The Lion, The Witch, and the Pantry

Thursday, December 16, 2010  Blessing #223

Maybe it is cheating, but I'm going to talk about last night's supper.  So, you all know we're trying to stretch our dollar, right? So, here I was looking for something to fix for supper--having gotten home later than I meant to (so I didn't think I had time for what I had planned) and hungry enough to eat a horse.  What to do??  In the back of my mind, I was thinking CALL LOCOS!!!  But I knew that wasn't in this week's budget, so I had to figure something out fast.  I headed to the pantry---Hmmm, I said, "What can I fix that is quick, gluten free, and that requires only what's in the pantry?"

These are the items I came up with.  Navy beans, Taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, ground turkey, shredded cheese, sour cream, diced onions (frozen), and canned corn.  And the following was born:

I'll call it Mexican Turkey Bake:


1-1.5# ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes drained, or 1 small jar of salsa
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 packet taco seasoning (make sure gluten free!)
8 oz sour cream
1 can corn, drained
1 can beans (whatever ya got! unless refried, drain and rinse)
8oz shredded cheddar


Brown turkey and onion.   Add taco seasoning.  Spread cooked turkey and onion mixture in bottom of casserole dish. Add the corn, then beans.  Pour salsa or drained tomatoes as next layer.  Spread sourcream on top, and finish with cheese.  Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.  Serve with corn chips or tortilla chips.

I wasn't expecting much, but it was super yummy! It made my pantry seem magic--like a doorway to a magical land of plenty!

Now, it's about 4:30 am and I'm sitting up with Katie.  She was still running low grade fever last night, and this morning, we both woke up with her nasty cough.  She is so tiny--and it is so pitiful when her little body is racked with coughs like this.  She coughs till she gags.  I imagine we'll head back to Dr. Glassman today and let him listen.

Anyway, she's curled up on the sofa watching Polar Express, and I'm about to get the kitchen clean.  Better late than never!  Thank heaven Alli has already taken her exams at UGA, and she can hang with her this morning while I run in to give my science exams.

So the blessing--I just have to finish strong today, and then I can be home with my little girl.  I love my work, but it is going to be nice to have a break in the game tug of war between work and home.