Andrea was not a relative, as far as I know, but sounds like a cool lady..(I especially like the: " Can be frozen" at the end of the recipe)
Please send me any jokes or recipes you may have for my cookbook/jokebook (*
sylvanacookbook*.blogspot.com)
Happy 4th!
Cheers,
Danny
With great sorrow and deepest affection, Zabar's announces the passing of
our creative director, Andrea Watman, on June 14, 2011. Andrea was an
employee of Zabar's for over 30 years. In addition to being our creative
director, Andrea was head of our customer service department, our catering
department, and all signage and graphics.
She was also responsible for heading up Zabar's award winning mail-order
catalog, which was her pride and joy. All of this was done with a smile on
her face and a sense of humor no matter what the situation. Andrea was loved
and adored by all of us at Zabar's, and the love and caring that she gave to
us all will be terribly missed and felt by us all.
Andrea was not just a loyal and dedicated employee but a true friend, a
confidant, and a mother to us all. We will miss her dearly. Andrea is
survived by her loving family, sister Joy Segal, brother-in-law Alan Segal,
and nephews Ben and Sam, the loves of her life.
My sister Joy and I spent summers with our grandparents in Long Beach, NY.
We had a four bedroom bungalow on Georgia Avenue (four bedrooms, an indoor
toilet, outside shower, no closets and just a few termites).
It was in that kitchen I learned to cook by watching my Grandma make dinner.
Sunday’s were always exciting. Our relatives would journey out to “the
beach” from the Bronx – actually they never went to the beach, but they did
breath in the ocean air.
Now – most families would barbecue – but not at my house. My grandmother
hated the barbecue – it was never clean enough, she hated the flavor or the
charcoal and lighter fluid and yes, she knew sooner or later we would set
the house on fire.
She would crack out the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, in the trusted blue
box, and make the best Tuna Casserole ever. She baked it in the afternoon so
that the kitchen would cool before we ate. She would slice cucumbers and
fresh tomatoes – and dinner was served.
I no longer use the blue box – but this is her recipe, just slightly
updated.
Enjoy!
*View a print ready
page.
*
*Serves at least 12 hungry people.*
*Ingredients:*
2 Pounds De Cecco Elbow Macaroni
2 Cans Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
8 Large Eggs
1 Large Bag Frozen Peas
1 Large Sweet Onion - Finely Minced
½ Cup Mayonnaise
2 Large Cans Solid White Tuna – in Water
4 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Cup Shredded Fontina Cheese
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
Corn Oil for the Pan
Corn Flake Crumbs or Bread Crumbs for Topping
(I really prefer the corn flake crumbs – you should be able to find them
near the bread crumbs in your local supermarket. Its not corn flake cereal –
it is a box of corn flake crumbs)
*Preparation
*Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook pasta according to the
directions on the box. Do not overcook. You want the pasta to be firm since
it is going to be baked. Drain well.
In a large bowl add the tuna (drain and discard water then mash with a fork
to break apart) mushroom soup, frozen peas, mayonnaise, minced onion,
lightly beaten eggs, and shredded cheese. (Yes, you can use the packages of
shredded cheese – but fresh cheese really makes a big difference). Mix well
and add drained pasta then mix thoroughly too evenly distribute tuna mixture
and pasta.
Add a few teaspoons of oil to bottom of a large lasagna pot – or large
disposable aluminum roasting pan. Add pasta mixture – sprinkle corn flakes
crumbs on top for crunch - and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 50-60
minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Please Note: Because of the eggs
the casserole will raise slightly while cooking so I usually bake on a
cookie sheet to prevent a sticky oven mess.
Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
Serve warm, serve room temperature – just enjoy!
CAN BE FROZEN!
PS: You can omit the peas, you can add carrots, you can use cheddar cheese
only or substitute your favorite cheese. You can use celery not onion. You
can omit one can of soup and add a can of unsweetened condensed milk (or
unsweetened evaporated milk), use can even change the shape of the pasta –
the one thing you can not do to this recipe is mess it up!
