Tuna Cheese Melts

2 cans of tuna, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped onion or 1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. black pepper
4 English Muffins, split and lightly toasted
8  slices of tomato
8 slices of American Cheese

Mix first 5 ingredients together well.
Spoon tuna mixture evenly on the 8 halves of toasted English Muffins.
Place English Muffins on cookie sheet and top each with a tomato slice and  an American Cheese slice.
Broil until cheese melts

This is a great lunch option.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Tarhonya Hungarian Noodles (Gumboli , to our Family)

  3/4 cup flour
  1 large egg plus 1 teaspoon of water
  1/4 tsp salt

I mix this recipe up by hand:

I crack the egg into a small mixing bowl, add the water and salt, beat together with a fork. I then add the flour and use the fork to incorporate the flour until I can't stir any longer. I then start using my hands to mix in the remaining crumb like mixture using a squeeze and turn motion until a nice firm ball of dough forms. Go to*** 

However, you can use a food processor as follows:

 

Place the above ingredients into a food processor and process until mixture stops moving in bowl, about 1 minute. Dump mixture onto cutting board and squeeze into a firm ball of dough, until all flour it incorporated. 

***Cover with a bowl and let rest for 1/2 hour. Use the grater to grate into “Gumboli” noodles. (using the large holes of a 4 sided grater) Dip the ball of dough into a little bit of flour often to make grating easier. Spread all the noodles out evenly on cutting board or floured cookie sheet and not in clumps. Make sure you spread them out in a single layer and let them dry out about two hours. Boil a medium pot of salted water and place all the noodles in. Bring back to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Boil for 4 minutes more. Drain and rinse in cold water. Ready to be added to soup.

If you want to use the noodles at a later date, they can be frozen. Spread noodles onto floured cookie sheet and freeze for 1/2 hour. Place frozen noodles in a freezer bag and store in freezer until ready to use.

This is the noodles my Mother would make almost every Sunday for homemade Chicken Soup.

I use this noodle for my Wedded Soup. Triple this single batch recipe for the perfect amount for the Wedded Soup Recipe.

To me there is no other noodle for soup. These are easy to make and oh so delicious. They are great for the little toddler, no messy noodles to cut up in the soup. When you take a spoonful of soup, you get noodles with each and every bite. No noodles slip, sliding off the spoon. I believe these noodles may be a form of the Italian, pastina noodle, but I guess I'm partial to these since I was raised on them. For those of you that don’t want to attempt to make these, look at the grocery store for and egg noodle called Egg Noodle Farvel.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Easiest Crab Puffs

1 (5 oz) jar Olde English Cheese Spread
1 stick butter
1 1/2 tsp. mayonnaise
1 (6 oz) can crabmeat, drained
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 English Muffins

Bring butter and cheese to room temperature.
Mix mayonnaise, crabmeat, garlic and salt together.
Add the room temperature cheese and butter, and mix well.
Separate muffin halves and spread all halves with even amounts of cheese and crabmeat mixture.
Cut muffins into 1/4s and place a dozen on a styrofoam plate, and place in a freezer bag.
When ready to serve, remove from freezer and place on cookie sheet and broil until bubbly and crisp, about 5-7 minutes.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Seafood Lasagna

1 (6 oz) can flaked crab (drained)
2 (14 1/2-16 oz) cans stewed tomatoes (UNdrained)
1 small can mushroom pieces (drained)
1/2 tsp dried oregano (crushed)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 (4 1/2 oz) can shrimp (drained)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 3/4 cups milk
6 slices of Swiss Cheese
1/4 cup dry white wine
8 lasagna noodles (cooked according to directions on box)
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese

Make 2 sauces. Tomato and Cheese.

Tomato Sauce- In a medium saucepan, combine undrained tomatoes, mushrooms, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to simmer mixture for 20 minutes to thicken. Turn off heat and stir in shrimp. Set aside.

Cheese Sauce- In a seperate medium saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and cook over medium heat till thickened and bubbly. Tear Swiss Cheese into pieces and stir into milk mixture until melted. Turn off heat and stir in crab and wine.

In a rectangular casserole dish (mine is 11" x 7" and 2 " high), that is sprayed with cooking spray or lightly greased, pour 1/2 of the Tomato Mixture in bottom of baking dish. Layer 4 lasagna noodles on top. Next pour 1/2 Cheese Mixture and spread evenly over noodles.  Then repeat remaining Tomato Sauce (Yes, you will have a layer of Cheese and Tomato Sauce touching!), 4 noodles and remaining Cheese Sauce. Sprinkle with The Romano or Parmesan Cheese.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Paper Towel Dolls

I found the ideal homemade gift for that special friend. It's fun, whimsical and yet so practical. Beve's Paper Towel Dolls combine everyday items around the house and culminate in a present you'll be proud to give. I made several of them for my family and friends for Christmas of 2011 and they were a hit! Here's how easy and fun it is to make:

Supplies needed: paper towel roll; dish towel; dish rag; rubber jar gripper; small plastic garbage bag; face of your choosing; silk flowers of your choosing; sewing pins; plastic sewing needle; black sewing floss; glue stick.

Step #1: Fold dish towel in half.

Step #2: Secure one end of dish towel to paper towel with two pins.

Step #3: Fold unpinned end of dish towel so it just overlaps the pinned end.

Step #4: Secure with two pins.

Step #5: With fold side down, roll top edge of dish towel slightly and pin to paper towel with flower on top. This creates the decorative neck of the doll.

Step #6: Glue face to paper towel.

Step #7: With plastic needle, thread sewing floss through holes of jar gripper and tie off so you create wavy folds to represent the doll's hair.

Step #8: Pin the gripper/hair to the paper towel.

Step #9: Crumple the garbage bag up, stuff most of it into the paper towel tube,and leave some on top for hair.

Step #10: Make a one inch fold in the dish rag.

Step #11: With fold side up, pin dish rag to paper towel on either side of the face.

What a unique, yet simple, gift for family and friends!!

I picked this craft because it was so easy to make, and the result was something that makes me smile every time I see it. When you try it, you'll agree that Beve's Paper Towel Dolls will make your gift-giving a welcome relief for that hard-to-shop-for person. Enjoy!