Who's Afraid of Tuna Casserole

I've never liked tuna casserole. Coming up, the only way my mom prepared tuna was, tuna salad. When I met my husband, one of his favorite dishes his mom made was tuna casserole. In almost 22 years of marriage, I've never made tuna casserole, because I didn't like it. The truth is... I never tried it.

Recently, I watched Food network's Sunny Anderson make her version of Tuna Noodle Casserole.

In the past two years, I've cooked and eaten dishes I've never eaten for Project What's For Dinner. It was time to try Sunny's Tuna Noodle Casserole.

After planning my menu for the week, I went shopping and got everything including necessary ingredients for tuna casserole. Excited, I tweeted "Making tuna noodle casserole tonight #whatsfordinner." Receiving a few retweets, and positive replies excited me even more. That night came and went, and no tuna noodle casserole.

I was scared. It sounds crazy, but it's much like being afraid of the dark, not knowing what's lurking.

Forging ahead, I would not be intimidated by a tuna casserole. Following the recipe, I left out a few ingredients my family isn't fond of thyme, horseradish, and peas. I also substituted Sunny's recommended cheeses, for a fiesta blend. An adaptable recipe is very important.

The key component of this dish is the homemade cream of mushroom. It pulls all the flavors together in creamy goodness. After adding panko bread crumbs for the topping, it was a masterpiece, and I couldn't wait for it to come out of the oven.

My fear was unnecessary. It was delicious, and my family enjoyed it. I served it with Parmesan zucchini chips.

Are there any dishes you're afraid of cooking or eating?