Emily's Favourite Dinner

My mum made a delicious tuna noodle bake when we were young. I never inherited the recipe (and have since heard it was very calorific!) and then one day, years ago, I decided I wanted to make it so I looked online for something similar. I found a recipe which I have since tweaked to a point where it looks almost nothing like that original recipe.

David and I love this dish. It's quick, easy and a satisfying favourite. Emily, ever since she begun eating what we eat, has also had a soft spot for this dinner - she likes it enough to inform me that it is "ummy". It's easy for her to eat, and tasty too. When she starts to be fussy about eating dinner, I cook this and it's problem solved.

So, if you want to try it, here is the recipe for this Tuna-Cheese Bake:

You will need (for 3-4 persons):
1 large can of tuna, drained
2 cups of shredded cheddar
1 pot of Elmlea single cream (or any brand, approx 280ml)
a handful of frozen sweetcorn
(I sometimes also add a handful of frozen peas)
6-8 mushrooms, roughly chopped
a stick of celery, chopped
400g conchiglie (this is my favourite pasta for this recipe, but anything will work)
any other chopped veg you want to include

1. Cook the pasta and pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees C / 350 degrees F.

2. In a large saucepan, cook the celery for a few minutes until soft. Combine the mushrooms, sweetcorn, cream and tuna (medium heat). Add half the cheddar and mix.

3. Fold the pasta into the cream mixture and pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

4. Bake for approx 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Ta-da!

And to quote my Mum, "U ara x'inti tiekol!" ;)

Project "Fill the Freezer"

Right, the time has come to start thinking about filling my freezer with meals for "afterwards." Anyone would think planning this would be a piece of cake for someone like me but if I could put it off until the last minute I probably would. Which is why I've sat myself down and forced myself to think up a list of things I can make that will freeze nicely to be eaten in a few weeks' time.

People are very kind and there's already been talk of food being brought over, but anyone with food allergies will know it's much easier said than done. Sure, I can say "mind the garlic", and people will very kindly oblige (while wondering how on earth I live, I know), but very few know to check ingredients of ingredients. And that's generally where it all goes pear-shaped. So for this reason, I am generally quite reluctant to accept food cooked for me that hasn't come with an ingredients label attached to it, as prissy as that may sound.

So I need to get cracking.

Here is my plan:
Bolognese Sauce (with about a kilo worth of mince!!)
Sweet Potato Soup
Kidney Bean Soup
Penny Soup (and a good stock of pitta bread to go with all three)
Tuna Cakes (the only way I'll eat fish)
Ross il-Forn (a Maltese rice dish)

This, in addition to a good amount of pre-packaged frozen supermarket meals and general frozen goods, David making roasts at the weekends, and a small but trusted amount of recipes I know I can throw together quickly, makes me think we'll survive Emily's arrival.

Perhaps my question should more realistically be: do I have enough containers to freeze everything in?!

[image]