Keith's Famous Italian Lentil Soup

 Keith has been making this soup for decades.  He started making it when we lived in Naperville, IL when Anna was a baby.  He'd make up a pot of soup in the Crockpot and make bread in the bread maker.  Yum!  The house always smells amazing when he makes it!  

Keith's Famous Italian Lentil Soup

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 carrots, chopped 

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 bay leaves

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 TBSP Italian seasoning

24 oz water

1 (32 oz) box chicken broth

2 cans whole stewed Italian tomatoes (do not drain), chopped

1 cup dry lentils

1 lb Italian sausage, browned

Combine all in a Crockpot.  Cook on high for 4 hours and low for 4 hours. Remove bay leaves. Serve with homemade bread. 

Asian Tuna Salad

 Everyone who knows me knows that I hate canned tuna.  Blech. Barf.  Smells like cat food.  Ugh. So it's no surprise that I never cook with canned tuna.  Right after Keith and I got married, I made tuna-noodle-hot dish topped with potato chips (Minnesota standard) to see if I could eat it. Nope. So gross.  

Recently I came upon a TikTok of a father and son making a tuna salad with Asian ingredients, that I thought sounded interesting.  I like siracha.  I like Kewpie mayo.  I like soy sauce and sesame oil.  Maybe?

The answer is YES!  We bought the most expensive canned tuna at Lunds (still smelled like cat food, btw) to make it. Loved it and will make it again!

Here's the recipe.  I had just taken a screen shot, so I'm not sure of the assembly.  I mixed everything together, then added the tuna.  Enjoy!

Asian Tuna Salad

1 can light tuna, drained

1/2 tsp soy sauce

2 1/2 TBSP Kewpie mayo

1 1/2 TBSP Sriracha

1/2 TBSP sesame oil

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 cup chopped celery

3 green onions, chopped

1 cup grated carrots

Mix everything together.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve with seaweed snacks (Nori)