Weekend recipe: turkey pasta bake

Ugh. I've thought about posting this for days. But between battling the laundry monster, scheduling and then fretting about job interviews, making lists, losing lists, making new lists and chasing around a toddler...I sorta forgot. Sorry, y'all. One week soon, maybe I'll actually post a weekend recipe on the weekend.
Then again, like this turkey pasta bake...perhaps the idea gets better the next day.
I came up with this recipe as a way to repurpose leftover Christmas turkey (like leftover Thanksgiving turkey, just jollier). Really, I ended up stretching the turkey out longer. But no one complained. Not even after the third day.
In fact, it really did get better the next day. And not only did my husband, father-in-law and teenage niece like it, so did my little gobbler Josie. Then again, who doesn't like a simple, warm meal to cheer us up after the post-Christmas doldrums set in?

Turkey Pasta Bake
Time
About an hour
Ingredients and Equipment
-13-oz box whole wheat thin spaghetti
-extra virgin olive oil
-1 bunch green onions
-1 clove of garlic
-leftover turkey, pulled off the bone and shredded
-14-oz can stewed tomatoes (you can add 2 cans if you like)
-1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (dried oregano, thyme, parsley)

-salt and pepper

-1 cup whole or reduced-fat milk
-2 tablespoons flour (preferred Wondra)
-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra in reserve
-about 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (mozzarella or any other kind would work just as well)
-pasta pot
-large sauce pan or deep-sided skillet
-baking dish (9x13 or so)
-spray oil
Directions
- Boil spaghetti noodles in a large pot with lots of salted water.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Trim and finely slice green onions. Then add them to a large sauce pan or skillet with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Saute over medium low heat.
- Mince garlic and add to pan.
- Once green onions and garlic cook down, add the turkey, stewed tomatoes, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, pour a cup of milk. Then dissolve the Wondra or flour in the milk before pouring the mixture into the pan with the turkey mixture.
- Add Parmesan cheese. Mix well and allow all ingredients to come to a simmer.
- Drain the pasta and add to the turkey sauce. Toss well.
- Add the pasta and sauce to a baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with oil. Then, top with shredded cheese and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
- Pop in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and there is a golden, bubbly crust.

Biscuits and vigilance

Now that Josie has chompers, or rather the tips of the icebergs, and is pretty adept with finger foods, I thought we would see how she would like teething biscuits.

I have to admit I was anxious about giving them to her. I'm still anxious as she sits next to me in her high chair sucking away on one. That's because often I (FREAK OUT) am concerned about her choking. And I am (obsessed) vigilant.

But I try to trust my daughter and make sure I watch her while she's introduced to knew things.

This new thing. She likes this new thing.

It's part toy, part food. What's not to like?

She's alternating between rubbing it across her gums and sucking on it like a Rendezvous rib. Get it girl!

Meanwhile, I'll be right here to sneak away any too big bits she cracks off...you know, just in case.

Weekend recipe: croque bebe

Here's my sigh of relief. Josie is recovering this weekend from a viral cold that burned her up for about a day and took away her appetite. But she woke up Saturday morning just in time for brunch.

I was so happy that she was game for a meal and sweet talked my man — THE BREAKFAST MASTER — into making our little bunny a special treat. Cue the bread. Cue the cheese.

Croque Bebe

This is a play on the French comfort food croque monsieur, which is sort of a savory, eggy grilled bread with ham and cheese. Except, no ham and sandwichified. (Oooh. That's a $10 word I just made up.)

And it is another recipe borrowed from What to Expect the First Year and tweaked. (We also cut the recipe in half because the serving size seemed too large.)

Time

Less than 20 minutes

Ingredients and Equipment

- 1 egg yolk

- 1/8 cup formula or breast milk

- about an ounce of sliced cheddar, Swiss or American cheese

- 1 slice of whole wheat bread cut in half; crusts removed

- vegetable oil cooking spray

- saute pan or griddle

Directions

- Beat the egg yolk and formula/breast milk together in a bowl

- Sandwich the cheese between the two pieces of bread. Soak the sandwich in the egg mixture until it absorbs the liquid.

- Spray pan or griddle with oil and cook sandwich over medium heat until it is golden brown on both sides (about five minutes). Make sure not to burn either side.

- Cut the sandwich into small pieces and serve warm. (The sandwich should be served on the day it is made. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in a toaster oven at 325 degrees for a snack later in the day.

Mmmm...grilled, cheesy, eggy, good.

Post Script: Our dog, Maxine, liked it too. The chunks that didn't make it into Josie's mouth somehow found a way into hers. (Next time, I'll get a photo of that.)