Today is MEATLESS MONDAY…But just let me just start this blog post today by saying… I miss my grandmother.  Born in 1915,  daughter to Irish immigrants, She was a force to be reckoned with and an extraordinary woman. I’ve yet to meet her equal! Smart, ambitious, stylish,  strong and a giver to a fault. She passed away last November three months before she reached 100 years old. What a chic! Well… Dorothy Veronica Alexis O’ Flynn Kufczynski (If you can believe it!) absolutely loved my tuna noodle casserole, so making it brings her always into my heart. Linda and I would spend two weeks in the summer with grandma and she loved to introduce us to new things. Lassie on Broadway, the nasty subway, hot dogs and sauerkraut and alas, yoo- hoo. I remember her taking us Christmas shopping in July on Broadway, my first pair of designer jeans. Not sure if I took them off for a year. She bought each girl in the family their first piece of fine jewelry. Going back to college at 50 (wanting to know what all the fuss was about), she taught us that women didn’t have limits and that loving and respecting the men we loved was a beautiful thing.  Linda and I were both graced with spending a lot of time with her in her later years. Linda especially went out of her way to do for my grandmother what this priceless, stubborn and independent woman could no longer do for herself.  We miss you Grandma and we love you! So this is for you Dorothy…

Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole
2 cans Albacore tuna
2 cups dry elbow noodles
1 stick butter
1- 1/2 cups whole milk
2 medium onions diced
3 stalks celery heart diced
2 green peppers diced
1 shallot diced
1/3 cup flour
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 °F.  In a large pot, boil pasta according to directions. Drain tuna and pasta and combine. Set aside. In same pot heat butter and sauté onions, celery and peppers until tender. When tender add flour and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add milk and heat until contents begin to thicken. You are making a bechamel sauce. Pour thickened bechamel into pasta and tuna. Add 1-1/4 cups cheese and mix gently. Fill a 9 x 11 dish with mixture and top with remaining cheese. Cook in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes and serve.

Love you grandma!

Enjoy!

Heidi

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