Mamasita

Yesterday afternoon I was putting Alex in the truck and he looked at me and said, "I'm gettin in my car seat Mamasita." Where in the world does he come up with this stuff?! You can always count on him for a laugh though.

Brianna got her report card yesterday. I honestly was worried about it. She has not been bringing home the best grades lately. I prayed all day for her to be having a good day and for me to have patience with whatever she brought home. Her report card was fantastic. She made straight A's again. I don't know how long this will last, so we will take it while we can get it.

This is one of the songs I always stop and listen to when it's on the radio:


Here's the recipe that I promised yesterday. It's from Rachael Ray's Yum-O.

Turkey Bologese Pasta

1/4 cup olive oil
3 lbs lean ground turkey
3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
2 onions, grated or finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf, fresh or dry
2 cups regular or low-sodium chicken broth
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Preheat a large Dutch oven or deep pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the turkey and, using the back of a wooden spoon, break up the meat into small pieces. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes to start the browning proess, then stir in the carrots, onions, and garlic. Season liberlly with salt and pepper, add the bay leaf and cook for 5 minutes more, then stir in the stock and the tomatoes. Bring up to a bubble, then drop the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes while you cook the pasta. Discard the bay leaf. Toss the pasta with the cheese and 2 cups of the sauce.

Cool leftover sauce before storing in the refrigerator.

I pretty much followed the recipe, but did not use the Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheeses, I just used the shaker cheese that we had in the fridge.

Here's the rollover recipe we tried last night:

Turkey Vegetable Chili

2 Tbsp. EVOO
2 small zucchini, grated
1 (10 oz) box frozen corn
1 (14 oz) can black beans or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp. chili powder
3 to 4 cup leftover Turkey Bolognese sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper Jacok or smoked cheddar cheese
Crushed tortilla chips

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the grated zucchini and cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the frozen corn, beans and the chili powder. Add the Bolognese sauce and bring up to a bubble. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes.

To serve, ladle the chili into bowls ad top with cheese and crushed chips.

The only thing I would change, is I would grate the zucchini and put in the original sauce. Both of these were super easy and Brianna helped me cook! I know that's fun for her. One of the things I like about this cookbook is that it tells you what the kids can do. With the leftover sauce supper came together in no time last night.