Kitchen Knives Review

 

 

Review - Tojiro DP 210mm Gyuto

Let me preface this review by saying that I am a home cook and this is my first serious knife.  Now, I realize that a Tojiro DP may not be serious to many collectors or knife addicts etc, but it is one massive step up from my kitchen aid santoku. The difference between this knife and those sold in your regular chain stores is night and day.

This review is not technical, but simply documents my initial impressions and experiences with the knife, concluding with my recommendation. 

Please note that I have not attempted to sharpen the knife.  I have used it as it came, with the factory edge.

Initial Impressions – The knife itself

The Tojiro DP 210mm gyuto was quick to arrive from ChefKnivesToGo and it was very well packed.  It comes in a nice box with a manual and a plastic sheath. 

The manual has some tips for care and maintenance (including sharpening).  It also has the usual safety precautions.  It is not the best translation, but that really doesn’t matter much; the manual was easy to understand regardless.

The plastic sheath works fine for protecting both the knife and the user.  It isn’t going to save your fingers if you force the knife in quickly, nor save the knife if you bang it hard against a metal sink, but it works well if you exercise due care. 

I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of the knife.  I had read, on various websites, some complaints about fit and finish regarding the Tojiro DP line.  I have no complaints at all.  The fit and finish are excellent.

The handle is very comfortable, the rivets mesh perfectly, and there is not a rough spot to be seen.  The steel is thin and strong, tapering to a nearly invisible edge.  The blade has a nice subtle line a few centimeters above the edge that runs the full length.  I find that to be a very attractive feature.  The “Tojiro …” markings on the blade, while not etched, are fine and dark, with no indication that they will wear off any time soon. There are a couple lines in the steel near where the handle meets the blade proper, but you are hard pressed to see them and need to angle the light just so.  This is the only slight negative, but unless you are buying a knife for fondling rather than using, it really does not matter one bit.  As stated, overall, the fit and finish are great. 

Finally, the balance of the knife is lovely and it has some heft to it.  Having used it for a couple of hours at a time, I experienced no fatigue or discomfort on any occasion.  The Tojiro DP gyuto has been a pleasure to use

The proof is in the pudding, the squash, the watermelon, the steak, and just about anything else

I have used the Tojiro DP gyuto to cook quite a few meals now and I have never been anything but supremely happy with its performance. 

My kitchen aid santoku, even out of the box, might as well have been made of cardboard compared to the Tojiro. Despite sharpening, (on an electric sharpener – gasp! I didn’t know any better at the time, I swear), the kitchen aid santoku struggled bigtime.  Using it for any long period of time would give me wrist and hand fatigue or even blisters. 

I know I said it above, but let me reiterate that the Tojiro DP gyuto is a joy to use.  I don’t get fatigued. I don’t get blisters. What I do get is better prepared food, one heck of a lot of time saved, and a lot more fun in the kitchen.

The Tojiro DP gyuto glides through anything and everything. It is very sharp, even with the factory edge. I can only imagine how much sharper it would get with a truly well done sharpening job.  As it stands now, I have no reason to sharpen it further. 

I score salmon skin with ease, and the blade glides through watermelons and butternut squash with the same grace.  It works great for butchering and trimming meat, dicing up herbs, and cutting all sorts of fruits and vegetables.

Just place the knife where you need to cut, slide it forward, and exert the slightest pressure downward if necessary.  On herbs, fruit, and more delicate foods the weight of the knife itself does the work and no pressure at all is required. 

I’m preparing meals in half the time with much better results thanks to this knife.

Conclusion

To sum up, this knife is highly recommended! If you are looking to step up from your old knife to something stronger, sharper, and just plain better – look no further. Treat yourself and your food to a Tojiro DP gyuto.  

