dinner

Turkey Tetrazzini

Posted on by Ang Anderson

If you know me at all, you know I love pasta. It makes my heart go pitter-patter. The discovery of this recipe is a true gem for me. It makes twelve servings which means there is plenty to share, which is just one of the reasons that I love it. Combine pasta and the generosity factor with wine, mushrooms, and creamy sauce and the swoon factor deepens. Plus, there is bacon for the men in your life. The first time I made this, my husband couldn’t believe that I was planning to serve it to his parents. My husband protested that his dad was never going to like this. (My father-in-law stems from the meat and potato generation and the meat and potato gender so you can imagine what I was up against and why my husband thought I was clearly insane.) But when both my husband and his father reached for second and third helpings, I knew the Tetrazzini was a hit with the men. I also did a little happy dance for a successful pasta conversion. Of course, I knew beforehand that it would be a hit with the women. The love of pasta runs deep in our veins.

Of course, the fact that I retrieved this recipe from the one and only Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) only adds to the splendor of this delightful pasta. I will warn you that it is a labor of love. Preparation and assembly of the ingredients will take about an hour of your precious time. But in return, you will receive twelve beautiful servings of pasta goodness with which you can do whatever you like. Have a dinner party and share it all.  Feed your family and freeze the rest. Make little gift dinners for your loved ones.

I discovered that it makes very good sense to prepare all the ingredients first when making this pasta. The first time I made this, I just started going along with the instructions and cutting and measuring as I went along. My counters were a disaster and my mind in disarray. So, I highly recommend taking the time to cut everything up and measure things out before you begin. Also, the pasta begs to be broken up ahead of time and placed in a bowl. Listen to the pasta. I promise that your kitchen and your brain will thank you.  (Or go for the chaos. Who am I to tell you what to do?)

Ree’s recipe is for Turkey Tetrazzini, which she posted around Thanksgiving. It makes wonderful sense for your leftover turkey after the holiday. I just grab a rotisserie chicken and use that in place of the turkey. Ree has gorgeous step-by-step photos. I highly encourage you to check out her site.

I served this with a French baguette with rosemary herb butter, pear gorgonzola salad, and of course wine. (Some of you may be thinking “you had me at french baguette”.  You are my people.)

Cheers to the lovely baguette, delicious pasta, and wine!

Turkey Tetrazzini

Click here for the Printable Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1-½ pound Thin Spaghetti, Broken In Half
  • 4 Tablespoons Butter
  • 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 1 pound White Mushrooms, Quartered
  • ½ teaspoons Salt
  • 1 cup White Wine
  • ⅓ cups Flour
  • 4 cups Turkey (or Chicken) Broth
  • 1 block 8 Ounce Cream Cheese
  • 3 cups Cooked (leftover) Turkey, Shredded Or Diced
  • 1 cup Finely Chopped Black Olives
  • 1-½ cup Frozen Green Peas
  • 4 slices Bacon, Fried And Cut Into Bits
  • 1 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
  • 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste
  • Extra Broth For Thinning
  • 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta until not quite done – al dente according to package instructions (it will finish cooking in the oven.) Drain, rinse, and set aside.

In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and salt, then saute for a couple more minutes. Pour in the wine and allow it to cook with the mushrooms for several minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.

Sprinkle in flour, then stir the mushrooms around for another minute. Pour in the broth and stir, cooking for another few minutes until the roux thickens.

Reduce heat to medium low. Cut cream cheese into pieces and add it to the pot. Stir it to melt (don’t be concerned if the cream cheese remains in little bits for awhile; it’ll melt eventually!) Add the leftover turkey, the olives, the peas, the bacon, and the cheeses. Stir to combine, adding salt and pepper as needed.

Add the cooked spaghetti and stir it to combine. Splash in more broth as needed; you want the mixture to have a little extra moisture since it will cook off in the oven. If it’s a little soupy, that’s fine! Add up to 2 more cups of liquid if you think it needs it.

Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with Panko crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.

