Turkey Tetrazzini/Casserole

As a continuation of my quest to find good recipes for leftover turkey, I made this.

Honestly, this was my first experience whatsoever with a "Tetrazzini" -- I just looked up the term, and even though I based this on a recipe called Turkey Tetrazzini, I don't think the name really applies here.

At any rate, this was a winner in our house! I had my doubts at first, but seriously, with pasta and cream of chicken soup, how bad could it really be?! Food snobs, please don't answer that.

Turkey "Tetrazzini" -- or we can just call it a Casserole

8 oz dry pasta of choice -- I used tri-colored rotini & I would do it again!
1 cup broccoli, steamed/boiled until tender but several minutes from mushy (or frozen broccoli, thawed)
1 cup cubed cooked turkey
1, 10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used a "fiesta mix" with cheddar, jack, ...? anyway, it worked.)
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Cook pasta per package instructions. Drain and place into 9x9 glass baking dish.
3. Arrange broccoli on top of pasta in baking dish. Add turkey on top of broccoli.
4. In a medium saucepan, combine cream of chicken soup, water, bouillon (alternately, use chicken broth in place of water & bouillon), celery, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour as evenly as possible over pasta/broccoli/turkey.
5. Sprinkle cheese evenly on top. Lastly, sprinkle bread crumbs over the cheese.
6. Bake for 25 minutes at 350°F. Serve hot with a glass of cold milk!

Chop Suey

Almost two years ago, when I met Thomas' sister Elizabeth and her family for the first time, she and her husband, Saki, prepared a meal of chop suey for us to enjoy. It was delicious! We tried the recipe they shared recently, and although I didn't make it as well as they did, it is worth sharing!

Chop Suey
garlic
ginger
oil
meat (optional)
various vegetables, sliced/shredded: shredded carrots, bok choy, mushrooms, peppers, celery, or broccoli slaw, for example. We also used zucchini.
soy sauce
rice, ramen noodles, or rice noodles (hard to find... but inexpensive at WinCo)

1. Sautée some garlic and ginger in some oil. Add meat if using meat, and a bit of soy sauce.
2. Add in vegetables and more soy sauce, oil, garlic, and ginger to taste.
3. Cook until veggies are heated but still crunch.
4. Serve with/over prepared rice, ramen noodles (sans seasoning), or rice noodles. The rice noodles we used were very thin and stringy; Elizabeth and Saki had some fatter-looking noodles that I liked better when we had them... Use what suits you!

Great casserole for a cold day

Thomas' family has some pretty great recipes that he has introduced me to. When we tried this one for the first time together a while back, I knew it was a winner. We recently made it again so we could share it with our readers!

This Chicken Broccoli Casserole has a rich, creamy sauce that is a great compliment to the broccoli, especially. Take this to a potluck or serve it up at home as a meal all by itself. My bet is, even picky eaters will like it!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole
frozen broccoli (1-2 small packages, depending on the size of your baking dish)
either 2 cans cooked chicken OR 4-6 chicken breasts (again, dependent on the size of your baking dish)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. If you are using chicken breasts, cook by boiling. Then chop into bite-sized pieces.
3. Defrost the broccoli you will be using in the microwave. Add a little bit of water, but do not fully cook it. The idea is to remove the ice.
4. Make the sauce by combining the cream of chicken soup (we had a larger-than-normal can, so we just used one), evaporated milk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder. Whisk until the ingredients are mixed well.
5. Begin layering your ingredients in a casserole dish or other baking dish. Start with broccoli, then add chicken, then pour on a layer of sauce. Keep adding layers until you run out of room or ingredients.
6. Bake your casserole for about 45 minutes, or until it starts to brown slightly. 
7. Let cool and enjoy!

boiling chicken breasts

broccoli, thawed in the microwave

sauce ingredients

sauce ingredients, about to be combined

sauce, whisked until adequately combined

chicken breasts, chopped, and broccoli being layered in baking dish

adding sauce

ready for the oven!

ready to eat!

Let us know what you think!
oxox