Day 7 Week ~Turkey, Dry Milk & Pasta=Comfort

On this last day of the last meal for the Hunger Awareness Program we certainly will not look at ground turkey quite the same. While the meals were all tasty & challenging too much of a good thing does become just that...too much!! Both Bytes from Texas & Texas to Mexico (we are Mother & Daughter) thought ground turkey would be a good choice for our "Meat" of the week on our Food Pantry grocery list. I was reminded of an old episode of M*A*S*H where the character Hawkeye Pierce throws his tray down in the mess hall complaining about the same meat item they had eaten for far too many meals. No, this was not a "river of liver" Hawkeye was complaining about but variety truly is the spice of life. Even with Help from the "Hamburger Helper"; our conceptualizing for Ground Turkey was starting to stagnate. The meatless meals were actually some of our best or maybe we just enjoy Breakfast for Dinner too much at our house. As we read the other Austin Food Bloggers entries for this Blog event we thought chicken seemed to be a much more versatile meat. We enjoyed this challenge & look forward to the next Capital Area Food Bank event. The upcoming Stamp Out Hunger event is only a week away (May 8th) but I am already setting my sights on what donations I will leave next to my mail box. Whatever we take part in a Local or Mobile Food Pantry, Food Drive or Disaster Preparedness & Relief we are helping to strengthen our community.
















This Florentine Meatball Casserole made a warm comforting meal. The creamy sauce, spinach & oven browned meatballs were able to be made in less than an hour. A pleasant spin on the standard Spaghetti & Meatballs.

Florentine Meatball Casserole
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 egg
1/4 cup minced onion
1 Tbsp fresh Oregano
1 Tsp pepper
1 cup (8 oz) wilted spinach, squeeze excess moisture out
1 cup shredded cheese, Cheddar, Monterrey Jack or Parmesean
8 oz. Spaghetti noodles, cooked & drained

To make meatballs; mix together turkey, oats, egg, pepper, oregano then form meat into 16-18 medium large meatballs (golf ball size). Bake on cookie sheet in oven at 375* for 30 minutes or till they are browned on all sides.
Make Alfredo Sauce as follows.

Powdered & Evaporated Milk Alfredo Sauce
1 (12 ounce) can Evaporated milk
2 tablespoons Powdered Milk
1/4 cup Butter
2 tablespoons Flour
3/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/4 cup milk
Shake together powdered and evaporated milks; set aside.
Melt butter in medium saucepan; stir in flour to make a roux; cook until bubbly.
Gradually whisk evaporated milk into the roux; cook sauce over medium heat, stirring, until bubbly.
Reduce heat; add Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; stir until melted.
Thin sauce to desired consistency by stirring in up to one half cup milk.

Mix together alfredo sauce, spinach & noodles. Layer 1/2 into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Lay cooked meatballs over the top of the noodle mixture & top with the last 1/2 of the noodles. Spread Cheese over this layer. Bake 20 minutes till bubbly & cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

7 Days of Breakfast.





As part of the Austin Food Blogger Hunger Awareness program we made breakfast all 7 days which fell in the guidelines of our Food Pantry, SNAP/WIC food purchases. Eating a healthy breakfast each morning really is the most important part of the day. Whether it was Cheerios, Oatmeal, Rice Porridge or Eggs the meals were simple & used few ingredients. We were able to use all of our pantry items save a can of fruit & a few potatoes. I look forward to taking part in this project again, the challenge was both a reality check & made me think grasp the concept of walking in someone's shoes if even for a week.

Cooking Shepherd's Pie for the masses or the family!

Childrens homes in Mexico are a place of both great blessing & great need. More often often than not they operate on little more than Faith & Hope. The opportunities to help & be of service at these homes can be endless for Expats right here in Northern Mexico. The Newcomer's Group here helps with food, clothing & educational needs. It is a great pleasure to help on Saturdays when the group provides a Saturday meal for the kids which we both prepare the food as well as actually serve it. Saturday meals give the house parents & over burdened workers a chance to rest & be served along side the kids. There is always enough for second helpings & of course desert is a must. This past Saturday we served Shepherd's Pie, Salad, Bread & homemade Brownies. The smiles were thanks enough even if it was hard not to have a lump in the throat when the blessing was said. Last Friday several of us met in my friend Tresa's kitchen to mix, stir, chop & blend the many Shepherd's Pies we served the following day. Feeding 100 isn't so hard when friends are doing the work. Not only was it satisfying but the food tasted great & interested me in cooking a repeat version for less than 100....in my own kitchen. I've scaled it down but kept the same seasons & flavors alive in my version of the Tresa Amrani's Shepherd Pie. *I have to say she did surprise me by telling me how many recipes of meals for crowds are offered online.










Cottage Pie, also known as Shepherd's Pie, refers to a meat pie with a crust made from mashed potato. Cottage was a term referring to modest working class dwelling.

