Tuna casserole

I have made this many times before and its super and delicious, but I never posted it here...for posterity...and in case aliens come looking for any recipes for one pit dinners :)

Tuna Casserole 

Tuna Casserol

Ingredient:

1. 2 cups dry egg noodles 
2. 10 ounces canned tuna in water drained and flaked
3. 1 cup milk warm
4. 1/2 cup water
5. 2 tablespoons flour
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
7. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8. 1/2 cup each of frozen peas, chopped carrots
9. 1 cup bread crumbs
10. 1/4 cup onions
11. 1 teaspoon garlic minced
12. 2 tablespoon melted better

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Cook the noodles according to package instructions.

In a pan heat the butter and fry the onions and carrots for 5 minutes. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Move the onions and garlic to a corner and add the flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add warm milk and water and stir until there are no lumps. Add salt and pepper and tuna and stir together. Then stir in the peas and the cooked noodles.

Add to the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and some butter

Bake for 20 minutes.  Enjoy

Egg stuffed sour cream biscuits

My dear brother was here for Thanksgiving and while getting ready to cook thanksgiving feast, I realized I was missing sour cream... for my most popular  Dill Sour cream mashed potato. As my brother was going out I asked him to get a "small size" pack of sour cream but not the "Smallest size"...Guess what size he got for me. THE 3LB TUB OF SOUR CREAM. I used about 1 lb of it and I have about 2/3 of the sour cream tub which I am trying to find ways to use.

And this sour cream biscuit recipe is one of the recipes for the mission. I have made biscuits before but they were not very fluffy. These are great. I made a couple of changes to the original recipe . I filled my biscuits with onion scrambled eggs.


Egg stuffed sour cream biscuits 

Egg stuffed sour cream biscuits

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 2 tablespoons sugar
3. 21/2 teaspoons baking powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, baking soda
5. 1 cup sour cream
6. 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Ingredients for onion scrambled eggs:

1. 2 large or 3 medium eggs
2. 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
3. 1 tablespoon oil
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic powder

In a pan heat the oil and cook the onions till translucent. In a bowl add 1/2 tablespoon water and mix salt, pepper and garlic powder. Break the eggs into it and beat the eggs. Add this to the pan over the onions and scramble them. Let them cool.

Preheat oven to 400° (for dark pan or 425 for lighter pans). 

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Stir in the butter and sour cream just until moistened. If the dough is too dry add 1 tablespoon of water at a time 

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 8-10 times. DO  NOT OVER KNEAD.

Divide the dough into 8 parts. Take a part of dough into you palm and spread it into a circle 3-4 inches wide. Place about 1 tablespoon scrambled egg and close the dough like a dumpling. Place 1 in. apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Brush biscuits with butter; Enjoy yummy breakfast biscuits.

To reheat...wrap in a paper towel and microwave for 40-45 seconds and enjoy on a busy morning

Orange Cranberry Butter Cookies

These are the most delicious and easy to make cookies, I have ever made.  This recipe first appeared int the "Southern Living" magazine. The original recipe called for 1.5 cups of butter. But I used only 1 cup better and the cookies were awesome.

Orange Cranberry Butter Cookies

Orange Cranberry Butter cookies

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup butter softened
2. 1.5 cup cups powdered sugar
3. 1 cup dried cranberries chopped
4. Zest from 2 oranges
5. 3 cups all purpose flour
6. sprinkling sugar of your choice color...I choose golden
7. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat the butter for 2 minutes and add the powdered sugar and mix well. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder and add it into the butter and mix well. Add the cranberries and orange zest and stir to combine. Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll into 2 square logs and wrap in plastic and refridgerate for 2 hrs.

Roll the logs in sprinkling sugar and cut them into 1/4 inch pieces. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Set the cookies on a parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes until the edges turn slightly brown.

