It's Ptomaine Wednesday!

I can't think of a catchy name for my try-a -new recipe Wednesdays. My husband suggested Ptomaine Wednesday and I can't really think of anything better.

Here it is, my very first Wednesday new recipe review. Before Christmas, I ordered a Pampered Chef Weekday Dinners- Done! Recipe card collection, which is an envelope with 10 recipes and 2 grocery lists in it. According to the catalog, the recipes take less than 30 minutes to prepare and cost less than $2.00 per serving. I ordered it because I need weeknight dinner inspiration. We eat the same things over and over, and none of it is very good. Quick is important to me, because I hate cooking when I get home from work. I couldn't wait until tonight to try a new recipe- on Monday we had penne with italian sausage (good) and yesterday we had Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Creamy Risotto (delicious.)
Tonight, we had Tasty Turkey Tetrazzini. Here is the recipe, which I googled, copied and pasted.

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti noodles
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 oz parmesan cheese grated (1/3 cup)
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 8oz slice oven-roasted deli turkey (1/2 inch thick), diced
1 pkg (8 oz) sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen cut green beans, thawed

1. Break noodles in half. Combine noodles and broth in DEEP COVERED BAKER. Microwave, covered, on high 10-13 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring hafway through cooking.

2. Meanwhile, combine soup, sour cream 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, onion, garlic, and black pepper in Classic Batter Bowl; Mix well. (You can use the reduced fat versions of these items as well)

3. Add soup mixture, turkey, mushrooms and beans to the baker and mix well. Microwave covered on high 6-8 minutes or until heated through, stirring halfway through cooking to avoid the noodles clumping. Top with remaining cheese.
Here is the photo that accomapnies the recipe:

I should let you know that I do not own any of the suggested Pampered Chef products.

The first step calls for two things that I would not normally do: breaking noodles in half, and cooking them in the microwave. I seriously considered cooking them on the stove, but in the spirit of trying something new, I broke them and microwaved them in a covered Tupperware microwave steamer without the steamer basket. I stirred the noodles halfway through as directed. Stirred maybe isn't the right word. I used two forks to separate them. At the end of the 11 minutes, the broth was absorbed, but the noodles did not appear to be cooked.

I mixed together the rest of the ingredients as directed, except the turkey. I have been to three grocery stores looking for a 1/2" slice of turkey, and I just can't find it. I considered cooking a turkey breast and slicing it myself, but then the recipe would take much longer than 30 minutes, wouldn't it? So I bought thick-sliced turkey lunchmeat. Now, it isn't sliced anywhere near a half inch thick. I bought a pound of it, took half out of the package and treated it as if it were one giant slice and diced it. For a second I thought maybe the cubes would stay stuck together, but as soon as I stirred them into the mix, they all separated. Oh well.

After I mixed everything together in a deep, square corning ware covered casserole, I returned it to the microwave and began making a plan b. The spaghetti was not tender, and the whole thing looked rather yucky.

8 minutes later, I opened the microwave door and my casserole was transformed. The noodles had softened up and the mushrooms had cooked up nicely. I topped it with the remaining cheese. Here is how my version looked:

The recipe promised TASTY Turkey Tetrazzini, and it delivered. It is pretty good. I don't know what Tetrazzini means, but I think it might be Italian for Tuna-noodle casserole. I usually don't use salt or pepper on my food, but I added a little to my serving after my first few bites seemed to be lacking. Once I added the salt and pepper, my dinner was very tasty. Spencer gave it a "5" and I gave it a "6". I think if I make it again, I will put it in the oven to bake. I like the crusty top and sides of an oven-baked casserole.