Tuna Pasta Salad

I made this tuna pasta salad last night for 2 reasons:

1. It’s 115 outside today.... I know 🙄 

2. And I’m on a spending freeze right now.  Why? You may ask....

Welp, we’re kinda in the process of buying a house and it’s terrifying and lot of money and really overwhelming and I’m scared to talk about it and I haven’t talked about it much except for the people directly around me because I’m afraid I’ll jinx it and at any point the whole thing will fall through and all my hopes and dreams will come crashing down and I’ll slip deep into the depths of despair so Imma just lay low about it until its all over and official

That entire paragraph is written in a frantic run on sentence because that is a perfect representation of my mind right now.  Frantic and always running…….

Let’s just move on from that right now and talk about something else....like not spending money.  Yea....let’s do that.

So in the spirit of saving, The Boy and I have agreed to a series of cutbacks for the time being.  We cancelled our Playstation Vue, we’re giving up alcohol and other unnecessary drink, no K cups for the Keurig, no eating out, and Mildred (the cat) has agreed to giving up her Sheba sticks (couldn’t get her to budge on the Temptations treats but we will be rationing them out).  Just to name a few, but there’s a ton more.  Lots of little things that add up.

Because of this I am paying close attention to our grocery bill and quickly realizing how much I was over spending.  Whether it be overstocking and buying, letting produce go to waste, or not looking for the best deals possible.  I went a week and a half where I didn’t have to buy groceries at all, and this week I only spent $24 on a few fresh items.  The goal is to eat from the pantry and freezer as much possible.  Not only will it save us money, but we also won’t have to move as much (stop talking about it Whitney!) and can start over with pretty close to a clean slate.  With that will come some more interesting meals and the consumption of a few more carbs than normal....but it is what it is for now.

After I took inventory of everything we had, I knew tuna pasta salad was a must.  I mentioned it to The Boy thinking he’d be all “ehhh” about it and he said “Oh yea! That sounds good!” And he chose it for dinner the next night.  Considering it’s the epitome of white people food, I was a little surprised at his response.  I guess all my casseroles are rubbing off on him……

Tuna Pasta Salad

1 lb. pasta (I used rotini but also like shells and bow ties)

1 ½ cups peas

1 cup small diced red onion

2 stalks celery, finely diced

(3) 5oz cans tuna in water, drained well

1 cup mayo

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp. kosher salt.

Cook pasta to al dente and let cool.  Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least an hour before serving.

More #Whitepeoplefood if that’s your thing

Sour Cream Noodle Bake 

Cabbage Patch Stew 

Sour Cream Enchilada Casserole 

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Growing up this was one of my all time favorite meals

It was right up there with peanut butter & jelly ritz crackers...which says ALOT cuz I could eat those babies day in and day out.  (They are MUCH superior to PB &J on bread in my opinion)

I just always assumed the recipe was an "Our family" thing since I never saw it anywhere else

And then just about a year ago the unthinkable happened.........

I saw the recipe on The Pioneer Woman

I was crushed, heart broken, depressed....I could hardly get myself out of bed in the morning

Ok....so that wasn't exactly how it went...but I was still surprised to see it!  And I guess if anyone were going to crush my food world into a trillion pieces I'm glad it was Ree because she's one cool bitch! ;)

I'm a big fan of hers and I even got to meet her once.  She's good people!  And she has cute doggies.  And makes yummy food.  And her husband is a hottie.

I thought I would still share my recipe because while they are almost virtually the same, our amounts vary just a tiny bit.  

Also because I want to pretend I'm the first person to ever share this recipe on the internet.

EVER.

K?

You will need

Ground beef, egg noodles, sour cream, cottage cheese, tomato sauce,green onion, and garlic (garlic powder works too)

Start by cooking off your noodles, drain, and set aside

Then begin  browning your beef

My moms original recipe called for 1# of beef but it never seemed like quite enough to me so I use 2#....but 1 1/2 would probably be just fine

Drain off the grease and add in your can of tomato sauce, minced garlic cloves (or garlic powder if you like) and season to taste with salt and pepper

Mix together your cottage cheese, sour cream, and green onion.  I love green onion so I go heavy.  Season with salt & pepper

Then mix in your cooked egg noodles

Now it's time to layer it all up!

(from the bottom)

Noodle mix

Meat

Noodle mix

Meat  (ending on top)

And then top the whole thing with shredded cheddar cheese

Bake @350 until heated through and the cheese is all melty and yummy. About 25 minutes

It's good stuff.  Believe me!  

My boy LOVES it!  And now he craves it too.  

And he's not much of a casserole person....mostly because until me he had never really had them much.   Maybe it's because to me casseroles are what I think of as large family white people food

And my boy is an only child Mexican hahaha ;)   I'm introducing him to a whole new world over here!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

1 1/2- 2# Ground Beef

(1) 14 0z can Tomato sauce

3 cloves of garlic

8 oz Egg noodles (half bag) 

1 cup Cottage cheese

1 cup Sour Cream

1/2- 3/4 cup Green Onions (I actually use up to a cup but I LOVE green onions!)

Salt & Pepper

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar

Brown beef and drain.  Add in tomato sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer a few minutes and set aside

Mix cottage cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, and season to taste.

Stir in cooked egg noodles

Layer mixture in baking dish starting with noodles and ending with meat.

Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until heated through

Lemon Artichoke Pasta

I like bold, strong flavors...the kind that sort of kick you in the nars.  (so to speak)  I like acids like vinegar and lemon, all things briney, and so much garlic that you will be breathing fire for days.

Now I realize not everyone likes their food quite as strong as me, so that's why this recipe is so perfect.  It has all the components and flavors I love, but their subtle enough for everyone to enjoy.

I made this dish today as an early Mother's Day lunch for my Madre.  This is one of her favorite things that I make.

Dice your onion and chop the artichokes.  Cook the onion in about 1/2 cup of olive oil.  I know that sounds like alot, but that is the base of your sauce.  You want the onions to be translucent, not brown.  

Once they begin to soften, add in your diced artichokes.  Let them cook for a minute and then add in your lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, capers, and toasted pine nuts. Let it all cook together for 2 minutes.  

 Turn off the heat and stir 2 tablespoons of butter.  Season with salt and pepper (be careful though because the capers are salty)

Toss with your favorite pasta  (I prefer linguine for this) 

If you're one of those people who feel like they need meat to make it a meal, diced chicken goes great in this!  Sometimes I do....sometimes i don't.....it depends on the day. =) 

Also, I made the regular version for my mom and a low carb version for myself by putting the sauce over spaghetti squash.  It was soooo good.  So any of you low carbers out there should give it a whirl!
 

Lemon Artichoke Pasta

1/2 C. olive oil
2 (15 oz) cans artichoke hearts, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 toasted pine nuts
1/4 C. capers,
3 lemons, zested and juiced
4 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 TB. butter
Cooked pasta of choice (I use linguine) 


*Optional: Cooked, diced chicken


Cook onion in olive oil until they are translucent.  Add in artichokes and cook for about a minute to soften.  Then add in your pine nuts, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, and minced garlic.  Cook all together for a few minutes.  Turn off the heat and add 2 Tb. of butter.  Stir together with cooked pasta.