Worth the Wait.

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Thanks for the time off. Not that I really gave you much say in the matter. Since I left, I’ve had family visit me, visited more family, gone to two out-of-town weddings and worked on some extra work projects. I really needed the time, but even if I had been blogging, I doubt that anyone would have enjoyed it very much.

You see – I currently hate food.

It started a few weeks ago; A few weeks ago I found out that my husband and I are expecting baby #2. I don’t remember being this queasy with my first pregnancy. Maybe I just don’t remember. But man -I hate food. I’m not throwing up or anything. I just can’t bear to eat. And I’m starving.

Occasionally I do think of something that I want to eat, and when that happens, I make it. There are also some pretty safe bets at any time of day: Cheese and Saltine Crackers; Granny Smith Apples, and Vanilla Soft-Serve. (The cheese,crackers and apples are in my house. The soft-serve isn’t, for obvious reasons. But I’m thinking about breaking that rule in about 3 minutes.)

SO, you ask. What in the heck are you going to cook that includes crackers, cheese, apples and soft-serve? (Gross. Gross. Gross.) Well, I actually felt like cooking AND eating today, and so it’s all worked out perfectly. I made this dish to take to a family in our church tonight too – so it had to be presentable to more than the pregnant female population. I found it in an old Southern Living Magazine, and adapted it to make it healthier. But I included both the original ingredients and my adaptions, in case you want to fall off the health wagon.

Turkey Tetrazzini

• 5 tbsp of butter, divided ( I used half olive oil)
• 1 8oz package of sliced cremini mushrooms
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp flour (If you use evaporated skim milk, you may need 1 or 2 tbsp more)
• 2 cups chicken broth (I used fat-free, low sodium broth)
• 3/4 cup half and half or evaporated milk (I used evaporated skim milk)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup sherry or port (I skipped this)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups hot cooked fusilli or gemelli pasta
• 3 cups cooked turkey, chopped (I used rotisserie chicken)
• 1 cup fine, soft bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms and the onions in 2 tbsp of butter until tender (8 to 10 minutes). Pour into a large plate and set aside. Melt two more tbsp of the butter in the skillet and wisk in the flour, cooking for about 1 minute until it is a smooth roux. Add broth and milk and cook until hot and slightly thicken. (Sauce will hold a line on the back of a wooden spoon when you draw your finger through it.) Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper. Add the Mushroom mixture, turkey and pasta. Transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish. Mix the bread crumbs, remaining tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of the cheese together. Sprinkle evenly over casserole and bake 20-25 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.

PS . I expect to be feeling more like cooking in a few more weeks, but even so – You’ll get a recipe from me next Friday, even if I have to post a link to it. Happy cooking! I’m going to Dairy Queen.

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