Kikuichi Sujihiki 270mm Carbon Review

Kikuichi Sujihiki 270mm Carbon Review

 There are a few attributes I look for when I consider a slicer. The first is length and for me the longer the better. This knife is 270mm long. I actually use my slicers as chef's knives sometimes because I found it to be easier to use one knife when I worked in restaurants. Next, I inspect the knife right out of the box. I was impressed by the blade considering the price. It had a few minor flaws in the handle but I am being really nitpicky. I use all my knives and I'm not looking for a showpiece. I am looking for a workhorse of a knife. The edge out of the box was serviceable but any knife can always be sharper. Then I use the knife as it came for a wide variety of tasks  In this case, I chopped and sliced onions and vegetables and I sliced cooked and raw meats. It performed just as a quality slicer should. The blade is pretty thin and narrow. It did take me a little while to get used to the handle but once I found a comfortable grip the knife was like an extension of my hand. I really don't know why I didn't buy this knife sooner. I always like to use a knife as it comes before I sharpen it to get a feel for the knife. I don't know why but that's the way I do it. I guess I like to understand what the maker or designer might have been intending before I decide to change anything. I thought this knife could easily be thinned out a little at the very edge. So I sharpened it on a 1k grit stone and just stropped it on a piece of leather with diamond spray. This improved the edge very much. I feel like with even more sharpening the knife will just keep getting better and better. I will definitely continue to thin it a little each time I sharpen it. With a slicer, you can definitely go for a slightly thinner edge.

The knife has plenty of length without feeling awkward or too big for home or professional use. The steel in the Kikuichi Knives is pretty easy to grind. It was definitely one of the easier knives I have sharpened. A lot of Japanese knives are so hard they are a pain to sharpen. Sometimes you want a knife that is easy to use, easy to sharpen, and is tough enough to stand up to whatever you throw at it. I am actually thinking about getting a gyuto from the series.  

 

As with most carbon steel knives there is some maintenance required. I really love the performance of carbon opposed to stainless and don't mind any of the precautions you have to take. I consider it part of my regular routine to dry a knife off after it gets wet or to wash it after it gets dirty. I thought the knife reacted well to acidic ingredients like onions and tomatoes. I have seen plenty of knives rust in front of my eyes while using them. This knife wasn't one of them. A simple wipe of the blade with a dry towel and I was ready to go back to work.  

 

I would rate the edge retention on this knife good. It is not going to hold an edge as long as a lot of the harder Japanese Knives out there but for a slicer, do you really need it? I think this would make a great knife to take to a restaurant for your shift or to be the main slicer at home. It can take the abuse of a professional kitchen and, if need be, it can hold up a thinner edge for making paper thin slices of meat at home.  

 

I'd rate the Kikuichi as follows:  

 

Overall finish of the knife and handle: 8 
Comfort ability while using: 8.5 
Edge retention: 7 
Bang for your buck value: 9

Haiku Knife Review

Haiku Knives Review

Haiku Damascus Chef Knife 8"

Price: $202
Length: 8"
Height @ spine: 48mm
Width @ spine: 2mm

Weight: 120g
Blade material: VG10, 16 layers stainless per side
Blade finish: Damascus
Balance: 1" above heel
Hardness: HRc 60
Handle type: Oval
Handle material: Hinoki

Scores:

1. Performance: 8
2. Usability: 7
3. Ergonomics: 6
4. OOTB Sharpness: 9
5. Edge profile: 8
6. Blade fit & finish: 4
7. Handle fit & finish: 2
8. Quality Control: 3
9. "Wow" Factor: 4
10. Value: 2
    

Overall: 53

 Haiku Knives are a division of Chroma. Finding information online about them is a bit tough and the Chroma website is also rather sparse with the details about these knives.

Much like their competitors, the Shun Classic, the Haiku Damascus knives have 33 layers — 16 stainless per side and a single VG-10 (stainless steel) cutting core. The outer layers are folded and etched to show off a wavy pattern called suminagashi, after a Japanese art technique that dips paper into water that has ink floating on top of it. It's very pretty but as far as I can tell has no functional purpose — food sticks to it just fine, thanks.

