ANY RESEMBLANCE TO ACTUAL EVENTS OR LOCALES OR PERSONS, LIVING OR DEAD, IS ENTIRELY INTENTIONAL.
There once was a fat baby.
He had a double chin, huge chunky thighs, and rolls of squeezy baby flesh in every place imaginable.
This fat baby loved to eat. He happily ate many good and nourishing foods such as beans, turnips, and squash. He gobbled up meat, potatos, and bread. He loved apples, bananas, and peaches. He was known to eat large bowls of oatmeal by shoveling huge spoonfuls into his mouth without spilling a drop. Anything that his good mother lovingly cooked for him, he ate with gusto.
His parents looked upon his chubby baby body full of pride. They imagined their son growing up rosy and robust, winning football games for his school and becoming national chess champion (because he was smart,too).
They delighted in their young son's physical prowess, marveling that he crawled and walked and ran at such a young age.
But then one day the fat baby refused to eat his supper. His parents were aghast. "How can this be?" they queried. They had expected him to gobble up the potato and ham casserol his mother had placed before him. They decided it must be a phase and gave him toast.
Days became weeks then months then years and still the baby refused to eat anything but toast and milk though what he really craved was junk food.
However, his mother refused to feed him junk food on a regular basis so he subsisted on toast and milk. The fat baby became a skinny boy. His parents tried everything: coaxing, threatening, punishing, rewarding, taking him to the doctor, but still the skinny boy would only eat toast and milk.
His bones began to protrude sharply and his legs were like sticks. His parents looked at one another and sucked in their breath in dismay day after day when the skinny boy continually refused the tasty morsels his mother labored so diligently to prepare.
After many years of this hardship, on a cold, sunny November day, his mother made The Magic Tuna Loaf.
Though she didn't know it at the time, it was soon apparent that it was magic because the skinny boy ate serving after serving of this tuna loaf. His parents were aghast. "How can this be?" they queried once again.
And while his parents are uncertain as to whether the tuna loaf's magic will have lasting effect, they don't mind because now they at least have hope for their skinny boy.
Recipe for Magic Tuna Loaf
Add 1 1/2 cups dry macaroni (I like whole wheat) to boiling water to make 3 c. cooked
In a large skillet or pan fry together:
1/4-1/2 c. chopped onion
2 T. butter
Then add:
1 can evaporated milk plus enough water to make 2 cups
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
Bring to a quick boil and remove from heat.
Then add:
1 1/4 c. soft bread crumbs (again, I like whole wheat, and I just tear or cut up a couple of pieces of bread to make the crumbs)
1 can tuna, drained
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
Beat 3 eggs and temper them with the hot mixture before adding, and mix it all together thoroughly along with the 3 c. cooked macaroni.
Pour mixture into a large, greased loaf pan and bake in a 325 degree oven for an hour and fifteen minutes. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into slices and serving.
