Sure it’s spring. But sometimes wintery-goodness-food is in order. Our temperatures here have been swinging by 15 to 20 degrees daily. Last weekend we had sunny beach weather. This weekend there was snow on the ground. So, winter food was required. 2.0 likes this casserole even though he says he’s not a big fan of salmon. Now, when he says things like, “I don’t think I like salmon,” I usually say, “yes you do. You had it last week.”

This is another recipe stolen from Rosie Beaucoup. If you’re trying to save your heart walk away from this one. The cheese and sour cream will kill ya. But if you’re lookin’ for a warm, comforting kind of meal, this is it.

2.0 is usually in charge of grating the cheese. He’s very good at it. We use cans of flaked salmon – no bones to deal with and you can give the salmon juice to the kitties. There’s nuthin’ like the sound of three cats slurping fish juice out of little bowls.  Nuthin’.

The recipe is easy to prepare and you can make it ahead of time. Just cover the casserole and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake the b*tch and serve. I uncover before baking – I like the breadcrumbs to stay crisp. You might notice that the casserole below has been made with penne. I didn’t have macaroni on hand, so I substituted. Just as tasty, but then 2.0 insisted that we call it Salmon Penneroni, which is a name I made up, but later realized really should have been Salmon Cheddapenne. Whatever.

. . .

Salmon Cheddaroni – another recipe hijacked from Rosie Beaucoup’s collection – original source unknown

• 1 1/4 cups macaroni
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cans good quality salmon, drained
• breadcrumbs (optional)

Cook macaroni and drain. Melt butter in saucepan and saute onion until tender. Whisk in flour, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook – stirring over medium heat until it boils and thickens. Remove from heat. Whisk in cheese and sour cream. Add salmon. Turn into 2 quart casserole and add macaroni. Top with 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and dabs of butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

note: I mix the macaroni into the sauce before turning it into the casserole dish – less mess. If you’ve made the casserole ahead of time, you may need to increase your cooking time by 5-10 minutes as it will be cold.