Cheesy Tuna Casserole

This is a slightly modified recipe of the one my mom used to make when I was a kid. Actually, mom made it so much that at one time during my childhood I didn't think I'd ever want it again..lol..but I did. Now it is a favorite for my own family. One thing my family will tell you is that you simply must have this with peas, not mixed in, but on the side. And they must not be just any peas. They must be Le Sueur very young early peas:
Cheesy Tuna Casserole

• 1 box Kraft Macaroni and Cheese



• 1 can cream of mushroom soup



• 1 can tuna (the kind packed in water), drained



• 1/2 cup sour cream (I use light)



• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni noodles according to package directions. Drain and put back in pan. Mix in well, cheese packet from mac & cheese, mushroom soup, drained tuna and sour cream. Pour into greased 8" x 8" cooking dish and sprinkle cheese over top. Bake in 350 degree oven about 20-25 minutes or until cheese on top is well melted. Serve with Le Sueur peas.

Taco Soup

I decided to start a recipe blog because I love to cook...that is as long as I'm cooking something that's easy to fix. If I'd known that 30 Minute Meals would've been such a hit, I might've tried to do the show myself. Ha, Yeah right! Rachel Ray is something else! I do have a few things in common with her though as I do like to make quick and easy meals. However, my meals usually take even less time and use more basic ingredients.

I can also do budget cooking. I can tell you how to stretch one average sized chicken into at least 2, if not 3 meals with plenty to feed a family of 5 or 6. This comes from the fact that we didn't have much money when I was growing up and I've seen some lean times financially since I've been grown too. You can learn to be resourceful when you must!

I love to do casseroles and love crock pot cooking. Some of my very favorite meals of all time are casseroles because I love the idea of throwing everything together in one delicious dish (almost always including cheese!). And you just can't beat a crock pot if you want food that tastes like you spent hours and hours on it, because of course you did (you just didn't even have to be there to do it). So it's likely that you'll see a lot of recipes that are in those categories.

Now the question is which recipe do I post first...hmmm, that's a tough one. Probably my most requested recipe is for my version of taco soup. It's a recipe that's all over the recipe web sites, but I've just tweaked it a little to make it more to my liking. My "big kids" (that's what I call the teachers I work with who are about the same age as my daughter, who is also a teacher) ask "mama C" (that's me) to bring it for them for lunch whenever I have extra.

Mama C's Taco Soup

1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
1 can tomato sauce
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can pinto beans, rinsed
2 cans corn
1 package Ranch dressing mix
1 package taco seasoning

Spray large cooking pot with non-stick cooking spray. Cook ground meat and diced onions together until meat is well browned. Pour in all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer and let cook for 15 minutes or so. That's it. Makes at least 10 servings.

This also freezes well. It is one of my favorite recipes to cook up to put in freezer containers to take to work for lunch later.

Next time I'll post a casserole or a crock pot meal. :)