This knife has the feel of a mass-produced offering. Printed ink lettering on both sides of the blade showing off the brand and line speak to me of "outsourced", but for those wondering, the profiles of the Haiku vs, say, the Shun Classic, are different. The Haiku has a spine that juts out straight from the handle and then dips to the point about 2" from the tip, which is located in the top-third of the blade height — very un-Japanese. The edge curve also starts at the heel and curves up to the point, with the curve increasing dramatically in the tip. This profile is odd — the heel-curve is French, but the tip curve is German. Again, neither are typically Japanese. By comparison, a Shun has a traditional German profile — curve begins mid-blade and increases sharply in the tip, but the heel of the edge is parallel to the spine. It's like the knife can't decide what to be.

The blade is very thin, which is good. Tapers nicely to the edge, which is ground with a very pronounced primary/cutting bevel, and comes terrifically sharp. Hair-popping sharp. Push-cuts are clean. All in all, this is one of the best out of the box performances I've seen. However, under a loup, the edge looks like it was ground on an 800 grit stone and left there — the edge is very toothy with very obvious scratches perpendicular to the edge. Given the relative softness of the steel, I'm not expecting it to last. And given that the cutting performance is a function of this micro-bevel, sharpening the knife is going to be tedious as that bevel will have to come off before being re-cut.

Spine is not rounded and the choil is unfinished. Holding this knife in a pinch grip is not comfortable.

This is a Japanese-style knife, so there is no bolster. Instead, a plastic ferrule covers the top 1" or so of the hinoki-wood handle that covers a full tang construction. Hinoki is a very soft wood, and the manufacturer is quick to tell you that it will, over time, mold to the shape of your hand. I have no idea how accurate that is, but in general, soft woods are great for cutting boards, but for handles? Not so much. I expect this handle to get as marked up as a traditional ho-wood handle. Not a plus here. Additionally, the ferrule is not firmly mounted, but bound to the handle with a single bamboo pin. Interesting touch, but the ferrule should not slide around, regardless of how traditional the attachment. Further, the tang hole in the handle is too wide for the tang, but a thoughtful soul has filled the extra space with what looks like wood putty and sanded it down flush. And scratched the blade up in the process.

I think the problem I'm having with this knife, aside from the obvious fit and finish issues, is the price. I cannot fathom why this knife costs this much, but instead, strikes me as a situation of someone offering a knife at a price point in comparison to a perceived competitor, and not as a function of value. Whatever and whomever this knife was pitched at, a Shun Classic is superior in every way to this knife and is, on average, 40% less expensive.

 

By Scot Hull

Sugimoto Knives Review

Maker & Type: Sugimoto Sujihiki
Price: $259.95
Steel: Stainless (Chromium/ Molybdenum)
RC Hardness: 58-63
Blade Length: 270mm
Blade Height (at the heel) 38mm
Blade Width: 2mm
Handle Length: 135mm
Bevel: Double Bevel 1/99 Right Handed

Upon arrival, my initial impression of the Sugimoto 270mm Sujuhiki was that is was a substantial knife.  Contrary to what I had expected, the knife had significant heft to it.  I usually think of a sujihiki as a thin and delicate knife.  This was thick and heavy.  Also, the taper of the spine only began at the last 1/3^rd of the blade.  The initial edge seemed very coarsely ground.  There was scratching along the edge from the heel to the tip, and the tip was bent for about the last 1-2mm.  The handle, however, was very well done.  Great fit and finish and very comfortable in my hand.  In testing the initial edge, I found the out of the box sharpness to be lacking.  Whereas most of my knives can shave hairs with no pulling or irritation whatsoever, the sugimoto did not remove any hair, but rather pulled and caught on everything it touched.  And so off to the stones it went.  One quick thing to note about the knife is that it is not a clad knife.  It is essentially “honyaki”, or one single piece of the same steel.

