Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag extra-wide egg noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tuna
potato chips

Prepare noodles according to package directions, drain. In casserole dish combine tuna and cream of mushroom soup. Add noodles. Crush potato chips and sprinkle on top, at least enough to cover the noodles. Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour or microwave on high for 12 minutes.

Such a simple dish, but everyone has their own twist - I've even heard of someone adding peas which I think sounds terrible and I totally love peas. I really don't like any other version. This has become a total comfort food for me. My mom used to make it for lunch for my sisters and me whenever school was out for the summer. Now I make it for my daughters and I think about Mom every time I make it. My girls call it "Chip Noodles" and they love it. Mom died 30 years ago and yesterday was her birthday and she would have been 70. I fixed Chip Noodles for dinner and the girls and I ate the whole thing. It makes me happy to think that K and D will someday use this same recipe to share with their kids and they'll think of me.

My Mom's Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef
7 slices bread, torn/crumbled into small pieces
1 large onion, diced
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbles, diced onion, eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly - your bare hands work best. Divide in half and put into 2 loaf pans. Pat/pack loaf firmly. Bake 1 hour.

The first few times I made this when I was growing up, instead of using loaf pans I divided the meatloaf mixture into the cups of a muffin tin, shortening the baking time to just 20-30 minutes. This isn't your typical meatloaf with tomato sauce or gravy, though my daughter eats it with ketchup. The onion-y flavor is so hearty and a family favorite. This is my husband's favorite meal I make!

Perfectly Luscious Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tblsp. margarine, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. pecan halves
1 frozen deep dish pie crust, unbaked

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, stir together eggs, margarine, corn syrup, vanilla, brown sugar and sugar until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into pastry shell. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.

On one of our trips to visit Jim's family I went through his mom's recipe file and found this. I've made it a couple times and it really is perfectly luscious (and really simple!).

Holiday Rolls

Ingredients:

1 loaf frozen white bread dough
1 egg
milk
poppy seeds (optional)
sesame seeds (optional)

Thaw bread dough according to package directions. Grease cookie sheet with butter. Cut loaf into 12 golfball-sized pieces. Roll each piece into 6" long rope. Twist or tie in knot and place flat on cookie sheet, sides touching. Leave to rise under damp dishtowel about 1 hour in a warm oven. Remove from oven and preheat oven to 400. Mix together the egg and a little milk. Brush egg mixture on tops of rolls. Sprinkle with seed of choice (if desired). Bake for about 15 minutes, till golden brown.

My family had a "tradition" of baking crescent rolls amidst all the chaos of the holiday dinner preparation and they always ended up burnt because we'd forget them. Jim's mom makes these easy rolls and I volunteered to make them and bring them to my family's dinner one time. Now I bring the rolls to all the holiday dinners - a new holiday tradition with no burned rolls! I bake them the night before. Usually I do some with sesame seeds, some with poppy seeds and some without. The egg wash gives them a golden shine and they are soft and perfect inside.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 28oz. can tomatoes (crushed)
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1 6ox. can tomato paste
water
black pepper, onion salt, oregano, garlic salt, basil

Brown ground beef and onion in large skillet. Put beef mixture in large stockpot. Add tomatoes, sauce, paste and 2 paste cans full of water. Season with the spices to taste. Heat to rolling boil, reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, stirring regularly, for 1 hour until it thickens.

This is my favorite thing that my husband cooks for me. (We joke that part of the reason I married him was for his spaghetti!) It was his mom's recipe that he has made his own - unfortunately he doesn't measure the spices, but everyone's palate is a bit different so you can make it to your liking if you decide to try it. I like it so much that I asked him to fix a double recipe this time so I can take leftovers to work for lunch. I may even freeze some of it so I don't have to wait for the next batch! It has that great homemade taste, there's nothing like it. Boil some pasta and add some bread, you have a fantastic, filling meal that leaves the whole house smelling wonderful.

Shrimp Scampi Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 16oz. pkg spaghetti
1/2 stick butter or margarine
salt
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 lb. shrimp, large, peeled, deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced (I use 2 tsp of the prepared minced garlic in the jar)
pinch red pepper flakes
2 Tblsp lemon juice
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling water. Melt butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Add garlic, pepper flakes, lemon juice and parsley. Cook till shrimp are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and put in large bowl. Add the shrimp mixture and toss to coat the pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with grated parmesan.

Mom made this one night when I stopped over. It has 2 of my favorite foods - shrimp and pasta - so I had to have the recipe. She gave the recipe to me and I made it, and I couldn't believe how quick and easy it was, and it makes a great meal even for company - delicious. I make it almost weekly now. Enjoy!