Not Yentl, but lentils.

It was the first word I could come up with that rhymed. Whatever.

I got this recipe from a gal who used to cut my hair. It's a healthy side dish or leftover snack. It's really easy and who doesn't need to eat more lentils? Besides lentil soup, I don't have a vast arsenal of lentil recipes...this is a good stand by.


Don't judge the picture too harshly. I didn't make this for dinner, I made it for lunches next week so the picture isn't so fabulous. The cheese blobbed in the middle and believe it or not, this was the best angle to take the picture. Don't go by the picture..just make it, it's yummy.

Lentil Casserole (from Bobbi - thank you!)

2 cup lentils (1 package) rinsed.
2 1/4 cup water - I use chicken stock
2 teaspoon salt - I don't add the salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon marjoram
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. canned diced tomatoes
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1 cup thinly sliced celery - I don't add this, Chris would have a hissy fit.
1/2 cup diced green pepper (I always leave this out)
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

In 9 X 13 inch pan, combine lentils, water, salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme, bay leaf, onion, garlic, and tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Stir in carrots, celery, and green pepper. Cover and continue baking for about 40 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle cheese over top and return to oven uncovered just until cheese is melted. Serves 8.

Realistic note - Depending on how hot your oven bakes things....you may need to either lower the heat to 350 or add more liquid. I, should have lowered the heat because the edges all dried out and stuck to the pan. This is why the picture is the way it is....I wanted to hide all the dried up parts. It's still yummy though.

Same, same, same.

Oh, hi there. My name is Jannell, nice to meet you! You may not remember who I am but I am the one who writes this blog albiet sporatically at best. I just haven't cooked anything whoop-ed-dee-doo lately. Today, I thought I would get back into the groove of things with a weekly dinner staple at our house. It's a throwback to your school cafeteria days. Excited? On the edge of your seat? Waiting with bated breath?

Well, don't be. It's rather ho hum. It is nostalgic though....

Chris' mom calls it "slop" ...we call it "turkey gravy" (and it sounds a little better our way). Oh, and I just finished quarter one out of years and years worth of college quarters. If my English teacher saw this, she would make this blog absolutely bleeeeeeeed red with all the gramatical errors. But hey, it's my blog...and I can just write how I want to here. I'm not worried about comma splices and misuse of verb tense at the moment. Maybe I should be..

It's a safe space.

I should really do a series on the dishes that my family wants me to make on a weekly basis. No, really..there are like, 5 or so dinners that they expect to have each week and after a while I start losing my mind a bit. It's to the point where we will sit down to eat (insert dish here) and someone will start with "..did you do something different to the (insert same dish here)?" Oh, for the love....

So for lack of anything else to blog about, other than maybe a different OCD way I assemble my lasagna (I don't rinse the noodles anymore)...I bring you - Turkey Gravy over Rice (or you could do mashed potatoes, or noodles). Oh, the versitility. Pfft. (Extreme sarcasm....)

Ingredients:

1 package ground turkey. You could also use ground beef, but we don't.
2 cans Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can of milk
Salt and pepper to taste or Chris' seasoning to taste. I use Chris' seasoning.
Prepared rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles. @Sasch, I don't know how much of this ingredient...enough for your family should be the measurement. :)

Brown your meat in a large skillet. I use a chicken fryer. It's like a fry pan but it has higher sides. I seriously make everything in that pan. Come to think of it, I need a new one. Ok, once your meat is browned, add the soup and milk and simmer until the desired consistancy is reached for your liking. This recipe is also a good one to double and use for lunches or leftovers. It reheats very well and is quite comforting when it rains.

Serve over your favorite starch. We also serve frozen peas on the side. And, in case you are wondering...it's always served with peas. If I run out of peas, it causes an incident. It's really quite rediculous.

Below is my portion for tonight. No peas, salad instead however, you can be sure that there were peas. Oh yes, there were peas.