Summer Squash Casserole

6 cups yellow squash, large dice
1/4 cup onion, small dice

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded carrot
(enough) cooked chicken, diced

1 8 oz box herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 cup melted butter

Cook squash and onion in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, drain.  In a large bowl, whisk together soup and sour cream.  Stir in carrot and chicken.  Fold in squash and onion.  In a seperate bowl, combine melted butter and stuffing, stirring well.  Spread half the stuffing mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Spoon squash mixture atop.  Sprinkle remaining stuffing over top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 23-30 minutes.

Notes:

Original recipe omitted chicken and baked in a 12 x 7 1/2 x 2 casserole dish.

Also, sprinkling fresh grown cherry tomatoes over the top for the last 10 minutes of cooking makes this dish extra special.

Day After Thanksgiving Casserole

Here are the ingredients.  In the instructions below, I give quantities to fill a 9x13 pan.  But if you've only got a little bit of leftovers, just make a little casserole!  :) 

gravy

sour cream

turkey

green beans

prepared stuffing

I never have enough gravy left over, so let's make some!  In a large skillet on low heat, melt a stick of butter (1/2 cup).  To that add 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Whisk in 1/4 cup flour.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Whisking occasionally, cook for 2-3 more minutes.  Heat 2 cups of chicken stock.  Add the chicken stock, whisk, cook (uncovered) an additional 3-4 minutes until thickened.  Taste to check seasonings and adjust if necessary. 

Remove from heat and stir in one cup of sour cream.

In a 9x13 pan, start with a generous layer of chopped turkey.  Drain a can of green beans (we don't make the green bean casserole at our house) and sprinkle over the turkey.  Pour gravy over turkey and beans and mix well (you may have too much gravy--it all depends on how much turkey you put in--so start with a little more than half, then stir it all up and see if you want more).  Cover everything with a layer of dressing.

Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly (25-35 minutes).  Enjoy!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Here's the original recipe--you'll notice it's easily halved for a smaller version and very food storage friendly.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

2 cups macaroni
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
2 cans tuna, drained
1-2 cups frozen peas (optional)
grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Mix in soup, milk, tuna, and peas. Pour into a large casserole dish (9x13). Grate cheese and sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

There you have it! Easy peasy and very kid friendly. This was Jeff's favorite dinner. But after cooking it for twenty years I got a bee under my bonnet and decided I wanted to avoid some of the ingredients in commercially canned soups. So I tried to create a roux version. I looked here for guidance. I think it taste's better than the original, but it takes a whole lot longer to make, and there are more dishes to clean. But if I keep practicing I'll eventually be able to have the roux done by the time the noodles are cooked, and maybe I'll be able say this one's easy peasy too!

Tuna Noodle Casserole with a Roux

5 Tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups macaroni
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (to make it more kid friendly, grate the onion) 1 stalk celery, finely chopped (to make it more kid friendly, you could leave it out)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped crimini mushrooms (I like crimini better than button)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup frozen peas
cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat and cook onion and celery until translucent. Increase heat to medium-high and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture and cooked macaroni. Pour the entire mixture into a 9x13 pan (I've always used glass pans and never had a problem with the casserole sticking. If you do, try buttering it first.). Sprinkle generously with cheddar cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly.