Johnny and Michael were lounging in the living room talking, with Hoarders playing in the background.

All of a sudden I heard both of them scream "ewwww" and other loud outbursts of disgust. I ran into the room, spatula still in hand, to see what was going on. Apparently, the teenaged daughter of the hoarder had boiled pasta, spooned huge spoonfuls of Miracle Whip in with it, and stirred it together with canned tuna and peas. She put this concoction in the microwave to heat it up, and then they ate in their car, since it was the only place for both of them to sit.

That was Sunday night, and it's kept replaying in my head since. It was so disturbing, especially since both of them were overweight and battling diabetes. I kept thinking "why would they make something so unhealthy?"

I had to make something like it myself, but I wanted to make it healthy. I really don't know why, but I felt like that was the only way I'd be able to get over my disgust of the situation.



1 pound of elbow macaroni
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 packet Lipton's Recipe Secrets mix (I used vegetable)
1 cup frozen spinach
1 cup frozen peas
1 can of albacore tuna, packed in water

Bring a pot of water up to a boil. Season with salt and boil the pasta 2-3 minutes short of being done (very al dente).

While the pasta is boiling, mix the sour cream, Lipton's packet, veggies, and tuna in a covered baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Drain the pasta and mix with the other ingredients. Put the lid on the baking dish and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serves 3-4.

Healthy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

If you're not interested in a healthy version, my usual fried version can be found here.

This was kind of a science experiment of a dish. I wasn't sure what would or wouldn't work, but I'm happy to report that it turned out well enough to share with you guys!

I started with my usual way of doing things, and made some healthy substitutions along the way, both in the ingredients and cooking methods used.

3 medium to large eggplants
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
1 24 oz. jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Begin by washing and slicing your eggplant in 1/4" thick pieces. Lay out on baking dishes and sprinkle with Kosher salt to draw out some of the moisture.

While the eggplant sits, combine the flours, salt, and pepper in a large, flat Tupperware style container. In another large, flat container, whisk together the eggs, skim milk, salt, and pepper.

Use a few paper towels to firmly pat down the eggplant, grabbing any excess moisture that has been drawn out. (I only did one side because I'm lazy.) Preheat the oven to 375°.

Start your assembly line, which will go like this: a feather light dusting of the flour mixture on the eggplant, a dunk into the egg mixture, and another feather light coating of the flour mixture. Lay the battered eggplant pieces on a greased baking pan. Pop the pan in the oven, and continue with the eggplant pieces until all are battered, on a sheet, and in the oven. Each pan should bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the eggplant has softened and the batter is browned (at least on the bottom).

Mix the jar of sauce with the water to thin it out a little bit (helps with easier spreading). Grab a very large casserole dish and spread the bottom with a thin layer of sauce. Remove the first pan of eggplant put in the oven. Lay the pieces out in the casserole dish. Pour 1/3 of the remaining sauce overtop, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and a few Tbsp of the Parmesan. Remove the second pan of eggplant put in the oven, and repeat the process. Finally, remove the last pan of eggplant from the oven and lower the temperature to 300°. Repeat the layering process, omitting the cheese, using your spatula to firmly press down the layers. Pop back into the oven, covered for 30-45 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Remove the foil, sprinkle the last of the cheese, and finish under the broiler.

Serves 5-6. Reheats well. You can also assemble and freeze the dish before baking. When ready to bake, just thaw and bake until the sauce is bubbling.

I'm not going to lie, this is a tedious dish to make, with a lot of hands-on time. It took me about an hour and a half from washing the eggplant to popping the assembled casserole into the oven for the final bake. I personally love the battered eggplant, but if the coating isn't your thing, you could certainly skip the battering steps and just roast slices of eggplant and make the dish the same way from that point on.

It's definitely worth the effort, though!

Vegetable and Quinoa Bake

I've been turning to my health cookbooks more and more lately for inspiration. This Healthy Heart Cookbook had a recipe for a rice and broccoli bake. I thought it sounded like a really good idea, so I took it and ran with it. I changed the rice to quinoa, added way, way, wayyy more veggies, and left out some of the cheese.


Crust:
2 cups plain cooked quinoa
1 egg
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Filling:
1 cup frozen spinach
1 bell pepper
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
2 jarred, roasted red peppers
5 eggs
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Note: This can be made in a single 11 x 7" casserole dish, or separately in two pie plates.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg for the crust. Fold in the cheese and quinoa until evenly incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Spray your baking dish or pie plates with non-stick spray and turn the crust mix out into them. Using the back of a spatula or your hands, carefully form the crust along the bottom of the dish(es) and up the sides.