The edge took a while to regrind.  I was using a set of large Naniwa bricks (I don’t have any more info on them… they were gifts from my chef in

Japan

).  I reground on a 220 grit stone and re-profiled the edge.  Then I took it up from 200 to 1000 to 2000 to 6000 to 8000 and finished on a 10,000 naniwa superstone.  It took a good edge, but it took a long time to get there.  The metal seemed pretty hard, but not too brittle.  I’m guessing in the 61-62 range.  I used this as my main knife for about 3 weeks.  In fact, I did just about everything with it.  It held an edge pretty well, though the initial “fresh off the stones” feel was lost really quickly.  3 weeks later, with moderate use both at home and some professional kitchens, I could still slice through tomato skin pretty easily.  I touched it up on a Chromium oxide charged strop a couple of times.  Overall, I thought it was a good knife.  Good, but not great.  The knife is substantial… not too heavy, but enough to feel comfortable for someone who is used to German knives.  The 270mm length felt comfortable for me… not too long, not to short.  My biggest gripe with the knife was its thickness and the taper.  Plus, it is pretty thick behind the edge.  This causes it to wedge in some more crisp foods (i.e. onion, apple, etc.).  As I said before, I expect a slicer to have a much thinner profile.  The thickness also leads to no flex in the blade at all.  Another problem with the thickness was that I could not use a press-cut technique.  Push-cut and pull-cut worked just fine.  The blade is nonreactive, so I had no problems with acidic foods or leaving the blade a little wet after cutting. 

Overall, on a scale of 1-10 I would rate this knife a 7.  If I were looking for a beast of a knife to do everything I might need during a lunch or dinner service, this is a knife I would use (as my only service knife).  However, simply as a sujihiki, I think there are better options out there (i.e. Kikuichi elite carbon sujihiki or for nearly the same price, a Takeda or tadatsuna).

-Jon Broida

Kikuichi Knife Review

Kikuichi Kasumi Shiroko Yanagi (YK)

Price: $408
Length: 300mm
Height @ spine: 35mm
Width @ spine: 4mm

Weight: 235g
Blade material: Kasumi Shiroko white carbon steel
Blade finish: misty
Balance: 2” above heel
Hardness: HRc 63
Handle type: d-shape
Handle material: magnolia

Scores:

1. Performance: 9
2. Usability: 8
3. Ergonomics: 8
4. OOTB Sharpness: 5
5. Edge profile: 8
6. Blade fit & finish: 8
7. Handle fit & finish: 8
8. Quality Control: 5
9. “Wow” Factor: 7
10. Value: 8
    

Overall: 74

One of the things you’ll notice immediately on this very impressive knife is the chrysanthemum stamped into the blade. The right to use the imperial crest was awarded to the family some 700 years ago when an ancestor became a personal swordsmith to the emperor. Their blades have born it ever since as a mark of exceptional quality. I mention this because Kikuichi is not what you’d call a high-profile brand in high-end Japanese knives — at least not here in the US foodie/knife-knut circles. Their competition, from manufacturers like Masamoto, Aritsugu, Shigefusa or Suisin, all have much more mind share in this space. Popularity contests aside, all of these makers craft exceptional knives, and I think Kikuichi deserves to be recognized in this category as well.

The knife I was sent was a traditional sushi knife, a single-beveled 300mm yanagiba from their top of the line white steel kasumi-grade knives. I chose white steel over blue simply for sentimental reasons — it’s the steel that was used in samurai swords, and coming from a manufacturer that stamps their knives with a chrysanthemum, it just seemed appropriate. Of course, that decision also saved me about $200, but at $400, this is still not a cheap blade. It’s worth noting, however, that this price point is still on the low-end for artisan efforts with similar characteristics, which makes the Kikuichi something of a bargain, such things being relative.

The knife I received was from their Kasumi Shiroko line, which means that it uses Hitachi White steel — I should expect the knife to have and keep a great edge, but I should be careful with use to avoid chipping or scratching. Given that this is a slicing knife, designed to cut soft meats like fish, this is pretty much perfect.

