Meals for Lent

During this holy time of Lent we Catholics are faced with a dilemma from time to time -What to have on Fridays? Well there's the usual -grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, or pancakes with scrambled eggs ,french toast with hash browns,or how about hot tuna sandwiches with jo-jo's? I really enjoy baked Pollock with long grain rice and salad. Then there's tuna salad and egg salad for lunches. I've made lots of veggie pizzas and big salads with baked potatoes .Don't forget about the tuna casseroles or shrimp and scallop pasta,or the shrimp and scallop lasagnas. And of course the calm chowders.
Most of these I make homemade .The hot tuna sandwiches are simply: Buns with drained tuna and mayonnaise(about a tablespoon) and a slice of American cheese. I like to put a dash of dill and pepper in my tuna mix but that is up to you. I foil mine then put them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees. I use 2 packages of buns and 2 large cans of tuna for a family of 6 so we can have about 2 each. Check them in about 10 min to see if cheese has melted if so eat if not leave in a few more minutes then check etc..
I think the trick to really good scrambled eggs is to make sure you season them with a little salt and pepper. Eggs can taste pretty bland if you don't .Don't add any oil to them and use a nonstick pan only. I like to add a dash of vanilla and a tablespoon of cinnamon in my french toast and I use a nonstick pan for that however I use a pat of butter also while cooking them. It gives it a real bakery taste.
I scrub as many potatoes as I want to use then I slice them length ways in fours to cook jo jo's. Cover them with a high heat oil like canola oil and fry them on med high to high until golden brown. You can season them with salt and a dash of paprika. I use a ranch style dressing with a cup of sour cream combined in a bowl for the dip. Hash brown are similar only I chop my potatoes up into large cubes ,I like to add a little onion and red pepper to mine while frying. I season it with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Do not add as much oil however it'll make your potatoes soggy,only coat the bottom of you skillet.
My baked Pollock fish is very simple. In a baking dish place your selected fish and season with 2 teaspoons of garlic salt , 2 teaspoons of dill and a teaspoon of lemon pepper.Or whatever you preference is.Pour about a 1/2 cup of milk in the bottom and dot fish with pats of butter use about a 1/2 0f a stick. Fish doesn't take long so check on it in 15-20 min at a temperature of 350 degrees. It should look white in color and firm when you press on it .It should also flake when touched with the fork. I use Uncle Ben long grain rice I love it.
I buy my pizza from Papa Murphy s, it's great and the whole house smells fabulous while it's baking.
I use the Bisquick pancake mix and add whatever I want to put in them usually it's cinnamon.
See my other blogs on the pasta and seafood dishes.
I did find a good recipe for a tuna casserole that I thought was pretty good:
Ingredients
3 cups medium noodles (4 oz.)
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 to 3 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
2-1/4 cups milk
1 12-oz. can chunk tuna, drained
1/2 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, chopped
Potato chips, optional
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In large saucepan cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; return noodles to pan.
2. For sauce, in medium saucepan cook celery and onion in hot butter until tender. Stir in flour, mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add milk all at once; cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly, whisking to remove any lumps.
3. Gently fold sauce, tuna, and peppers into noodles. Transfer to lightly greased 1-1/2-quart baking dish. Top with chips. Bake, uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes. Serves 4.Bake: 30 minutes
````````````````````````````.
Acorn squash is so good this time of year I like to cook it like this
Ingredients
1 medium acorn squash, halved
1-1/2 cups water
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Scoop out and discard seeds from squash. Place cut side down in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; add water. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes.
Drain water from pan; turn squash cut side up. Combine the syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt; pour into squash halves. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until glaze is heated through. Yield: 2 servings.
```````````````````````````````````````````
Another great veggie casserole to serve is:
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
4-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups 1% milk
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
5 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2-1/4 cups frozen cauliflowerets, thawed

1 cup soft bread crumbs
Butter-flavored cooking spray
Directions
In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add the milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add cheeses; stir until melted.
Place vegetables in a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Place bread crumbs in a bowl; spray with butter-flavored spray. Sprinkle around the edge of casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.
Well, may you have a blessed Lent and I know it's not about food but it is sometimes difficult when you are the cook so I hope this helps.