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large mixing bowl, add the veggies as you chop with the cheese. Feel free to add any combination of vegetables and cheese according to your individual tastes or preferences. You could even add beans, potatoes, or salsa - get creative! Reuse your medium bowl to beat the 5 eggs. Add to the large bowl and keep folding with the vegetables until everything is mixed. Season with salt and pepper.

Gently pour the egg and vegetable mixture into the crust(s), using a spatula to even out if necessary. Pop in the oven, uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Check the center for doneness with a knife. Let stand a few minutes before cutting. For breakfast or lunch, I would say this could serve 5-6. For dinner it serves closer to 3-4.

I was nervous about this one, but it really knocked our socks off! The quinoa crust was delicious. It held up really well, and the crunchy bits were really nutty and delicious.

I loved the combination of all of the vegetables. It was a really colorful meal, which always makes me feel like I'm eating healthy!

If you haven't already, could you please take a second to vote for my Lucia Buns? It's one-click to vote, no registration required. Thank you! (Voting ends March 4th)

One Crust Pot Pie

I heard about this idea from Beth (aka Biz) and have been meaning to make it for a couple weeks now!

First, I roasted a whole bird. Nothing fancy, just rubbed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. It was a 4-5 lb. fryer and took about an hour in a 350° oven. I used just the breast meat for the pot pie. The rest of the bird I'll use for something else and the carcass for stock.

In an 11 x 17" baking dish I put:

1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
2 small onions, chopped fine
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
2 chicken breasts, cubed
salt and pepper, to taste
~5 cups gravy (I used stock thickened with a flour/water mixture)

The crust came from a recipe I found in a low-fat cookbook:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cooking oil of choice (I used vegetable, but canola would be better)
3-5 Tbsp skim milk

Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix oil and 3 Tbsp milk and add to the bowl. Use a fork to mix everything until dough forms a ball. Add up to 2 Tbsp more milk if necessary. Form into a ball. Roll out onto wax paper and then transfer to the top of your baking dish. Cut a few slits in the top and bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting.

This made a LOT! I'd say serves 6, easily. One note: I got nervous about the gravy level, so I had added a bit more water at the end. This was a mistake because it ended up really, really watery.

So, we ate it in bowls with the crust scooped over top. It was still delicious, and I adjusted the recipe above to reflect the new gravy amount I'd recommend! I liked the crust, it was tender and flaky. I'd never made a crust like this before. Usually I cut in lard or butter!

Friday Firsts - Muffin Tin Frittatas

Happy Friday everybody! (If you're new to Friday Firsts, click the image above for more information!) Is it fall where you're at yet? We're still enjoying some beautiful weather here, something I'm thrilled about!!

A few things I want to bring attention to before I post my first!

• Our Chicagoland Blogger Meet-up is approaching quickly! We're going to be meeting in Schaumburg on Sunday, November, 21st. Any bloggers or readers in the area who would like to join in, please send an e-mail!
• I'm an entrepreneur! The all natural dog bones I bake for my dog have gotten a cutesy name and logo. I've sold out of three batches of Corky Crisps at two local craft shows. They're now available on Etsy, too!

Now, onto my first! Ever since Biz started South Beach, her crustless quiches have been making my tummy growl when I read her blog. I thought it'd be a cute idea to make them in muffin tins, like a mini frittata.


15 oz. can new potatoes
4 eggs
1/2 cup cheese (I used skim mozzarella)
11 oz. can of Southwestern style corn (*see note)
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°. Mix the last 4 ingredients in a small bowl until well blended. The Southwestern style corn is from Green Giant and contains corn, black beans, tomatoes, and I think chiles.

Spray 12 muffin tins with non-stick spray. Crumble enough potatoes in each well to fill the bottom. Spoon the egg mixture over top each, until the muffin cups are about halfway full. Bake for approximately 20 minutes.

These will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, so they're perfect for weekday lunches. Just re-heat in the microwave for a minute or two and you've got a hot breakfast!

Now it's your turn to tell me about your first! To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!



If you would like to display the Friday Firsts button as a badge in your post or on your side bar, you can copy and paste the following code:

<a href="http://www.dinneratchristinas.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://glc.dinneratchristinas.com/i/fridayfirsts.png" alt="Friday Firsts / DinnerAtChristinas.com" style="width: 220px; height: 220px; border: none"/></a>

Cauliflower Gratin with Bleu Cheese

When Biz posted this recipe a couple of weeks ago I printed it out right away! I love the humble cauliflower, cheese, and especially bleu cheese recently! It's like she crawled inside my brain and made a side dish especially for me!

