Tuna Salad

Everyone has their own way of making tuna salad. What do you feel absolutely must and must not be in tuna salad? I must have pickles, celery, and onions. I also really like it with hard-boiled eggs chopped up in it, but can eat it without. My dad used to put finely chopped lettuce in the tuna, and the thought of it makes me gag even today. It would always get really limp from the moistness of the salad. Yuck--wilted lettuce! Blech!
Today, we had tuna sandwiches for lunch. I put Sarah's on a hotdog bun and made little sails out of cheese and toothpicks so she could have a tuna boat. She's really into having food that looks cute lately. I've been cutting bread into Halloween shapes almost daily for pb and j sandwiches (then I use more jelly to make the face of the cat, bat, or ghost). I guess it's only another week until I'll be making turkey-shaped turkey sandwiches :). I feel guilty about all of the bread that gets wasted, though. Maybe I should put them in the freezer and thaw them out for bread crumbs when I make meatloaf. I'd throw them to the birds, but my cats would think I was just using it as bait so they could catch the little birdies more easily. They're murderous wretches.
Jacob likes the shaped-sandwiches, too. But, he's really a picky eater. The only way he'll eat a cold-cut and cheese sandwich is if I grill it for him. That's an extra step that doesn't appeal to my lazy butt.
Which brings me to another question. Why is it that as much as I love to cook, sometimes I just absolutely hate it?

Tonight: Chili and Homemade Bread

Fall doesn't usually come to Florida very early. Yet, here I sit by an open window, on October 4, feeling the cool breeze of a 64 degree day! I'm so excited for cooler Autumn weather, even if I know it won't last for more than a day or two. It's the perfect weather for chili and some hot, fresh bread.



Is there anything better than the smell of bread baking? Yes. Yes, there is. It's the smell of bread baking, and the knowledge that you didn't break your back kneading dough all day long. I use this recipe almost exactly, so I won't bother to type the whole thing: http://family.go.com/blog/catherinewman/fantastic-fearless-five-minute-bread-889536/

I use 3 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of soy flour, 2 cups of white bread flour, and 1/2 cup of milled flax seeds. I add 4 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten (don't judge me), and this time I threw in a tablespoon of Splenda...Also, my dough never yields 3 loaves. It makes one. Otherwise, I follow the recipe pretty precisely. This bread is so crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Read Catherine Newman's entire article before the recipe--she's hilarious. Everytime I make this bread now, my husband says, "Is this bread too delicious?" Read the article, and you'll get it.



So, chili. Do you have a recipe for chili, or do you use the seasoning packets? Because--honestly--I am very likely to use the packets whenever possible. Not today, though. I'm going to make it from scratch. One time, our church had a fall festival near Halloween, and we had a chili cook-off. Now, like I said--I normally use the seasoning packets, but you can't cheat in a chili cook-off...so, I made it from scratch, and I thought it was pretty good. But, my friend Candy's was amazing, as were a couple of others. Candy's chili was the spiciest I've ever eaten. I seriously couldn't get more than a few bites down, and I'm someone who loves spicy food. Anyway, everyone sampled each chili, and then voted for their favorites. Our pastor's wife won, and Candy was a close second. No one voted for mine (although my Cincinnati chili was another entry and did get a vote). I was okay with that, except for one thing: My husband voted for Candy's chili! Isn't there some unwritten rule that you always vote for your wife? I read him the riot act, but Candy gave him all of her leftover chili to bring home with him.

Anyway, I've gotten better since then. I'm not good with writing down recipes, so in this case, I won't even attempt it. I use 2-3 lbs of browned ground beef, 2 cans of dark red kidney beans, 2 cans of light red kidney beans, and 1-2 cans of red beans. Then I use about 2 big (28 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes, however much beef broth I need (usually about 1/2 of those little box carton things), and then throw seasonings in wildly. I use maybe a TBSP of worchestershire sauce, 1/4 cup of chili powder (I know, right?), and liberally sprinkle in garlic, crushed red pepper, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and whatever else catches my fancy in the spice cupboard. I also like to toss in about 1/2 cup of jarred jalapenos and a couple tablespoons of pickled cherry peppers. Pickled cherry peppers are the best things ever--we like them on sandwiches, hotdogs, salads, and--you know--everything.



I like to top my chili with chopped onions and shredded cheddar, but I used all of the cheddar in my mac and cheese last night. Somehow, shredded mozzarella on chili just seems wrong. So, share with me some other ways to eat chili. Do you like it on spaghetti or macaroni noodles (I like it with spaghetti noodles, but prefer Cinncinnati chili this way rather than regular chili...I'll share that recipe sometime)? Do you put sour cream on it, or fresh tomatoes? What's your secret ingredient?



Okay, so I took lots of pictures, but I don't know where my data cable is. I'll post them in a seperate blog entry once I find it.

Comfort. Enjoy.

So, I 'm starting a food blog. I know, right? Like there aren't enough food blogs on the internet. Still, I think that society in general, and my family in particular, eat out much too much. So, I'm starting a blog of all the "mom meals" I like to make. You know, comfort food. It won't necessarily be all mashed potatoes and macaroni. I think of all home-cooked meals as comforting. Maybe blogging will encourage me to cook more meals at home.

My name is Barbara. I'll be 40 in 2 months. I love God, my husband, my kids, my extended family and friends, and food. Usually in that order ;). I've been married to Chuck for almost 17 years, and we have two kids. Jacob is 8, and Sarah is 6. I homeschool them both, sometimes poorly. Chuck is a college instructor. We also have a dog named T-Bone, cats named Sebastian and Sparky, and about a dozen assorted fish (mostly goldfish) that may or may not be mentioned from time-to time.

Here comes the disclaimer: I have no set posting schedule. I'll post whenever I feel like it. My recipes may or may not be the healthiest thing you can eat. I'm not a nutritionist--I'm a mom. I cook what my family likes (well, except for my son--he doesn't like anything). Many recipes will be low-carb or low-glycemic because my husband is diabetic, but I make no claims about low fat contents.

I hope you'll follow along, and share your favorite recipes in the comments section!