Pardon the metallurgical aside, but I need to explain a couple of things before moving on. A ‘kasumi’ knife means that there are two metals being joined together to make this knife: one hard for cutting and the other soft for stability and ease of maintenance and manufacture. For us consumers, we should be aware that the process of bonding two dissimilar metals at very high temperatures will result in two different expansion rates in the metals as they cool, and that this expansion will continue to take place many months or even years after the knife has been completed. Why should you care? Quite simply, a kasumi knife can, may and probably will, warp over time. Luckily, this is very simply corrected by a competent knife sharpener, but it’s something to be aware of.

The alternative, a ‘honyaki’ knife, is generally the top-of-the-line offering from any manufacturer and is composed of a single type of steel. Honyaki are difficult and temperamental to make. While they will not warp over time (it’s all one type of metal, so no differential relaxation to worry about), they are generally much harder than their kasumi cousins — which means that while they hold their edges longer, putting a new one on there may take some significant effort and time. This is not a low maintenance knife! That and the fact that they’re generally two to three times more expensive is also something of a deterrent to the casual buyer — you’ll probably only see honyaki knives in the hands of a collector or accomplished sushi chef. For what it’s worth, Kikuichi does in fact have a honyaki line of knives available in their catalog — one each white and blue — and yes, they’re way over a thousand dollars each.

I say all this because the first knife I received from Kikuichi was, in point of fact, warped. The consensus opinion I was able to get was that the knife was most likely “old stock”, and that the knife had simply relaxed in its box. I had two options at this point — send it back or send it to a sharpener and have him correct the warp prior to putting an edge on it. I opted for the former — it was a new (to me, anyway) knife and I didn’t want to have to deal with anything less than perfect. I guess I’m just fussy that way.

Which brings me to my next topic — sharpening. It seems that there’s a tradition amongst Japanese manufacturers of sushi knives that the knife is shipped to the customer without a finished edge. I think that this is so that the new owner can see that their new knife is new, not used, since sharpening will put tiny scratches along the blade. Regardless, I find it irritating. So, I opted to have Kikuichi put an edge on my replacement knife before shipping it to me.

A week later, my new knife appears. This one is in fact straight. Bladeroad is smooth, even, and has a gorgeous misty look to it with nice even diagonal polish marks. Shinogi (the very top of the major bevel on this single-beveled knife) is clean, precise. Blade tapers cleanly and smoothly from heel to tip, both along the spine and with the bevel, coming to an almost flat point. And the edge is indeed sharpened. But there was a burr along the top third of the knife, and one that was easily visible to the naked eye, which meant that the knife was sloppily sharpened. The first knife was bent; replacement knife had a shoddy edge. Not a good way to impress a new customer.

I decided to not aggravate either the dealer or the manufacturer at this point. The knife was already partially sharpened — it was no longer show-floor perfect. And I liked the knife! Given that it seemed that there had been some efforts already to put an edge on it, and that I happened to have a nice selection of waterstones to sharpen with, I figured, what the hell. Yes, I am new to sharpening on stones. No, I’m not very good, but, no matter! On to the stones it went. Five minutes on an 8000 grit waterstone followed by a leather strop and we were ready to go. Burr gone, and the knife was now shaving-sharp all along the edge, albeit with a some limited amount of scuffing along the bladeroad. Oh well. A 10x loup showed a perfectly smooth bevel the entire length of the blade, so, all in all, not bad for an amateur, if I do say so myself.

The knife cuts fish crazy well. The shinogi line acts like a wedge, cleanly moving the cut fish away from the filet. Did I say this blade was sharp? Eek. Draw-cutting with this length was very simple, with the mere weight of the knife more than enough to slide completely through the fish during the stroke. Slicing was precise and the length was not an issue in controlling the blade. I was able to practically peel a fresh tuna steak, carving off ultra thin layers of fish. That was pretty neat. My wife had to stop me before I took her steak and turned it into a pile of ribbons. Whoops! By the way, wrapping “tuna ribbons” around some julienned spring onions makes a pretty nifty canape. Ask me how I know!

