Sometimes I cheat when I cook. Now when I say cheat, I mean that I do what the everyday cook does all the time. I use ready-made products, and pretend that I went to a lot of work to make whatever it is. I am currently reading "The United States of Arugula" by David Kamp. He is a good author, and I love reading about the Big Three of American cooking (James Beard, Julia Child, and Craig Clairborne) who brought home cooking to the American mainstream kitchen. But meanwhile, Kamp frowns upon those who fell for the convenience foods of the early 20th century (even Beard did Green Giant commercials!) And yet...would you rather open up a can of cream of mushroom soup (Campbell's of course) or make a mushroom cream sauce from scratch? There are just days when it seems like it would be to much effort...even if all you need is 3 tbsp of flour, 2 tbsp of butter, and 1 c. of heavy cream (and of course, 1/2c freshly foraged chopped mushrooms of the edible variety!) So is it bad to cheat? No...but don't forget how to cook "real" food either!
And so...a Thanksgiving leftover favorite...use up that turkey!
Turkey Tetrazini
Ingredients:
8 oz medium egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 c. shredded turkey (sub any cooked cubed or shredded poultry for this)
1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. evaportated milk
1 tbsp Herbs de Provence or Italian herb blend
1/2 c. shredded mexican cheese blend
Directions:
Spray a 2-quart casserole with Pam. Mix all ingredients except cheese together. Put in casserole. Spread cheese on top. Bake at 350 15-20 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve with applesauce and salad.
Enjoy!
P.S. This casserole may be prepared ahead and refrigerated, covered with saran wrap, up to 24 hours or frozen, covered in foil, up to 3 months. If frozen, increase bake temp to 400 and bake time to 1 hour.