Pot Roast

Posted on by Ang Anderson

I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have never made a pot roast.  Yes, that’s right.  I am (almost) 37 years old.  I have a husband.  I have been married for six years.  I have two children and one oven.  I have never, ever made a pot roast.   Until my favorite blogger and woman extraordinaire, Ree Drummond (also known as The Pioneer Woman) posted a recipe for the Perfect Pot Roast last week.  For some reason, Ree always manages to give me the courage I need to perform what seem to be extraordinary tasks.

First things first.  I needed a roasting pan.  I headed to our local store and grabbed a roasting pan.  (Now, this would also be your clue that I have never really roasted any meat.  Please don’t tell anyone.  I fear the culinary police may arrest me for negligence.)  I also hit up the local grocery store for a few of the necessary recipe items.  As luck would have it, I salvaged rosemary and thyme out of my herb garden just last week.  They are growing happily in the window sill above my kitchen sink.  I hope to keep them alive through the winter.  (Insert prayers for green-thumb-window-sill-magic here, please.)  This is a picture pre-roasting…

Wonderful smells wafted from my oven while the the inaugural roasting event took place.  I followed Ree’s instructions and just let it be.  I didn’t peek once.  I also followed her lead and made mashed pototaoes to accompany the roast.  Meat and potatoes man in the house?  Yes, ma’am.  Happy husband?  Yes, ma’am.

I am delighted to report that the meat was tender, juicy, and succulent.  Everything I would hope for my pot roast to be.

Who knew?  I can actually make pot roast.  Good pot roast.  (I don’t fear the culinary police quite as much now.)

I encourage you to give it a whirl.  It makes a perfect Sunday family dinner.

Click Here for Ree’s post which contains a lot more detail, with gorgeous step-by-step photos.  Enjoy!

Perfect Pot Roast

Ingredients

  • 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 whole Onions
  • 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
  • Salt To Taste
  • Pepper To Taste
  • 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
  • 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
  • 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
  • 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat.  This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else.  Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).

Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups).  Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast).  For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage

Posted on by Ang Anderson

I am a subscriber to the magazine Real Simple. I love reading the articles and pretending that my life could be that simple. I love the organizational ideas and decorating tips. I look at the photos and wish my house could look like that for just five minutes. I am also head over heels for the recipes. I have tried quite a few, with success and approval from my family. Deep in the recesses of my mind, I had filed away this ravioli with sage idea thinking someday I could try it. Well, I am happy (and blessed!) to report that I now have this lovely herb in my garden.

I’d like to introduce you to my new friend Sage. Isn’t she a beauty?

My recommendation is that if you have Sage in your garden, or can get your hands on some from a friend, family member, or local grocer, you should give this recipe a shot. It is easy and, of course, simple. After all, Real Simple would not have anything too terribly complicated. Check out the recipe…

Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage

Serves 4

Hands-On Time:  10m

Total Time:  25m

Ingredients

  • 16 to 18 ounces fresh or frozen cheese ravioli
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1⁄3 cup fresh sage leaves
  • kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

  1. Cook the ravioli according to the package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  3. Add the pine nuts and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sage is crisp and the butter and pine nuts are browned (but not burned), 6 to 8 minutes.
  4. Gently mix in the ravioli, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper

Ta-da! Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage. I must confess there was moaning on my part when I took my first bite. My husband said, “Are you kidding me?” after his first bite.  Then, he ate his plateful and went for seconds.

I had also decided that I wasn’t going to have wine with this meal. However, after the first bite, I had to open a bottle. Yes, that’s right, ‘had to’. Mandatory. This dish requires a wine accompaniment.

Okay, you don’t have to but if you need a push, a twist of the arm, here it is: *pushes* *twists*

The rest of you, I don’t even have to touch. I know you. You are my kind of people.

.

Just look at this. Totally deserves to be drunk in your stomach. (That came out wrong but you get the idea.)

In all seriousness, this was just a really nice, new pasta dish for me. Sweet little old Sage gave off the most glorious fragrance while she frolicked in the pan with the browning butter and toasting pine nuts.

Cheers to a new fave –
Ang