I kept everything pretty much the same, except I don't have a food scale so I eyeballed the ounces of cheese. I think mine ended up more like 2 oz. of each, but feel free to play around with the cheeses to match your own tastes! Biz's sister, Jenn even made it with purple cauliflower and cheddar instead!


1 head cauliflower
1 cup skim milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
2 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz. bleu cheese
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces and boil in a pot of salted water with a splash of white vinegar. (This helps keep the cauliflower white.) Cook until tender, drain well, and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small skillet, stir in the flour, and cook the roux for a minute. Add the milk, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat, add the cheeses, and stir until they are melted.

Spray a casserole dish and add the cauliflower. Pour the sauce over top, and stir until everything is covered. Sprinkle the breadcrumps over the top. Bake at 425° for about 15-20 minutes until bubbly and the top is slightly browned.

Italian Cabbage Casserole & 2 Year Giveaway

Johnny's sister, Di and I have been crafting our little hearts out lately. We both love Halloween, and it's never too early to start celebrating!

It was both Di's and my first time jigsawing EVER. I think we did a fantastic job, if I don't say so myself! The templates are from Martha Stewart's web site.

In a special Taste of Home fall craft and recipe magazine Di got, this Italian Cabbage Casserole caught my eye. The original recipe can be found here, and my adaptation is below.

1 medium cabbage, shredded
1 pound loose Italian sausage
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
29 oz. can of tomato puree
6 oz. can of tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used part-skim)

Place the shredded cabbage in a steamer basket over about 1 inch of boiling water. Cover and steam for 6-8 minutes, or until tender. Rinse with cool water, drain, and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, green pepper, and onion until the sausage is no longer pink. Stir in the tomato puree, paste, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place half of the cabbage in a greased 11" x 17" baking dish. Top with the sausage mixture, then 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes at 350°. Finish under the broiler to brown the cheese. Serves 6-8 and reheats nicely.



This was absolutely delicious. Johnny and I both loved it. It hits all the same notes of a lasagna, but uses the cabbage instead of noodles, which would make it a nice substitute for a gluten-free lasagna. The next day we ate it reheated for lunch with Di and she loved it too. It will definitely become part of our rotation. Plus, I love that it makes a huge pan and we have leftovers for a few days.

And I TOTALLY forgot about my own giveaway! Sorry, guys.

My two year blogaversary was yesterday, Sunday, September 12th. Hard to believe it's been two years already.

Although at the same time it feels like I've been doing this forever. I can't remember back to a time it wasn't "normal" to take pictures of my food before digging in!

As I said, this will be a surprise giveaway! You (and I) don't know the prize yet, but a prize is a prize, so it's still worth fighting for - amiright?

To enter:

Leave a comment below letting me know how long you've been blogging! (If you're not a blogger, feel free to leave any ol' comment!)

For an extra entry, tweet about this giveaway and leave a 2nd comment with @yourhandle.

For additional entries, link up to this week's Friday Firsts. Leave a separate comment for each linkback on this post.

Giveaway will end Saturday, September 18th at midnight. I will announce the winner soon thereafter.

Johnny's Fiesta Party & Chili Rellenos Bake

Let's back track a bit since I'm home and struggling to get caught up on life.

Johnny's 33rd birthday was August 7th. We had a(n almost) surprise Fiesta birthday party for him. He found out a few hours before, but it was still a blast!

I didn't get too many pictures of the food since I was busy socializing, chowing down, and swimming.

The menu included tacos, serrano pepper spiked corn bread, chili spiked squash pies, beans, a cold rice salad, and a new adaptation of the baked chili rellenos.

We loved the new chili rellenos baked version so much that I've already made it again at home.

The recipe is nearly identical to the one I already featured, except instead of stuffing the peppers with the cheese, you cut the roasted peppers into chunks and grate the cheese.

Mix the batter in a medium bowl until smooth, and then add the cheese and peppers. Spray a baking dish and pour in, baking for about 30 minutes.

When I made it for the party, I made it in a huge pie tin so we cut it into slices almost like a pizza. At home I made it in a small casserole dish, so we cut squares. The leftovers are really easy to heat up the next day and taste even better!

