Recipe of the Week..."Tuna Croquettes"

I have been a complete and total slacker this week in keeping up with my blog...sorry! But, to my defense, I've been really busy at work boxing up things to move. You see, our department is moving to a new building on July 12th, so our staff has been SUPER busy packing up everything for the move as well as trying to keep up with our day-to-day responsibilities and work load. So, needless to say, I've been a little tuckered out by the time I got home in the evenings. Soooo thankful that it's a 3-day weekend - WOOHOO!!

Now for the history behind this week's "Recipe of the Week":

Tuna croquettes is a dinner that I came up with several years ago during a time when our budget was really, really tight and I needed some new ways to work with canned tuna fish. (During that time I also created a tuna dish that we jokingly named "White Honky Trash Tuna Surprise", which was a tuna casserole that used boxed Mac-n-Cheese as the base. Don't worry...I won't be posting that recipe - ha! ha!) Tuna croquettes, when paired with baked potatoes and a side salad, are a tasty way to feed your family for very little pocket change. With the economy and gas prices the way they are today, it's good to have a few tasty but inexpensive meals up our sleeves, isn't it?

Ingredients listed are to make 4 croquettes - but recipe can be doubled:

• 5 oz. can of tuna in water
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup crushed saltine crackers
• 1/8 cup minced onion
• 1 small carrot, shredded
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• Olive oil

Method:
In a small bowl, crush crackers and set aside. In a large bowl add tuna with packing liquid. Add remaining ingredients, including the crushed crackers, and combine to make a firm mixture. In a large skillet heat about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Shape the tuna mixture into croquette shapes and cook in hot oil until lightly browned, turning as needed. Serve hot with baked potatoes and a salad or canned veggie for a well-rounded and tasty meal.

Wishing you a fun and safe 4th of July weekend! God Bless America!