Need turkey ideas for new cook/single busy mom
Need some cooking ideas for a newly single mom - she is a busy lady, limited time in the evening and in her past life, relied heavily on her husband to do the cooking. She is interested in learning some basic approaches to getting dinner on the table for her and her daughter - that's as far as it goes right now. I've offered the "make ahead on weekends, do the basic protein and veggie with a starch for the kiddo (lady is watching her weight and limits carbs)" tune.....
First up is ideas for left over turkey (as we just celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving) and her first (very successful I might add) attempt at making turkey broth in her newly baptized crockpot. I am pretty proud of her and want to give her lots of incentive to continue on her path of "home cooking for her little family" rather than resorting to the all to easy trap of take out that tired, overworked single parents fall into (and I've been one and I've been there and I'm not blaming...)
Can my Serious Eats friends help with some inspiring, kid-friendly, quick and easy meals to help out?
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9 Comments:
One pot meals like stews and casseroles are good because they last a few days.
Maybe to take some of the burden of cooking a whole meal by herself, she could turn dinner prep into a fun activity to do with her daughter before she gets started on homework in the evening. When I was growing up, my mother got home from work in the late afternoon before my father, so we would spend that time cooking together. I was her sous chef and as a result I love to cook!
yayfood at 8:03PM on 10/12/09
Tortilla soup with turkey. Soups are easy (even for me!). Turkey pot pie using pre-made pie crust (and yes, I know serious SE, it's very easy to make a crust but let's give people a break sometimes).
Turkey tacos? My people love tacos.
Club sandwiches.
PoorOldMama at 9:00PM on 10/12/09
I am a single mom, too, and rely a lot of soup and stew type of foods.
She could make a rich turkey soup with lots of veggies and some greens.
A quick tip - I like to keep frozen spinach in bags in the freezer, grab a handful or two, defrost in microwave, squeeze out water and add to almost everything.
Make a batch of mild turkey chili with beans- not fattening at all, super healthy and you can jazz it up with sour cream, cheddar, etc...
It is easiest to prepare as much as you can the day before, or earlier, and then just reheat or finish the meal off, as opposed to starting from scratch at 6pm...
goodl uck!
naidre at 9:17PM on 10/12/09
Hard to beat toasted turkey sandwiches with a little mayo and relish. Or a turkey club. Thinner bread slices or open face, depending on how low-carb she's going.
Add a little rutabaga to the turkey soup; it's a great combo and helps make it notchicken soup.
How about turkey tetrazzini with spaghetti squash or zucchini instead of pasta. Haven't done this, but I bet it would work.
lemonfair at 7:53AM on 10/13/09
One of my easiest preps is to poach a whole turkey breast, then let it cool in the liquid. Refrigerate until ready to use. You'll have super juicy ready to eat turkey and broth for later use.
Place the whole bone-in turkey breast in a large pot. Fill with water, enough to cover the breast at least 1 inch. Add a couple of boullion cubes and peppercorns. (You can add a carrot and stalk of celery, sprigs of sage, etc. if you want to change the flavor a bit. Sou sauce and a chunk of ginger is very nice too. ) Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour regardless how many pounds it is. Remove from heat and let cool in the liquid. Refrigerate for later use.
CJ McD at 3:26PM on 10/13/09
Turkey enchaladas, make ahead and heat when you get home what could be easier.
turkey ala king, bechamel, turkey, frozen peas and carrots over noodles, too easy
turkey hash
nhfoodie at 3:35PM on 10/13/09
Great suggestions all.
I'm a big fan of enchiladas, ala king, and tetrazini.
Quich, hot browns, scalloped, stroganoffed, divaned, cottage pied, picatta-ed, all that . Stir fried. On toast, over rice, noodles....
In chili, creamed or brothy soups, stews, slow cooker recipes...
Tons of good recipes here:
http://www.bcturkey.com/recipes.php
Turkey is really versatile and can easily be adapted to chicken recipes.
CJ McD at 11:18PM on 10/13/09
Here too:
http://www.nebraskapoultry.org/turkey%20recipes/types.htm
CJ McD at 11:19PM on 10/13/09
My daughter (who doesn't cook) was intimidated by roasting a turkey so she made turkey pot pie from scratch. Even the pie dough!
artoeat at 12:35PM on 10/17/09