Sorry but I can't give proper credit to whom ever provided this recipe. So if you recognize it hold your hand up! It's one of Meredith's favourites even though she puts ketchup on it! I enjoy it too....sans ketchup. Tuna Noodle Casserole 1 large can white tuna in water drained 1/3 Lb egg noodles or linguini ( or penne or shells ) 1 Tbl olive oil 1 medium carrot diced (I omit) 1 medium onion diced 1 stalk of celery diced 1 Cup frozen peas 2 Tbl butter 2 Tbl flour 1 3/4 Cup half & half 1/3 Cup real mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip) Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 1 Cup cubed or shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 Cup bread or cracker crumbs Cook noodles according to package directions, set aside. In a skillet heat olive oil and add diced vegetables sprinkled with salt and pepper sauting until tender. Add peas cooking another 3 minutes. Remove vegetables from skillet to a large bowl. Add tuna to vegetables. In same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in half & half until mixture boils and thickens. Allow to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste. Add sauce to bowl with tuna and vegetables. Stir in drained noodles and cheese. Transfer to casserole dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Top with bread crumbs and bake at 350 for 30 minutes until bubbly. NOTE: I add Parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs.

Linda, that recipe sounds really good, but I will use the lime juice, since I have way more many limes than lemons lately. I've made that recipe (or very similar) without the mayo, and so that will be something interesting to try. Annie, I personally would not buy flavored mayo, but you could be right that other people would. I much prefer to flavor it myself! I've had many ideas that could have been marketed, but I'm not a marketer, and so others will have to do that. Fortunately someone is now doing that for me, although it is furniture and not food! Cathy, that recipe won't make a dint in your collection of white balsamic, but I go through white balsamic in making vinaigrette salad dressing. Here's my vinaigrette recipe that will use more vinegar: Ingredients 3 tbsp Dijon mustard 6 cloves garlic 1-2 shallots, depending on size (optional) 1/3 cup chopped fresh sweet basil 3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (stems removed) 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar, aged eight years 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar, medium quality 2 tbsp white Balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1-2 tbsp white wine vinegar 2 tsp salt 2-3 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, or to taste Directions Peel and coarsely chop garlic, and shallots, if desired, and put into blender with the mustard and herbs. Pulse a few times to chop the garlic and herbs, and add vinegars, salt, and pepper. Blend until all ingredients are very finely chopped or puréed. Add the olive oil a bit at a time and blend until smooth. If possible, pour the olive oil through a small hole in the top of the blender while blending. Adjust vinegars, salt, pepper, and oil to taste, remembering that the flavor will change after the garlic and herbs have had time to marinate in the vinegar and oil. If desired, add 2-3 tsp of water to make the dressing a bit thinner and easier to pour. Store in a jar in the refrigerator. Keeps for at least two weeks, although the herb flavors will diminish over time. Do not substitute dried herbs - leave them out if you do not have them. I used a combination of vinegars for this because that is what I found made a balance of flavors that I liked. You can experiment to find your own personal preference of flavors, but I liked this combination, which gives a complex flavor. I've been criticized for using too many disparate vinegars in this recipe, but I really like the results. If you collect vinegars, you might like it also. Lars

Whew. Party's over. We've cleaned up, kind of. Got to bed at 1:30 am. The tuna turned out pretty well. It was different from the previous fish. Flesh was softer, fattier, not as firm. I skipped the chirasi course because I didn't think this fish was all that suited to sashimi. And I skipped the last course because it was getting late and people were full. The third most favorite dish was tuna marinated in miso and lots of sea salt for 24 hours. Served with a topping of wasabi tobiko (wasabi-infused flying fish roe, buy it at a Japanese market) and a smear of honey-wasabi sauce (exactly what it sounds like, honey mixed with a-not-quite toe-curling amount of wasabi powder). The runner up was the blast-seared tuna. Mix soy sauce, honey, and wasabi. Marinate tuna loin block overnight. Roll loin in sesame seeds to coat. Light charcoal in chimney starter. When coals are ready, put blow dryer at base of starter, so that white flame is roaring from top. Place grill on top, sear loin, each side 20 sec. Slice loin into medallions. Top with reserved marinade. The favorite, by far, was a variant of the pan-seared tuna with ginger shiitake sauce. FOAS posted a link to this dish in the previous tuna thread. I made some modifications - pan-browned the shiitake slices first, omitted the soy sauce, omitted the lime juice, added lime zest. Several people asked for this recipe, so here it is, and thanks again to FOAS - - slice shiitake mushroom caps to 1/4 to 1/8 inch, dice stems - brown diced stems in butter, set aside - brown cap slices in butter, working in single layer and turning each slice individually, to crusty, set aside - chop 1/3 c green onions, 1/4 c cilantro, 2 tbsp fresh ginger, 4 garlic cloves - cook in pan medium heat a few minutes, add mushrooms, then 1 1/2 c whipping cream, heat to low, cook until sauce thickens, set aside - heat to high, get pan very hot, add olive oil, sear tuna just long enough to get 1/8 inch cooked layer on each side - reheat sauce, add zest of 2 limes, add a teeny splash more of cream if sauce looks tired, salt to taste (for me, about 1 tsp kosher salt) - plate and be sure to credit FOAS The last dish, which we skipped, was tuna and scallop ceviche with a salsa of my own tomatoes, peaches, and kiwi. It was something I should have served earlier in the evening. Well, I'll have it for lunch and deliver some to the neighbors.

Unopened mayo will still be perfectly good after the use-by date...at least a year, IME. Off topic but a good use for excess mayo is a topping for cauliflower. I nuke a whole (unbroken) head of cauliflower...in a pie plate with a couple tablespoons of water, Saran Wrap stretched over and sealed under the pie plate ...until it is almost done. Mix up 3/4-1 cup of mayo, a teaspoon or so of prepared mustard, dash of Worcestershire sauce and 1-2 T. finely minced onion. Remove Saran wrap from cooked cauliflower, spread the mayo mixture over the top of the cauliflower, add some grated Cheddar Cheese and return to the microwave...cooking until the cheese melts. This is one of our favorite ways to serve cauliflower; there are never any leftovers and it's rare that I manage even a tiny second helping between DS & DH. :(