As it turns out my cold waited until the weekend to pounce on me. Ugh full on runny everything. I couldn't breathe last night while trying to sleep. Jeff is here and in an ethnic food mood. Last night we made Turkey Picadillo which wasn't dynamite but really easy and satisfying. I had to use up that phyllo dough so we made not one but two Apple Strudels. We were going to have waffles this morning but I forgot that I was out of eggs and neglected to pick them up at the store yesterday. For lunch we had Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza. Instead of using B*boli I found a ready made crust in the natural foods section which was much better. After lunch I put Keegan down for a nap and fell asleep with Jeff on the couch. Originally we had planned to go down and see Erika and Jay's tonight. But my cold is so bad I didn't want to expose her. So after dropping Keegan off at Tom's we went to the movies. We had one plan but completely changed it after we ran into a woman I work with. She was seeing "Matchpoint" and so we decided to also. We didn't even know it was playing because it wasn't listed in the showtimes online. I am delighted to say that it was better than Woody Allen's last few attempts. It certainly spurred much discussion on the drive home. Right now I have been ordered out of the kitchen while Jeff makes Basil Chicken from the Thai cookbook I gave him for Christmas. It's a weird feeling having someone else, particularly a guy I am dating, cook for me. I could definitely get used to it. I am supposed to be resting on the couch. So off I go.

Turkey Picadillo

1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag rice
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 pound ground turkey breast or lean ground beef
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon capers, drained
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (6-ounce) jar prepared sofrito (such as Goya)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Parsley sprigs (optional)

Prepare rice according to package directions; stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt.
While rice cooks, cook ground turkey in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt, raisins, oregano, and cumin; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in water and next 4 ingredients (water through sofrito); cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat. Stir in chopped parsley. Serve over rice. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup picadillo and 1/2 cup rice)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 403(22% from fat); FAT 10g (sat 1.7g,mono 2.9g,poly 4.9g); PROTEIN 36.5g; CHOLESTEROL 70mg; CALCIUM 39mg; SODIUM 712mg; FIBER 2g; IRON 2.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.8g
Cooking Light, JUNE 2002

Apple Strudel

1/3 cup raisins
3 tablespoons amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur)
3 cups coarsely chopped peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Butter-flavored cooking spray
2 cups vanilla low-fat ice cream
Fresh mint (optional)

Combine raisins and amaretto in a bowl. Microwave at high 1 1/2 minutes; drain well.
Combine raisins, apple, sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl. Toss well, and set aside.
Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface (cover remaining dough to keep from drying); lightly coat with cooking spray. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time, coat remaining 7 phyllo sheets with cooking spray, placing one on top of the other. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over phyllo, pressing gently to seal sheets together; discard plastic wrap.
Spoon apple mixture along 1 long edge of phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold over the short edges of phyllo to cover 2 inches of apple mixture on each end.
Starting at long edge with 2-inch border, roll up jelly-roll fashion. (Do not roll tightly, or strudel may split.) Place strudel, seam side down, on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Score diagonal slits into top of strudel using a sharp knife. Lightly spray strudel with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 slice and 1/4 cup ice cream)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 211(15% from fat); FAT 3.6g (sat 1.2g,mono 0.9g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 3.1g; CHOLESTEROL 5mg; CALCIUM 53mg; SODIUM 121mg; FIBER 1.5g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.3g
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 1996

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion, separated into rings (about 1 onion)
1 (1-pound) Italian cheese-flavored pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1/2 cup bottled pizza sauce (such as Contadina)
1/4 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
2/3 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450°.
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook for 11 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.
Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet. Combine the sauce and tomatoes. Spread sauce mixture over pizza crust. Top with onion and cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with basil. Cut into 6 wedges.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 285(29% from fat); FAT 9.2g (sat 3.8g,mono 4g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 11.6g; CHOLESTEROL 7mg; CALCIUM 238mg; SODIUM 577mg; FIBER 1.4g; IRON 2.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38.4g
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2001