I have to say that I’m partial to this handle style, too. The d-shape fits very neatly into my right hand, and holding the blade in my customary pinch grip gave me plenty of control over the knife. However, the balance is (unsurprising for a knife this big) a bit blade-heavy, which made me pay way more attention than normal to what I was doing with it — a good thing all in all, but long term, might be a bit wearying.

The handle gently tapers in toward the blade and is a plain magnolia, so it’s a light colored wood — keep your beets away from it. Interestingly, the knife also comes with a saya (wooden sheath) and a pin to lock it in place. This is usually an upsell on a sushi knife (and can run up to $75!), so the free inclusion here is quite a bonus. Great for storage or travel. The saya & pin match the handle. Looking the gift-horse directly in the mouth, I have to say that the saya is rather plain, the fit is too snug and wears the edge simply by drawing the knife. I tested this a bit, and after shaving the hole that holds the pin a bit, the draw became much smoother. Your mileage may vary.

The ferrule (the handle element closest to the heel of the knife) is black buffalo horn, and the fit and join are smooth and fine. The handle fits onto the blade snugly, with no machi (the traditional kink in the tang of the blade right before it disappears into the handle) visible, which is unusual, and makes the knife look a bit less elegant than it’s competitors. However, some may find this a benefit as there’s far less opportunities for gunk to collect. Personally, I find this a non-issue due to how I hold the knife.

In general, this is a very, very fine knife. When you take it out of it’s box, are you going to wow your guests? Probably not. The knife is a bit more subtle than that — but your knife-knut friends are going to be all over it. Speaking of flash and bling, I would have liked to see a nicer handle. Even though this was traditional, at this price point, traditional is a bit boring. Primarily, the knife loses points for poor quality control — it should have been straight and it should have been sharp. While I got both in the end, I should have gotten them in the beginning.

About the QC — the reseller I bought this through was nothing less than expert. Mark at Chef’s Knives To Go was friendly, open and fast — and in the end I got what I wanted. Kikuichi on the other hand needs to pay more attention to what gets drop shipped from their warehouse.

To sum up, I like this knife quite a bit. If you’re planning to order one, do yourself a favor and be very proactive with your reseller to ensure that what you get shipped is the high quality product you ordered and that Kikuichi is very able to deliver.

Those reservations aside, it’s very easy to recommend this lineup (and brand) for those looking for traditional Japanese cutlery. At this price point, it’s going to be tough to match, let alone beat.

RECOMMENDED.

Sakai-Takayuki Knives

 Posted by Benjamin Prescott: 

Sakai Takayuki Hammered Damascus Nakiri 160mm

I'd first heard of Sakai Takayuki Knives a couple of years ago, but they've been remarkably hard to track down. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I saw them on Chefknivestogo. Not only did Mark stock the slightly more available Inox series, but the hammered damascus series as well! So ordering it was a bit of a no brainer.

The shipping was super fast. I ordered it over the weekend, selected standard shipping and was basking in its beauty in time for Wednesday's dinner.

And I do mean beauty. This knife is a true looker. VG-10 core, with a pretty damascus pattern about half-way up the blade, transitioning to non-damascus hammer (tsuchime) finish. Add on a handsome pakkawood handle and you've got a nice looking knife! The fit and finish was rather good for a hand-made knife at this price. The only thing that I could really mark it down for was a bit of unevenness around the Ferrule.

Well, that and the weight. Don't be fooled by the short length, this knife has some heft to it. It easily weighs as much as some of my 165mm Debas. I don't have a scale, but I'd say around 250-300 grams. The balance is very good, so it doesn't feel terribly heavy to me, but if you are going to be using this all day, that might make a difference to you.

