Category: Recipes

Just Like My Mom Used to Make

macaroniandcheesI’ve been feeling very under the weather for nearly a week and haven’t felt much like eating, let alone cooking.

As we all can probably agree, aside from ice cream, hot tea, and warm chocolate chip cookies (made by someone else of course – I’m sick!), nothing makes a person feel better faster than comfort food like Mom used to make.  Now if my Mom were only here to make it for me…

Some of my favorite comfort foods are:

  • Macaroni and Cheese – My Mom wasn’t particularly talented in the kitchen, but she could make a mean box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  Once they came out with the “Kraft Deluxe” with the (then) tiny cans of premade cheese sauce in them, she didn’t even have to add the milk and butter.  Her idea of perfection!  I shared her love of the Kraft Deluxe until about 5 years ago when the sauce (now in a foil pouch) got a little thinner and tasted less “cheesy.”  When I don’t take the time to make my own homemade macaroni and cheese from scratch, I have gone back to stocking the cupboard with the old school, original Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the blue box with the powdered cheese.
  • Tuna Sandwich on White Bread – My Grandpa Bob set the standard for tuna preparation in our family.  He would buy tuna in oil (likely a lot of the reason he had quadruple bypass surgery in his 50’s), drain it and mix it together with meticulously chopped onions, a ton of mayonnaise (which has never been my favorite, in fact I rarely use it), and he’d pile it on plain white bread (something most people, myself included, rarely eat anymore), slice it in half, and make as many as would fit in his tan and red plaid “picnic” bag with a plastic sandwich box and thermos of “adult” refreshments.  If he was making sandwiches for us kids to eat on the beach at Lake Gregory in Crestline he would leave the onions out and there would be a thermos of lemonade for us to drink.
  • Grilled Cheese on Sourdough and Tomato Soup:  Down and dirty made with 2 pieces of heavily buttered (none of that icky margarine spread for this girl!) thick cut sourdough bread and at least 3 pieces of Kraft Singles American Cheese (no other brand makes it into my shopping cart).  Fried until brown and crispy and served along side a bowl of Campbell’s Tomato Soup made with milk (never water) and with a pat of butter floating on top.  Add a bowl of buttered popcorn to this and I’m pretty darn good.
  • Mashed Potatoes – Reminder, my Mom didn’t cook much from scratch, so it should be no big surprise that I grew up on Hungry Jack potatoes from the box if we were eating mashed potatoes at home.  My grandma, however, made the creamy, buttery mashed russet potatoes I dream about when I am too sick to keep much down and just want to feel better.  Nothing beats a few peeled, boiled potatoes mashed (with chunks – I love the chunks)  with a ton of butter and milk.  I prefer to make them like my Grandma Skip did, but I use half & half or even whipping cream if I have it on hand.

While these are my quick-fix, “Go-To” comfort foods, if my Mom was still here she’d tell me to make some of my favorite of all: Her, “Guaranteed to make me feel better, tuna noodle casserole.”

When I mention how much I love tuna noodle casserole to most people, their faces screw up and usually I get a negative reaction. Their Moms’ versions of tuna noodle casserole must have had some icky ingredients like cornflakes, ritz crackers, bread crumbs and even peas.  They may think it’s gross, but my Mom’s stripped down, no-frills version is the best I’ve ever eaten.

tunanoodlecasseroleMy Mom’s, Guaranteed to Make Me Feel Better, Tuna Noodle Casserole

Boil, noodles according to package instructions, and drain in a colander.  I prefer American Beauty noodles because they seem to stand up to the sauce without going limp if any remains to re-heat the next day.  Also, because their tuna is guaranteed Dolphin safe, wild caught, gluten free and readily available, I prefer Chicken of the Sea Chunk Light Tuna.

Open and drain the tuna in a colander.  Empty the Cream of Celery soup into a large saucepan.  Fill the empty soup can first with milk then with mayonnaise, adding both to the pan with the soup.  Add the drained tuna, salt and pepper to taste, and stir over low heat until hot but not boiling.

Empty the noodles into a large mixing bowl or the same pan you cooked them in and pour the hot sauce over the noodles, making sure to use a rubber spatula to get all of the sauce out of the pan.  Use the same spatula to combine the noodles and sauce until well mixed.  You can serve it immediately, but I find that if you let it cool slightly the sauce thickens up.

My husband thinks I am gross, but, if there is any casserole left in the refrigerator the next day, I have been known to eat it cold.  It’s like a tuna sandwich on noodles if you think about it, which qualifies twice on my list of comfort foods. 🙂

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Slow Cooker Taco Tuesday Carnitas

carnitasUsing pork as your base is an easy way to treat your family to “Taco Tuesday” without the mess and long prep time if you marinate your pickled vegetables and make your chipotle cream sauce the night before.

Chipotle Cream Sauce   Mix 1/2 cup sour cream, 3 tsp minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and 1 tsp lime juice in a small container.  Mix well and taste. Add more adobo if you like yours spicier, or more sour cream if you need to tone it down. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

pickledcarrotjalapenoPickled Carrots, Onions, & Peppers  Combine in a sealable container:  3/4 Cup apple cider vinegar, 1-1/4 cups water, 1-1/2 TBLS sugar, and 2 tsp kosher salt, mixing until sugar and salt dissolve. Add 1 thinly sliced red onion, 4 sliced jalapenos (seeds in), and 4 peeled/chopped carrots, seal container and make sure all vegetables are covered in marinade.  Put in refrigerator and serve with tacos after pork has cooked.

Slow Cooker Taco Tuesday Carnitas

  • 1 – 4-5 lb pork shoulder trimmed of all fat & cut into 3-4″ chunks
  • 1 TBLS oil
  • 1 Bottle of beer
  • 1 Large white onion, diced
  • 5 Cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Canned chipotle in adobo chopped + 1 tsp sauce
  • 2 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  1. In a cast iron skillet over high heat, heat the oil. Add in the pork and sear until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side.
  2. Place the pork in the bottom of the crock pot. Add the onion, beer, chipotle, garlic, and seasonings, and stir to combine.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Starting at 6 hours, check your pork. When it easily shreds with a fork, remove from the broth and shred.
  4. Preheat the broiler and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Scatter the pork around the baking sheets and ladle about ¼ cup of the broth over each sheet of pork.
  5. Place one sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, then toss the pork and ladle another ¼ cup of broth over. Broil once more, until crispy but not overcooked, and then ladle another ¼ cup broth over the pork. Repeat with the second sheet.
  6. When the pork is done, make tacos in toasted corn tortillas with the chipotle cream and pickled onions, carrots and jalapenos. Sprinkle with cotija cheese, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

blackbeansServe with an ice cold Mexican beer like Corona, Pacifico, Dos Equis, Modelo, or Tecate; cilantro lime rice and black beans for a great meal!

If you are on Facebook and are interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to, recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water, I have a page on Facebook you can visit too:  https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood