Orange Cranberry Preserves

Ingredients:

3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

2 cups orange marmalade

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir orange juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved.

Add in remaining ingredients: bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low to simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture is reduced to about 3 cups (takes about 15-17 minutes).

Cool to room temperature. Place in glass jar and refrigerate up to a week or so.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

5 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup diced portobello mushrooms
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 tablespoon minced chives
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk (whole)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cans oil packed tuna, drained
8 ounces egg noodles, cooked until al dente and drained
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup panko bread crumps 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F. In a large sautee pan, heat 1 Tbs. of butter over medium-high until foaming. Stir in mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have given off all of their liquid and cooked through (10 or so minutes). Season lightly with salt and pepper, transfer to a bowl and set aside. 

Add another 1/2 Tbs. butter to the frying pan, then cook onion, shallot and celery together for about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the chopped herbs and the sherry and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir the mushrooms into this mixture, then set this aside. 

In a saucepan, heat 3 Tbs. of butter over medium-high until foaming. Stir in the flour to make a roux and cook for about 2 minutes. Then whisk in the milk and chicken stock, bit by bit, to make a smooth sauce. Cook, stirring, until just slightly thickened (another minute or two). Then add the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Flake the tuna and combine the tuna, the white sauce, the mushroom-onion mixture, and the noodles all together. Grease and 8X8 inch baking pan and transfer the casserole mixture into it. 

In a small pan, melt the last Tbs. of butter. Stir in the minced garlic and the panko breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until the panko is golden brown. Sprinkle this all over the casserole. Put the casserole in the oven and bake until it is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve.