Recipe Review - The Best Tuna Pasta Salad

I know it's not nearly summertime, and this is typically hot weather fare, but I love this pasta salad year round. I have made this particular pasta salad for many years, and will defend it as the best version of a cold tuna pasta salad to anyone. Actually, everyone I've shared it with has asked for the recipe and never went back to their old standbys, so I guess it defends itself with flavor. I'll warn you nonbelievers that it has both Miracle Whip and Mayonnaise in it, so for those of you out there that insist on only one or the other, make an exception this time. I promise that the combination of the two is part of what makes this salad so fantastic. I hope you enjoy!

The Best Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients - 12oz mini pasta shells, cooked & drained, 12oz chunk albacore tuna, drained (feel free to use chunk light if that's your thing), 1c chopped celery, 1c chopped green pepper, 1c mayonnaise, 1c Miracle Whip, 8oz Kraft cheese crumbles, salt and lots of pepper to taste

Instructions - Cook your pasta al dente while prepping the rest of the ingredients. I tend to dice my veggies pretty finely, but chop them how you like. If you don't like bell pepper, you can use 1c thawed green peas, but you will miss that extra crunch of the pepper in the salad. Using real mayo and real Miracle Whip is important to this recipe, and so are the cheese crumbles. We like to use the 3-cheese variety, but you can get just cheddar crumbles too. Mix all your ingredients together in one big bowl, add salt and pepper to taste, then add a bunch more pepper. Yum! Chill at least 2 hours before serving, but overnight is best. Because the pasta salad seems to tighten up while it sits, you may want to add a little more mayo or Miracle Whip tossed in before serving. The picture below is just mixed, while that at the top is after it has sat overnight, and is ready to serve. This is great as is, but fantastic with a side of your favorite potato chips. Eat and enjoy!

Another couple tips? Most pasta shell boxes are 16oz. Often, I will just cook the whole 16oz, but you will need to up the mayo/Miracle Whip by about 1/2c total if you do this. Want more veggies, too? Go for it! Most times, my 1c is heaping anyways. As long as you follow the basics here, you can't go wrong. And, don't forget the black pepper!

Day 6/7 Weekend Progress

I don't know who's idea this was, but it was a crazy one! My 'must try' list will always be growing, so I'm not sure what I hoped to accomplish. But, on the plus side, I had some wonderful things this week and it's reminded me about the pile of clipped out magazine ideas, recipes, and photos that I should really go through.

We made more refrigerator oatmeal from The Yummy Life. This time we made the Mocha flavor and based on the Raspberry Vanilla one, we made our own Strawberry Vanilla concoction to use up the fresh strawberries we had on hand. I briefly debated using lemon curd instead of strawberry jam, and I still think that the Strawberry Lemon would be great! I may have to give it a go soon too. I am just loving these oatmeals in general! We have more in the fridge even now! Did I mention how much I love that mango almond one yet?

For lunch, we found a great recipe at Fit Foodie Finds that featured a twist on a Caprese Salad. We twisted it a bit further for our on hand ingredients and personal tastes, and it was easy and delicious! Caprese Quinoa SaladOur version was 1/2 cup quinoa, 8 oz. fresh mozzarella, 1 pink grape tomatoes, 1 tsp dry basil, 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, and drizzle of balsamic vinegar. All we had to do was cook the quinoa, and mix it with the seasonings, oil/vinegar, and chopped tomatoes and mozzarella. Delish!

With dinner, we finally tried out a fabulous idea from Lunches Fit For A Kid.. Roasted Cauliflower 'Popcorn'! I love cauliflower, but it is something I have to coerce my hubby to eat, and if he does eat it, it's so smothered with other things, why have even prepared cauliflower to begin with. Well, this idea did the job. Not that my hubby was jumping for joy, but he did eat a whole heaping pile of it with dinner, so that certainly says something. And me? The little bit that was left on the pan didn't last long, I'll say. Even cold, it was delicious. I do think I used too much oil, so it wasn't as crispy as expected, but man was it delicious. This technique of cooking really made it surprisingly, and delightfully sweet! I will definitely make it again tomorrow sometime soon!

 

Oh, and cookies are in the oven! Stay tuned for that one tomorrow! I'm lucky to have the pleasure of being connected to so many fabulous people that have exceptional ideas. Thanks everyone for sharing!

Recipe Review - Creamy Corn Mac n' Cheese

O.M.G. this stuff is delicious! I love macaroni and cheese and do have 2 recipes that are in rotation at our house, but this is by far the easiest and most delicious that we've tried. Hands down! The recipe is originally from The Food Network, with some tweaks of our own. Keep in mind that you can use sharp or mild cheddar, and you can substitute Monterrey Jack for the mozzarella if you prefer, but it is worth the wee bit of time it takes to shred the cheese yourself versus buying already shredded. You can't go wrong! I promise! And who knew you could make a mac n' cheese like this without a roux!

Creamy Corn Mac n' Cheese 

Ingredients - 2-8oz cans creamed corn, 1 cup milk (whole if possible), 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1 Tbsp (heaping) cornstarch, salt, pepper, hot sauce (Sriracha preferred), 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni, 4 oz freshly grated mild cheddar, 4 oz freshly grated sharp cheddar, 12 oz freshly grated mozzarella, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 1 1/2 cups croutons (garlic butter is a good one), 1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and move one grate to the top of the oven. Boil water for elbow noodles.

Simmer creamed corn, milk, and onion powder. Combine cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water in a small bowl to dissolve. Cook pasta al dente. While pasta is cooking, add cornstarch mixture to the corn and whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until it starts to thicken! Season with salt and pepper. You can also add a few dashes of hot sauce at this point too if you want. We always serve ours on the side so individuals can control the heat!

Drain cooked pasta well and combine with corn mixture. Add all the shredded cheddar, egg, and half the shredded mozzarella, and stir. Pour into a 4 cup casserole dish. Cover with the remaining mozzarella. Roughly crush the croutons and combine with olive oil. Add to the top of the macaroni and cheese.

Bake on the top rack until golden, 15-20 minutes. Serve with Sriracha drizzled on top (or on the side).