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| Sarah Nelson - Slow Foodie |
I’m having a hard time concentrating on my post today. I’ll admit it.
The current political climate has me in a tizzy, and it seems like
every conversation I have about it starts with a friendly debate over
the differences of opinion and ends with an insult. Typically aimed at
me, but there you go.
There are so many things that can separate us if we let them: race, politics, religion, gender, sexuality.
But the one I’m going to concentrate on today is the most timeless debate of them all: Dog Person vs. Cat Person.
I am a dog person. There you go. Now half of you probably hate me, but keep reading anyway. Brandon loves cats. I’m assuming. I don’t really know.
I honestly have nothing against cats except that their dander makes my sinuses fill up like a cop at Krispy Kreme. (That was wrong. I apologize, but it was also funny so feel free to chuckle. We’re all friends here.) Despite my allergies, when I was a kid, my sister had a pet cat: a Persian with four white feet very creatively named Mitten. He was a nice cat, and in general, I liked him. There was one thing I did not like however. His food. Oh….my……word, gag me with a fork. Worst chore ever: feeding the cat.
You could argue I suppose that dog food is just as bad. But you’d be wrong, and I can prove it. Once I ate dry dog food on a dare. It wasn’t terrible, and if you were to open up a can of Pedigree, you’d see that if you put it in a bowl and popped it in the microwave, it’d look a lot like Dinty Moore beef stew. If the zombie apocalypse were to happen, I could probably eat that too….but not cat food. Nope. I’d starve first.
So that’s it then. That’s what made me a dog person instead of a cat person: dander and disgusting smelling canned cat food.
“But, Sarah, “ I hear you saying, “What does this have to do with people food, recipes, the reason you have this gig in the first place?” Bear with me.
When I grew up, I met the perfect guy, and being a smart cookie, I married him. I was a dog person. He was a dog person. Everything was perfect. And then one day, I walked into our kitchen, minding my own business and was immediately horrified by what I saw, or rather what I smelled.
After Ron convinced me to leave the corner where I was curled in the fetal position, rocking repetitively and suffering dry heaves, he asked me what was wrong. So I told him…….he was eating cat food!
You’re horrified, aren’t you? I was. He told me then as I’m telling you now that it was only tuna fish, but my nose never lies. It was cat food.
This has been a major hurdle in our marriage: a man who eats tuna fish from a can, and a woman who gags at the mere whiff of tuna. We learned to cope somehow. I thought we had moved past it, but then, a few years later, he tested me again. He came to me with a request.
“Do you think you could make tuna noodle casserole for me?” he said oh-so-sweetly.
And here’s the thing about love: you learn how to make sacrifices. Yes, I told him. I could make it, but there’s no way I could eat it.
And so, that’s my crockpot recipe of the week: Tuna Noodle Casserole. I think that because it is made in a crock pot with aromatic veggies like celery and onions, it really cuts down on that tuna smell. Once I get past draining the cans (hold breath & keep one hand over mouth the whole time, just in case), it’s not too bad. So even non-tuna lovers can make it even if they can’t bear to eat it.
The most important thing is he loves it, and I made some recent modifications recently that had him claiming: “It’s the best you’ve ever made.”
Tuna Noodle Casserole (in a crockpot!)
Adapted from “The Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook” by Margaret Kaeter
Which everyone should run right out and buy!
Ingredients:
3 cans of water-packed tuna (drained)
3 hard boiled eggs
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
2 stalks of celery
1 medium onion
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (thawed)
2 cups egg noodles (cooked)
1 cup of Keebler Club Multi-grain crackers (crushed)
Instructions:
1) Drain tuna. Chop hard boiled eggs, celery and onion. Cook noodles. Crush crackers. Thaw frozen veggies.
2) Throw all ingredients into the crock pot and give a good stir.
3) Cook on low for 6-10 hours.
4) Enjoy!
Happy eating! Well, for some of you.
Sarah
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