Pinching pennies. And egg noodles.

A tight economy can spur a person's imagination and creativity in ways that few other things can. And by "imagaination and creativity," I mean "desperation."

Dinner tonight was a creative (desperate) affair, barring the blasé standby of spaghetti. How boring.

I opted to go exploring, to forage in my fridge and pantry-thing to see what I could come up with. If this happens again, I'm a bit more terrified, as I only have powdered onion soup mix, fajita seasoning, lasagna noodles, black beans and tomato paste left after tonight's creativity (desperation). And yogurt. White chocolate-strawberry yogurt.

So I present my recipe born of creative desperation:

Sarah's I-have-nothing-in-my-checking-account-with-two-days-left-'til-payday-but-there's-a-lot-of-random-stuff-in-my-kitchen Tuna "Casserole"

(Note: If this ever shows up in a "Grubbin' with Fuzzy" post, I'll be very sad that a friend had to stoop to this level)

Ingredients:
An old, half-used bag of egg noodles
A can of tuna, drained
A bit of milk
Some ricotta cheese that expires tomorrow
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Prepare the egg noodles according to the faded directions on the bag.
Drain noodles and return to medium heat.
Add a splash of milk.
Add tuna.
Add as much ricotta cheese as you like.
Add salt and pepper.
Mix very, very well.
Serve with the stale heels of what was once a loaf of bread. If you can manage it, miraculously discover an old can of diet soda in your vegetable crisper.

The receipe will serve as many people as you need it to. It's best eaten while reading or involved in a deep conversation that requires eye contact, as you won't really want to look at it. But it's palatable.

Bon Apetit