For most of last year, I was grabbing several cans of tuna every time I went to the grocery store. All of us were eating tuna sandwiches on the regular (with potato chips, always) and the kids often asked for tuna melts on the weekend (lots of cheddar + fresh dill if possible).
I was living in one of those dreamy periods when both kids liked the same thing and I had a reliable go-to lunch option that was healthy and affordable.
But nothing good ever lasts forever.
At some point, the kids stopped liking tuna sandwiches. It took me a few weeks to accept this, so I kept tossing cans into my grocery cart. Which turned into a bit of a tuna backlog in my tiny pantry.
Luckily, canned tuna keeps just about forever. And, there are lots of ways to use tuna that don’t involve two slices of bread.
My favorite is tuna and orzo pasta salad. The amount of mayonnaise I use depends on my mood, but I always include lots of lemon, both juice and zest! This salad is really great for lunch or a light dinner.
Another favorite is…
Tuna Pesto Pasta
This recipe uses 4 simple ingredients (pasta, canned tuna, olive oil, garlic) plus pesto, which can be homemade or store bought.
This pasta is good warm and at room temperature/cold, which makes leftovers another tasty lunch option.
And for you nostalgic folks…
Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
Egg noodles, tuna & peas in a homemade creamy pasta sauce made from cream cheese, whole cream, grated cheddar and Dijon mustard. It’s made completely in your Instant Pot for an easy, one-pot nostalgic dinner.
Dinner Last Week
I’m always curious about what other families are eating. Aren’t you? Here’s what my crew ate last week. I only cooked dinner twice, which felt like a much needed vacation from cooking.
Monday: Dinner was tacos, with guacamole and chips. I hesitate to say this because I don’t want you to hate me, but we have so many avocados right we can’t even eat them all. Sorin spent years nursing a baby avocado tree into the giant tree that now grows near our front porch. This year it’s spoiling us with dozens of huge avocados.
Tuesday: Pork and Ricotta meatballs, green beans, garlic bread. I put half of the meatballs in the freezer and plan to serve them with red sauce and pasta later this month.
Wednesday: My mother-n-law is visiting and she made her famous chicken schnitzel. I roasted Peewee potatoes and broccoli to go with it. You can look for Peewees at the grocery store, usually sold in a bag. They are bite-sized potatoes that require no cutting or peeling. Just toss with olive oil and salt and roast at 425 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. So convenient!
Thursday: Mother-n-law to the rescue again! She watched the kids and Sorin and I walked to a neighborhood restaurant for a lovely Italian dinner. We haven’t had a date in months, so it felt really luxurious to eat out. The kids ate leftover schnitzel.
Friday: Shrimp linguine and salad. Sorin made dinner, so I set the table and drank white wine. A perfect end to a busy week.
Cookbooks & Reading
Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner is written by Stacie Billis, a co-host of the podcast Didn’t I Just Feed You. This cookbook has every type of chicken recipe you could possible want. The recipes have lots of flavor and are geared towards feeding a family. Stacie’s recipes are reliably good, so if you’re in need of dinner inspiration this cookbook is a good one to check out.
Fiction
I just finished Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson and just started Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett.
What are you reading right now? I’d love to know!
There was a lot I liked about Black Cake, and I definitely recommend it. That being said, I often struggle with books that have multiple perspectives and storylines. I get attached to one or two characters and wish the book would focus only on their story. The same happened with this book and I found myself skimming some chapters so I could get back to the characters and settings I really loved. I loved the chapters set on an island in the Caribbean, but the modern-day chapters in California weren’t nearly as engaging.
I’m only a few chapters into Unlikely Animals, which so far is a quirky book, both “funny and sad” and I have no clue where the plot is going to take me. Stay tuned! The small-town East Coast setting and family dynamics remind me of All Adults Here by Emma Straub.
Please note that book titles in this section are Bookshop.org affiliate links. Your cost for purchasing the book is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to me and help support my work. When ordering from Bookshop.org you’ll also be supporting independent bookstores. Also, libraries are a great place to find cookbooks!
I have no Super Bowl recipes to offer because I don’t even know which teams are playing in the game (although I’m always a big fan of chips and dip).
Instead of watching football, I’m feeling incredibly lucky to be meeting a good friend in Santa Barbara for a quick girls’ weekend.
If you’re feeling stressed and don’t have a relaxing weekend planned, I offer you this photo of our cat Tiger. As usual, she’s living her best life and always looking for a sliver of sunshine in which to nap.
Be like Tiger, and find the sunshine! Hope you all have a good weekend,
xo
Jenny