The Nakiri came with, what I'd call a "moderately sharp" OOTB edge. I'd say it was better than most Japanese manufacturers and about on par with say a Henckels but far from its true potential. If you are able to, take this edge to the stones! It sharpens very nicely, especially for a VG-10 which can sometimes develop a tenacious wire edge. I thinned it somewhat and took it down to about 6 degrees per side, for an included angle of 12. And suddenly this thing was a laser and held that phenomenal edge for about a week and a half of solid home use. Literally, with the exception of deboning and carving, I used this knife for everything, including a 20 person dinner. And after that week and a half, all it took was a light visit to the 8K and then a quick strop and it was right back where it started. Truly, this was a JOY to use, at least, for most tasks.

As beautiful as the hammered finish is, there is a downside to it. Throughout the tschumine section, the blade doesn't taper. It starts at about 2.5mm thick at the spine, and remains that way for just shy of half the height of the blade. Only when you reach the damascus pattern does it really start to taper. The result is that on large vegetables you get some wedging issues (Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Cabbage). This issue occurred on pretty much anything dense and thick. That said, for a sweet potato, a nakiri isn't my knife of choice. And for the things I WOULD grab a nakiri for, it performed fantastically.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a great looking nakiri with good fit and finish at an affordable price, and don't mind a bit of sharpening and a bit of heft, you should seriously consider this blade.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a great looking nakiri with good fit and finish at an affordable price, and don't mind a bit of sharpening and a bit of heft, you should seriously consider this blade.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

2-3 turnips, peeled and sliced
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2-3 golden beets, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup celery root, peeled and cut in chunks
1 potato, cut in chunks
1 small fennel bulb, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put all vegetables in a 8x8 baking dish. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and thyme. Cover with foil and cook for 30-40 minutes.

Any combination of vegetables works.

Healthy Tasty Tuna Casserole

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 c. celery. chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
3 c. dried pasta, penne or your choice
2 cans of tuna, packed in water
2 cans  semi-condensed cream of mushroom soup(I use Amy's Organic)*
1/2 c. reduced fat milk
1 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4-1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 c. fresh parsley,minced
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put a pot of water on stove to boil for the pasta. In a large skillet, cook the onion, celery, and the garlic over medium heat until softened(about 10 minutes). Remove to a 9x13 baking dish. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook until soft. Add them to the baking dish with the other ingredients.  Open the cans of tuna and add to the baking dish. Mix the milk with the cream of mushroom soup. You may not use all of this mixture.  When water is boiling, salt the water and cook the pasta.   Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish along with the peas( it's not necessary to thaw them unless they are very frozen). Mix up all the ingredients and then add the soup/milk mixture little by little. Again, you may not end up using all of this so just see how it looks. Add the breadcrumbs and the cheese to the top along with the parsley. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Feel free to add broccoli to the mix or substitute it for the peas. *I prefer Amy's Organic Semi-Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup because it is lower in fat and sodium than other brands. This is an easy, healthy twist on tuna casserole.

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1  1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the dry ingredients except the brown sugar. Combine brown sugar with the egg, the pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and melted butter.  Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, little by little.  Blend well.

Prepare a 9x5 loaf pan with butter(or cookings pray) and flour. Pour batter into the pan and put in oven. cook for 45 minutes. Cooking times may vary with oven so check at 40 minutes with toothpick.

This is a tasty lower fat pumpkin bread recipe.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

1/2 # ground sirloin
1/2 # lean ground pork
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c. onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, minced
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes(optional)
salt and pepper
2 quarts homemade or store bought marinara sauce
1 package dry spaghetti

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients except the marinara sauce and pasta in a large bowl. Note on the fennel seed: Put it in a small skillet on stove over low heat and cook until it's aromatic. Remove to a cutting board and mince to the best of your ability. It need not be perfect. Roll the ingredients into balls(I usually get 12 or 13). Place them on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apaprt and cook for about 10 minutes, turn them and cook for 10 minutes more. Put the marinara sauce in a large pot and add the meatballs. Keep heat on low/medium and let them cook together for about 30-45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve  with cooked spaghetti and top more more parsley and parmesan if you prefer.