This came up at lunch today: when you have a baby the people you know bring you food and you don't have to cook for a month. Of course I was not aware of this tradition, never having had a baby for the casseroles.
This sparked a conversation about the surprising things people consider edible and will foist on new mothers. The worst was Tuna Soup.
(And I'm sorry if your signature disk is Tuna Soup. I'm sure yours is great.)
I had no volunteer casserole story to share, so I got on the net to find a recipe for tuna soup. Many recipes were rejected because they included things like Campbell's tomato soup and noodles with the tuna. This poisonous tuna soup recipe was supposedly:
Boil water
Add tuna
Add a bag of frozen vegetables
Stir
The closest thing I could find was this one. I suppose if someone substituted a bag of frozen veggies for the vegetables and pasta that might approximate it.
So, has anyone else ever had casseroles gifted to them that they couldn't eat?
Arlene's tuna soup.
Saute chopped onion in olive oil till translucent. Add a can of Campbell's cream of potato soup, a can of milk, some frozen peas, and a can of decent tuna. (Don't use something you wouldn't eat in a sandwich.) Add a bit of thyme (dried is okay) and some fresh ground black pepper. You can add some cheese if you like.
Easy, tasty and hey, it's fish for dinner.
Posted by: Arlene | September 26, 2012 at 06:17 AM
1) ew.
2) i feel gipped. i had a baby and nobody brought me a casserole.
3) at least there was no tuna involved in the no casserole.
Posted by: magpie | September 26, 2012 at 12:12 PM
When I lived in The South people brought food when a family member died too. I recently discovered that the tradition is not as ingrained here in the midwest.
Posted by: Amy in StL | September 26, 2012 at 01:32 PM
I live in the south and casseroles arrive for all sorts of reasons. So far, I have not received anything I would not eat. I have one 9 X 13 pan that I did not return back in 1995 which contained a delicious chicken/spaghetti casserole. I use it regularly and I feel guilty but that woman has received a mental thank you from me every single time. So maybe that balances out.
Posted by: Wendy | September 26, 2012 at 06:33 PM
I love fish but I can't STAND canned tuna - the smell of it makes me gag. I never made anything for anyone that I wouldn't eat myself, and I'm very picky, so I don't think I was an offender. I usually made veal stew or pork chops in peach sauce. I did get stuff I wouldn't eat, but like I said, I'm incredibly picky, so it wasn't that it was bad, just had too much onions or mushrooms.
Posted by: allison | September 26, 2012 at 07:39 PM
Tuna soup sounds terrible, but I admit that when I had my gut surgery that required I be on liquids and soft foods for a month, I got creative. I put Progresso lentil soup in a blender with a can of tuna, and heated it up on the stove top. I'm embarrassed to say that I found it really delicious.
I'm sure that I received some food that I never wanted to eat when my mom died - I remember getting a LOT of food - but I can't recall any standout weird ones.
Posted by: Tami | September 27, 2012 at 02:38 PM
Arlene - Now, that sounds like a good tuna soup.
Magpie - I feel better now about not having babies.
Amy in StL - People bring food here - but mainly food for the relatives at the wake, not food for the family.
Wendy - Wendy! Wennnnndy. I am shocked. What if it was part of a set?
Allison - I have never had veal stew OR pork chops in peach sauce, ever. They don't sound bad, just not things I would ever think of eating.
Tami - I may have to make that for Gary. His teeth hurt SO MUCH now he's on these invisialign braces he can't chew.
Posted by: TheQueen | September 27, 2012 at 11:10 PM
Put any of the Progresso or Chunky soups through the blender. Even when mush, they're still solid enough to fill you up. I also enjoyed instant mashed potatoes with grated parmesan cheese (the real stuff, of course, I'm a food snob!) and pulverized veggies mixed with scrambled eggs and sour cream.
Posted by: Tami | September 28, 2012 at 11:12 AM
I had two babies at once and no one gifted me with casseroles (disgusting or not) enough for a month. Then again, I don't remember too much about the first month except all of the crying. Maybe they did.
If anyone gifted us with Tuna Soup (great name for a band, by the way), I don't remember eating it and probably wouldn't have known if it was disgusting or not.
Posted by: Hot Mom | September 29, 2012 at 10:58 AM
Tami - He's been buying himself foods at the store that he thinks will be worth taking off the braces. (My food doesnt' qualify.)
Hot Mom - I noticed the assonance too. I wondered if Tuna Soup was invited just so someone could give it that name.
Posted by: TheQueen | September 29, 2012 at 06:02 PM