I’ve been thinking a lot about comfort food this week. I’m collaborating on a project with Peter Fuller of the Vincent Price Legacy UK and Victoria Price, Vincent’s daughter which will be happening in November. Watch this space. It’s a really fun project that involves getting your steps in each day. Here’s a clue…
Melissa Gilbert’s recipe for Tuna-Noodle Casserole definitely qualifies as comfort food. Plus, well, it’s got that added bonus of heaps of nostalgia too. Because I don’t know about you, but I can’t help feeling warm and fuzzy inside when I think about Little House on the Prairie.
When I put this photo on Instagram I got more reaction to a food photo than I’ve ever had before, such is the love for LHOTP.
This is definitely something that will cheer you up in these strange times with autumn and winter looming here in the UK. Gloopy tuna pasta casserole goodness!
Looking through Melissa’s lovely cookbook again reminds me of the day it arrived in the post at work.
I was flicking through it and when I spotted this recipe I did a little “eek” of excitement as any recipe containing tuna will always enthuse me. My colleague Anne who sits behind me turned around to see what all the excitement was about. We then had a little chat about how much we loved tuna casseroles before getting back to our work. Those were the days eh? When you sat at a desk with OTHER PEOPLE around you and you could have a chin-wag about tuna casseroles whenever you fancied.
I guess in the absence of work colleagues due to Covid-19 I can chat to you lot about tuna casseroles, in a kind of shouting into the void kind of way, as I sit here at home, all alone all week. Thank goodness for all you wonderful people out there in the dark keeping me company. Haha!
It tickled me the other day, quite a while after I first made this dish, to find a lump of it in my freezer labelled “Prairie Casserole” – what a treat!
This freezes fine. Cook it up, divide it up, freeze it up and line up your Little House on the Prairie episodes to get you through the next few months of madness…
Want more of this kind of stuff? How about Cary Grant’s Tuna Fish Pie? Or Alice Cooper’s Funky Tuna Casserole? Or Diana Dors’ Flageolet Beans with Tuna? Or Mae West’s Salada de Tuna? Or Tessie O’Shea’s Chez Tuna Fish? Or my favourite of them all, Gene Tierney’s Tuna Salad Royale. Man, this leaning tower of tuna never ceases to make me laugh!
Lift your spirits with some star spangled tuna!
24 responses
‘Prairie Tuna’ definitely needs to be a thing now. Perhaps back in frontier days it was a way of getting the kids to think it wasn’t just sage-hen hash again. ‘Tuna Noodle Casserole’ or variants of seem to be an American staple and very budget wise. I was reminded of a mention in Baby Peggy’s [ aka Diana Serra Cary] book about her Dad’s days and hers as ‘extra’s’ in movies after the money had gone and mentioning a good friend who … ‘brought steaks to our house when we hadn’t bitten into anything gamier than creamed tuna or tamale pie for six months straight’ ! Me I prefer mine in a Nicoise or a sandwich with a good wedge of cucumber,
‘Prairie Tuna’ definitely needs to be a thing now. Perhaps back in frontier days it was a way of getting the kids to think it wasn’t just sage-hen hash again. ‘Tuna Noodle Casserole’ or variants of seem to be an American staple and very budget wise. I was reminded of a mention in Baby Peggy’s [ aka Diana Serra Cary] book about her Dad’s days and hers as ‘extra’s’ in movies after the money had gone and mentioning a good friend who … ‘brought steaks to our house when we hadn’t bitten into anything gamier than creamed tuna or tamale pie for six months straight’ ! Me I prefer mine in a Nicoise or a sandwich with a good wedge of cucumber,
Oooh, is the Baby Peggy book good? Did I tell you how much I loved the Gloria Stuart book that I read after your recommendation? Planning a blog post about that sometime soon…
Oooh, is the Baby Peggy book good? Did I tell you how much I loved the Gloria Stuart book that I read after your recommendation? Planning a blog post about that sometime soon…
Yes it is ! It’s my favourite of hers . Though all her books are good.
There are MORE?!!!
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/s?k=diana+serra+cary&i=stripbooks&crid=36NMWXM13XQ21&sprefix=Diana+Serra+%2Cundefined%2C160&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12
Here they are ! Sadly some of them can go for quite high prices due to scarcity now I suppose as they were all pub: 30 or so years ago. And I have to admit to finding mine over a period of time and being in the right charity shop at the right time ! I got ‘Hollywood Posse’ in a 50p box in Camden ! They are all well worth reading though. She’s a wonderful writer and an invaluable eye witness to early Hollywood in particular . Good online hunting !