The term Cottage Pie or Pye is known to have been used as early as 1791, when potato was being introduced as an edible crop affordable for common people. Although the potato was introduced to Europe in 1520 by the Spanish from the New World it wasn't mainstream for several hundred years. Shepherd's Pie can be made with endless meat & vegetable varieties & even with only vegetables. In the 1990's my children were more than likely worn out on my vegetarian version of Shepherd's Pie...






Tresa's Shepherd Pie
4 large potatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 med. onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 pound ground chicken
2 large carrot, shredded
8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Tabasco
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chicken or beef bouillon powder
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack & or cheddar cheese
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until tender, drain.
Mash potatoes with butter or margarine and milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Add as little or more milk to get the potatoes rather soupy since they dry slightly as they cook on top of the Shepherd Pie.
Saute onion & bell pepper in olive oil until soft. Stir in ground chicken, carrot, mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire sauce,Tabasco, garlic, and chicken bouillon. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until meat is broken up and cooked through. Drain. Stir in flour.
Transfer meat mixture to a casserole dish sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Evenly sprinkle cheese over meat mixture. Spread potatoes over meat, don't pack potatoes too hard, keep fluffy.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown on top.

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey gone rustic.

On Thanksgiving eve as the leftovers at were mounting into a Texas sized load I wondered what I would whip the turkey into, save a sandwich or two. Sure, nothing beats the first Turkey sandwich but the trick is to re-mix, re-style & re-make Turkey giving it new excitement. My first suggestion was met with a resounding "NO"! I had some South of the Border ideas; however, that concept was unpopular since we live in...well, Mexico!! I mean, when in Rome~I do! When at home, I have to stretch the mind a little more. So digging through the stateside pantry I located a can of artichoke hearts, a few shallots & red bell pepper. The Turkey in question a rough version of a Rustica Pasta dish. The turkey leftovers at our house now? Well, I have two wings & some stuffing. Problem solved until the next big holiday meal~I could have bigger problems I realize. This is a problem I enjoy solving. Buen Provecho!
























Turkey Rustica
3 cups turkey breast meat, cubed or sliced
16 oz. penne pasta, cooked (reserve 1 cup pasta liquid)
1 red bell pepper, roasted, seeded & sliced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained & quartered
1 chopped shallot
4 slices of bacon or pancetta, sliced in 1/2 in. slices, or chopped
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt & pepper to taste
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard,
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary,
6 fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish
1/4cup white wine
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups cream
6 Tbsp. bread crumbs

Cook bacon in skillet till browned, add garlic, shallots. Saute till translucent then add the cooked turkey, heat thoroughly. Stir in white wine, artichoke quarters, roasted red pepper & Dijon mustard (except paprika). Once the wine simmers add in the cream slowly, heat slowly, add in the Parmesan cheese. As the mixture heats. Stir until the sauce is thickened slightly, careful not to bring to a boil. Pour turkey, vegetables & sauce over the cooked penne pasta. At this point the reserved pasta liquid can be used to thin the sauce out as needed. The organic Parmesan cheese I used made the sauce slightly thicker so it was thinned with the pasta liquid. Pour the pasta & turkey mixture into a greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole. Top with bread crumbs & sprinkle with paprika & heat @ 350 for 20 min. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary, serves 6.

Aztec Pie, warm dish for a cool evening.

Just prior to the onslaught of pies, desserts & stuffings wash over us in a warm holiday buzz I thought I'd post a different type of pie recipe from South of the Border. Pay (pronounced pie) Azteca is a traditional Mexican dish which is an easy casserole perfect for the upcoming holiday rush. The warm cheese layers & hearty quality of this dish make it a wonderful choice for cool weather. Mexico's ancient Tenochtitlan later known as the Aztec used corn in much of their food. In this recipe I used roasted Poblano Peppers which we can always locate in Mexico (*if those are unavailable canned roasted green chilies can be substituted). The origins of this dish are rather blurred by time & history but the traditional dish has popularity both north & south of the border. Besides it's as easy as....

Aztec Pie~Pay Azteca
15 Corn tortillas, cut into triangles
1 1/2 cups Corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 Poblano chili peppers roasted, peeled, seeded & cut into strips
2 cups Sour Cream
1 lg. egg
pinch of ground cumin
8 oz. Manchego, Oaxaca Cheese or Monterrey Jack grated
Sauce:
1/4 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Lg. Tomato, diced
2 cups Tomato puree
salt, pepper to taste

Lightly bake tortillas @ 350 for 15 min. spread evenly on a cookie sheet, sprayed with vegetable spray.
Prepare the sauce by sauteing the onion, garlic & tomato for 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree & simmer 10 min. seasoning with salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Mix sour cream & 1 beaten egg with pinch of cumin.
In an oven proof, greased 9 x 13 casserole: layer 1/2 of the tortillas, 1/2 of tomato sauce, 1/2 of the corn & poblano strips, 1/2 sour cream mixture, top with 1/2 cheese. Repeat layers ending with cheese. Bake in 350* oven for 30 minutes or till bubbling at the edge & slight golden color to the edges. Remove from heat, cool for 10 minutes, cut into squares & serve. This is great served with a tossed green salad & a nice white wine. Enjoy.