Cool on a cooling rack and enjoy

Cashew Celery Shrimp Stir-fry

Last year one of Chinese neighbors invited us for dinner. She had some unique Chinese dishes, which I had never tasted before. But they were very delicious. One of the dishes she made that day was Celery and Shrimp stir fry. I uped the taste of that dish with cashews today and let me tell you, the dish just disappeared. I served it with Beetroot fried rice 

Cashew Celery Shrimp Stir-fry

Cashew Celery Shrimp stir fry

Ingredients:

1. 12 oz shrimp peeled and deveined
2. 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced 
3. 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce, sesame oil, white wine
4. 1 teaspoon each of grated ginger, grated garlic
5. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7. 3/4 cup roasted salted cashews 
8. 3 scallions, thinly sliced white and green, separated

Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil and wine, in a medium bowl, set aside. 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, the celery and cashews. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and fry for about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

Return the skillet to high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the shrimp and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir-fry until shrimp turn pink, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger-garlic mixture and  and stir for a minute. Return the celery and cashews to the pan along with scallion whites and stir to combine

Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining scallion greens. Enjoy

Mughlai paneer pockets

These are similar to paneer paratha or my version Palak paneer paratha but the stuffing is different and the way its made is different. This is easy to eat on the go. Usually Indian food is not very portable, but these are super portable and delicious for kids school lunch

Makes 4 to 6

Mughlai Paneer Pockets (Cottage cheese stuffed wheat pockets)

Mughlai Paneer Pockets

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups wheat flour

Ingredients for filling/stuffing:

1. 1-1.5 cups grated paneer
2. 1 medium carrot grated
3. 1/2 cups chopped capsicum/bell pepper
4. 1 tablespoon chopped cashew nuts (optional)
5. 1/4 cup green peas
6. 1/4 cup chopped onions
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, amchur powder
8. 1 tablespoon oil
9. 1 green chilli finely chopped
10. 1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste / finely chopped garlic
11. Ghee/ butter for frying the pockets

In a pan heat the oil and add the onions and carrots to it and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add cashews and bell pepper and add all the spices and mix well. Let cook for 5 minutes. Add peas and paneer and mix well and cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro, cut the flame and mix again. Set aside to cool

Mix the flour with water and form dough and set aside covered for 15-20 minutes.

Divide into 6 parts.

Roll the dough into 8 inch. Add 2 tablespoons stuffing into the center and fold the edges onto the stuffing, making a pocket.

In a pan heat 1 teaspoon butter and on medium low flame add the pocket to the pan. Cover and let fry for 2 minutes. Flip and fry covered for 2 more minutes. Cut the pocket into 2 triangles and serve with ketchup

Apple Cider Pumpkin bread

It is the season of the the Pumpkins and the apple ciders....mmmmmmmmm Apple Cider...One of the best drinks . So I got a whole gallon of Apple cider and after having my fill...now I need ways to use the rest of it. And here comes the apple cider Pumpkin bread. Yummy for a quick break fast. Toast a slice and serve it with butter or as is

Apple Cider Pumpkin bread

Apple cider pumpkin bread

Apple cider pumpkin bread with home made cream cheese frosting

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup each of apple cider, pumpkin puree
2. 2 large eggs
3. 1/4 cup vegetable oil
4. 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
5. 2 cups all-purpose flour
6. 2 teaspoons  baking powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg
8. 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
9. 1 medium apple peeled, cored and chopped

Preheat oven to 350°.

In saucepan, boil cider until it's reduced to about 1/4 cup; let it cool.

In bowl, whisk together well pumpkin purée, eggs, oil, brown sugar, and cider.

In bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Stir in walnuts or pecans if using, and stir in apple pieces.

Pour batter to a well-buttered 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.

Bake in middle of oven 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean.

Let bread cool in the pan.

Pear upside down cake

The super market has been having a whole lot of pears recently and they look super fresh and super delicious. I got a whole pack and after eating all the pear as can, I had to find other ways to use the pears and the cake recipe I found and made is super delicious.
We practically ate this cake for breakfast.

Pear upside down cake

Upside down pear cake

Ingredients:

1. 2 large or 3 medium small pears, peeled, cored and sliced length wise into 1/4 inch thick slices
2. 4 tablespoons butter melted
3. 1 egg
4. 1/2 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup brown sugar
5. 2/3 cup milk
6. 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon + vanilla extract
7. 1/2 teaspoon ginger + salt
8. 2 teaspoon baking powder

Butter the bottom of 8 inch baking pan and spread the pears on the bottom. 

Melt the butter and beat it with the sugar into a smooth cream. Add milk, egg and vanilla and beat again. Sift the dry ingredients together and milk them into the wet ingredients.

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add the batter on top of the pears and bake for 30-35 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Take the pan out and set aside for 5 minutes. Put a plat on top of the pan and turn the pan so that we get the upside down cake.

Enjoy with whipped cream