OOh thanks Mark! One of my passions is scabbling around in charity shops and secondhand bookshops, looking forward to being at liberty to do that sometime again in my lifetime – haha. Meanwhile I shall keep my eyes peeled online for sure.
Yes it is ! It’s my favourite of hers . Though all her books are good.
There are MORE?!!!
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/s?k=diana+serra+cary&i=stripbooks&crid=36NMWXM13XQ21&sprefix=Diana+Serra+%2Cundefined%2C160&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12
Here they are ! Sadly some of them can go for quite high prices due to scarcity now I suppose as they were all pub: 30 or so years ago. And I have to admit to finding mine over a period of time and being in the right charity shop at the right time ! I got ‘Hollywood Posse’ in a 50p box in Camden ! They are all well worth reading though. She’s a wonderful writer and an invaluable eye witness to early Hollywood in particular . Good online hunting !
OOh thanks Mark! One of my passions is scabbling around in charity shops and secondhand bookshops, looking forward to being at liberty to do that sometime again in my lifetime – haha. Meanwhile I shall keep my eyes peeled online for sure.
Another fun post! How many cookbooks are there in your collection, Jenny?!
Thanks Annette! Well, at the moment I am having to move all of my cookbooks from my bedroom into my lounge as the landlord is replacing my bedroom carpet. There are SO MANY! It’s a good excuse to sort them out I guess. Maybe I’ll do a blog post with photos of them all. CRAZY TIMES! JX
Another fun post! How many cookbooks are there in your collection, Jenny?!
Thanks Annette! Well, at the moment I am having to move all of my cookbooks from my bedroom into my lounge as the landlord is replacing my bedroom carpet. There are SO MANY! It’s a good excuse to sort them out I guess. Maybe I’ll do a blog post with photos of them all. CRAZY TIMES! JX
I definitely need comfort food. And I want to buy Melissa Gilbert cookbook it’s the next thing on my list. I love watching Little House on the Prairie every single day. She is the cutest little girl. Still. Love everything of hers especially her beautiful dresses. Such a beautiful person also. She is a beautiful heart with a woman wrapped around it.
God bless Melissa Gilbert and keep her and her entire family safe.
My other favorite person is Chuck Missler.
If I have to be quarantined I want to do it with Melissa cookbook. and my King James Bible. Food for my stomach and food for my so. What more could a woman ask for? Hugs and kisses love you Melissa. Tuna noodle casserole is calling out my name. LOl
Reading from Rochester New York October 24th 2020
I definitely need comfort food. And I want to buy Melissa Gilbert cookbook it’s the next thing on my list. I love watching Little House on the Prairie every single day. She is the cutest little girl. Still. Love everything of hers especially her beautiful dresses. Such a beautiful person also. She is a beautiful heart with a woman wrapped around it.
God bless Melissa Gilbert and keep her and her entire family safe.
My other favorite person is Chuck Missler.
If I have to be quarantined I want to do it with Melissa cookbook. and my King James Bible. Food for my stomach and food for my so. What more could a woman ask for? Hugs and kisses love you Melissa. Tuna noodle casserole is calling out my name. LOl
Reading from Rochester New York October 24th 2020
Greetings to you in Rochester Josie! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the Melissa Gilbert cookbook, as such a fan of the show I am sure that you will. Melissa writes a lot about her time working on the show and about the friendships she made. It’s a lovely book and many of the recipes are calling my name too! Do let me now if you make the Tuna-Noodle Casserole, I am craving some right now!
Greetings to you in Rochester Josie! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the Melissa Gilbert cookbook, as such a fan of the show I am sure that you will. Melissa writes a lot about her time working on the show and about the friendships she made. It’s a lovely book and many of the recipes are calling my name too! Do let me now if you make the Tuna-Noodle Casserole, I am craving some right now!
I would love to buy Melissa Gilbert’s cookbook. I grew up as a little boy watching Little House on the Prairie and I learned a lot of life lessons from the show. I’ve always loved her character on the show and she is such a talented actress. God bless Melissa Gilbert and May her family continue to stay safe during this pandemic, we are all struggling to get through it and with our Lord Jesus Christ by our side we will! from Rochester New York February 8th 2021
I do recommend Melissa’s cookbook Steven. Thanks for dropping by from Rochester! Jenny
I would love to buy Melissa Gilbert’s cookbook. I grew up as a little boy watching Little House on the Prairie and I learned a lot of life lessons from the show. I’ve always loved her character on the show and she is such a talented actress. God bless Melissa Gilbert and May her family continue to stay safe during this pandemic, we are all struggling to get through it and with our Lord Jesus Christ by our side we will! from Rochester New York February 8th 2021
I do recommend Melissa’s cookbook Steven. Thanks for dropping by from Rochester! Jenny