Bring on the Leftovers!

Bring on the Leftovers!

Yes, I’m already fantasizing about them … I love Thanksgiving leftovers more than I love the big meal on the big day! And here’s my all-time favorite way to eat up those poultry leftovers: Turkey Tetrazzini. Yum!!

Turkey Tettrazini

  • 1 cup mayo (or combination of mayo, plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, etc. … I use 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup veganaisse)
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • Dash of pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups milk
  • 4 cups chopped/cooked turkey (or chicken)
  • 8 ounces spaghetti (I use whole wheat), broken in half, cooked & drained
  • 2 cups frozen peas
  • 3/4 cup chopped, roasted red bell pepper (from a jar is fine)
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1 cup fresh bread cubes or breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine mayo, flour, salt and pepper in large skillet or Dutch oven, over low heat. Gradually add milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened. Add turkey, cooked spaghetti, peas, roasted red pepper and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Mix lightly.

Coat a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Spoon mixture into dish.

Combine 1/2 cup Parmesan, melted butter and bread cubes or breadcrumbs and toss lightly. Sprinkle over turkey mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

(It’s even better the next day!)

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R.I.P., Twinkies

Farewell, Twinkies. 

Goodbye, corn syrup, sugar, shortening, glucose, monoglycerides, diglycerides, Polysorbate 60 (commonly found in cosmetics, derived from petroleum), cellulose gum (used in hair gel and laxatives), “natural flavors” (not!), artificial flavors (no surprise here!), and yellow and red food dye.

R.I.P.

We really won’t miss you!

Harvesting Sweet Potatoes

Harvesting Sweet Potatoes

I planted sweet potatoes for the first time ever this year. Put them directly into the ground … which I don’t do with many of my edibles, since the Florida dirt is so sandy where I live. But I read that sweet potatoes thrive in poor soil and don’t need fertilizer. So I planted them (I did mix a bit of my chicken poop compost into the dirt first), mulched them, watered them lightly approximately every other day (unless it rained, which it does a lot this time of year here), and that’s it.

Continue reading

Laura Ingalls & Processed Foods

Laura Ingalls & Processed Foods

I’m a little bit obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder. Not the semi-fictitious character in her “Little House” books as much as the author herself, as farm wife and neighbor and mentor and friend. I’ve been reading her articles that were published regularly in the Missouri Ruralist newspaper for about a decade, starting around 1913. So cool to read her thoughts from 100 years ago that sound so similar to some of my thoughts these days … living close to the land, being kind and neighborly, raising chickens and a garden, doing your best to keep your home nice, taking time for yourself when life gets super-busy.

The World’s Fair 1915

Author Laura Ingalls Wilder

Mrs. Wilder visited the 1915 World’s Fair in San Francisco … a big trip from her home in the Ozarks where she lived with husband “Manly.” Continue reading

To Carb or Not To Carb? Bread Baking!

To Carb Or Not To Carb?

Bread Baking!

There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked, homemade bread. And for me, there’s nothing like the pleasure of making it by hand … no machine (except the oven) … just me, my son and some delicious, fresh ingredients.

Courtesy of “The Republican”

I think there are some foods I just would not be happy giving up. Continue reading

Foods Our Ancestors Ate

Foods Our Ancestors Ate

Ever thought about the foods our pioneer ancestors ate, and ancient people before them? Foods from 100+ years ago. Or long before that. Foods that have been on our earth for centuries. Compare that to the “food” we put into our bodies for decades before we woke up to the idea of eating real food.

Sketch by Sidney E. King

Meals in the past Continue reading

Potluck Party

Potluck Party 

A big gathering of friends & family for a festive meal.
From “Little House in the Big Woods”
by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Sketch by Garth Williams.

I love inviting my friends over for dinner, potluck style! Reminds me of the big, southern, family reunion meals we had when I was growing up … or of yummy church dinners.

And you know what’s great about these “family dinners,” as I call them? Everyone brings something!

In this economy, it’s a great way to have a dinner party. It’s also a great way to accommodate a variety of food allergies or preferences.

Food themes are always fun for potluck parties. Here are a few that have been successful: Continue reading

Victory Gardens

Victory Gardens

This has been my best year yet for my container veggie-and-herb garden. At least it started out great.

Container garden in the spring.

Here in Florida, the soil is super-sandy. Hard to grow anything in it and hard to improve it. I tried for three years, then gave up and went almost 100% to containers. Continue reading

Processed Foods History: 1910s to 1950s

Processed Foods History:

1910s to 1950s

Let’s step back in time and see exactly how we became a society where fast, high-fat, processed food is so popular.

1910

Nathan’s original restaurant, circa 1920
Coney Island, New York

Trans fats were invented in the 1890s and entered the food supply in the 1910s. Some processed foods became available as early as the 1910s:

  • Nathan’s hot dogs
  • Aunt Jemima syrup
  • Hellmann’s mayonnaise
  • Oreo cookies
  • Crisco
  • Marshmallow Fluff Continue reading