Baked Chili Rellenos

Johnny's absolute favorite meal is chili rellenos. I had never even heard of it before I moved in with him, but silly me offerred to make it for his birthday dinner. Wow, I was nervous! First of all, his ex Mother-in-law was a Mexican immigrant and used to make it for him, so that's tough competition. Second, it's a pretty labor intensive dish. I was determined so I googled around and found a few recipes and resources to make it. It was a smashing success and I've cooked it a handful of times since. The problem is that it takes so darn long and usually makes a mess out of the kitchen with all the battering and deep frying.

I was flipping through my Better Homes and Gardens Vegetable cookbook I still had out from the beet recipe, and found one for baked chili rellenos! Could it be?! I immediately put the ingredients on the next grocery list!

I made some changes to the recipe including using fresh poblanos instead of canned chilis, as well as using Chihuahua cheese instead of Monteray Jack cheese. Feel free to use what you prefer, the technique is pretty much the same, regardless!

5 poblano peppers
6-8 oz Chihuahua cheese
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shredded Chihuahua cheese

Raise the top rack of your oven and turn the broiler on. Lightly coat the poblano peppers in oil and place on a baking sheet. Broil for about 5 minutes a side, flipping 3 times to char each side of the triangular shaped peppers. Remove from the oven and place in a heat-proof bowl with plastic wrap sealed over the top. Let sit for about 15 minutes to steam the skin and become cool to the touch.

Lower the oven rack and turn the temperature to 350°. While waiting for the peppers to cool, slice the cheese into small rectangles and grate 1/2 of a cup. Prepare the batter by whisking together the eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, and salt until smooth.

Once the peppers have cooled, hold them by their stems and gently peel off their waxy skin. Pull off the stem and gently cut a slit through one side of the pepper, taking care not to cut all the way through. Using a spoon, gently scrape the membrane and seeds from the poblano. (These are where the heat is and once you remove these, there is just a delicious chili taste left, but if you prefer spicy then you can leave some.)

Lay the peppers flat and arrange a rectangle or two of the cheese in the center. Wrap the roasted pepper around the cheese and place seam side down in a small to medium sized greased casserole dish.

Pour the batter over the peppers. (Here is where I realized I used too large of a baking dish - oops!)

Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over top. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes until the top is golden.

You can see how it puffed up beautifully and browned. If I had used a smaller baking dish it would have been more on the peppers, not along the sides so much.

This was just as delicious as the deep fried version! It hit all the same notes with a fraction of the prep and mess! I'll definitely be adding this one to the "keeper" pile!

If you have been nervous to try chili rellenos before, I think this version is perfect for starters. Keep in mind that you could also use canned chilis if you don't want to go through the trouble of roasting fresh ones, which would cut down even less on the time and mess!

Ooey, gooey, cheesy, and chili roasted battered goodness! What more could you ask for in a dinner?


I'm submitting this delicious and fulfilling meat-free dish to Just Another Meatless Monday. I think Mexican is a great way to add vegetarian meals to the dinner plan. Cheeses, beans, and mushrooms can replace meats as a hearty flavor and filling for fajitas, tacos, or burritos.

Kids in the Kitchen: Pasta Pie

Taylor went home Saturday, but the last meal we cooked together was a revisit with the visually impressive pasta pie I made last June! (Original recipe can be found here.) She had seen it on my blog and it was her one wishlist item that we make while she was here.

The first time was a pretty tedious process, but this second time with a pair of helping hands it went by a lot quicker. I think recipes that have labor intensive steps are perfect for sharing with kids because you can split up and share the work!


While I was browning the beef Taylor carefully used my microplaner to grate the Parmesan cheese.



Next, we swapped stations and she took over stirring the sauce and beef mixture while I got the pasta ready. (It was at this point Taylor noticed the sauce had bits of onion in it. I got a bit of a nose-crinkle and feared this might be an issue when the finished meal hit the table.)

Taylor was a big help standing all of the rigatoni upright in the spring form pan.

Then, her smaller fingers were the perfect size for squishing the sauce down in each noodle hole!


It popped out just as cleanly and impressive this time as last time, too!


The presentation is worth the extra assembling effort!

I'm also happy to say that Taylor was half-way through her serving before she even remembered that she didn't like onions! When it came time to clear the plates I saw one lone piece of onion that had been picked out and discarded to the side of the plate. Knowing Taylor had she not invested so much into helping make this recipe, she would have sat there and picked out every single piece of onion! I guess all that hard work made her forget and sit back and enjoy each bite! (Thanks again to Laura for the knork - Taylor loved it and chose to eat virtually every meal with it!)

Thank you for spending your Spring break with us Taylor! We had so much fun with you and miss you already!