Turkey Tetrazzini

(photo courtesy of www.examiner.com)

This recipe is another one out of the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. The original calls for chicken, but we had some leftover turkey in the freezer, so I went with that instead. I've added in peas and would also recommend some breadcrumbs in the final step so I've added those to the ingredients list as well.

Prep: 20 mins

Bake: 15 mins

Makes: 6 servings

Oven: 350*

Ingredients

8 oz linguine or spaghetti

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup sliced green onions

2 tbs butter

1/4 cup flour

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1.25 cup chicken broth

1.25 cup milk

2 cups chopped chicken or turkey

2 tbs dry sherry (optional)

1 cup peas

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

breadcrumbs to taste

1. Cook spaghetti or linguine according to directions. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in large saucepan cook mushrooms and green onions in hot butter until tender. Stir in flour, pepper and nutmeg. Add broth and milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken and sherry. Stir in peas and half the Parmesan cheese. Add cooked pasta; stir to coat.

3. Transfer pasta to a 2 qt baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake at 350, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Nutrition (w/o peas and crumbs): 379 cal, 14g fat, 2 g fiber

"Best-Ever" Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting

We had some leftover baby carrots, so I gave this one a whirl. I think it came out pretty good. I added the nutmeg in on a whim to the original recipe. The recipe is from the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook.

The frosting seemed a little too sweet for my taste, not really cream cheesy, if that makes sense. I'm on the look out for a better recipe for that. In the meantime...

Carrot Cake

(photo courtesy of http://www.reallynicerecipes.com/)

Prep: 30 mins

Bake: 30 mins

Cool: 2 hours

Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients

4 beaten eggs

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cups finely shredded carrots* (lightly packed)

3/4 cup cooking oil

(see recipe for frosting below)

1. Allow eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and flour two 9x1.5 inch round cake pans. Set pans aside. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg & baking soda.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, carrots and oil. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pans.

3. Bake in a 350* oven for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes in pans. Remove from pans (cookbook had an excellent tip to sandwich the cake to get it out of the pan smoothly). Cool thoroughly on racks.

4. Frost tops and sides with Cream Cheese Frosting. Store cake in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

5-6.25 cups powdered sugar

1. Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating well. Continue to add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.

This frosting will cover tops and sides of two 8 or 9 inch layer cakes. Halve the recipe to do a 13x9x2 inch cake.

Cover and store frosted cake in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla
12 oz (2 cups, 1 package) chocolate chips

Oven @ 375.

Stir together flour, soda and salt. In a mixer beat butter and shortening on medium for 30 seconds. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture, beating until well combined. Stir in choc chips.

Drop from a teaspoon two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool.

Makes about 72 cookies.

Basic Muffins

1.75 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2.5 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup cooking oil

Ripe bananas

Oven at 400.

In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, milk, and oil. Stir until just moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Grease muffin pan or line with baking cups. Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan and serve warm. Makes 10-12 muffins.

Blueberry Muffins

Prepare as above, except combine 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed, and 2 TBSP additional sugar.

Cranberry Muffins

Prepare as above except coarsely chop 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries and combine with 1/4 cup additional sugar.

Apple Muffins

Prepare as above except stir 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon into flour mixture. Fold in 1 cup chopped and peeled apple.

Banana Nut Muffins

Prepare as above except decrease milk to 1/2 cup. Stir in 1 cup mashed banana and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Pumpkin Muffins

Prepare as above except increase sugar to 1/3 cup. Add 1/2 cup canned pumpkin to mixture. Stir in 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg into mixture.

Banana Bread

This is from the old Better Homes & Gardens 'New Cookbook' that I inherited from my Mom.

1.75 cups flour

1.25 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 tbsp milk

1 cup mashed ripe banana

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Stir together flour, baking powder, soda, and 3/4 tsp salt. Set aside.

In a mixer bowl beat sugar and shortening until light, scraping sides of bowl often. Add eggs and milk, beating until smooth after each addition. Add flour mixture and banana alternately to creamed mixture, beating till smooth after each addition. Fold in nuts or chocolate chips if desired.

Turn batter into a lightly greased 8x4x2 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan to complete cooling. For easier slicing, wrap and store overnight. Makes 1 loaf.