Trees…Oh Interesting Trees…Seen While Geocaching

Geocaching and hiking are my obsessions. While my husband, Vic, navigates us in and around the trails, his eyes are firmly placed on his GPS device. My eyes are looking at nature and all the beautiful things that surround me. The rustle of the leaves under my feet, the annoying mosquitoes, the spider webs that ultimately end up in my face in hair as I walk  through them, and trees and rocks. I always have my camera with me. My favorite nature item to photograph are rocks, erratics and trees. All kinds of unusual trees with holes in them (probably some animal living in them), trees with shelves and moss. Below are some of my photos from my hiking expeditions.  I hope you enjoy them.

Comfort Food for a Cold, Snowy Day

It’s snowing again. Here in the Northeast we are used to it. We go about our day, send our kids to school and hurry off to work. The snow brush is near us in the car and we have learned to take it in stride, after all, it is winter!

Today, I would like to share a recipe that is over 40 years old. I remember my sister making this as a teenager. I am four years younger than her, at the time, I probably was a pre-teen and not a lover of anything tuna-related. However, when she made the following recipe, I LOVED it! I still make this recipe a few times a month. My younger son, LOVES it. It is quick, nutritious, and so comforting. Enjoy!

Tuna and Rice Casserole

1 can of tuna, any size or variety–but use tuna in water-not oil
1 cup of cooked rice
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 cup of crushed Special K cereal, or Corn Flakes, or Rice Krispies–any crunchy cereal will suffice
1/2 cup graded cheddar cheese, or a hard cheese you enjoy eating

Combine the tuna, cooked rice, onion, lemon juice, salt, egg, and half of the cheese and crushed cereal in a bowl. Add the milk and give a quick stir to coat. Put it all in a well-buttered pie plate. Top with the remaining crushed cereal and then a generous amount of grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Eat immediately when taken out of oven. Experiment with different cheeses and cereals. This recipe can also be converted to gluten-free.

The casserole can be enjoyed by two adults as a main meal, or four adults as a side dish.