strange beauty: Turkey Tetrazinni

Finally. I have leftovers from Thanksgiving! My elaborate plan of hosting Thanksgiving and roasting a turkey so that I would be able to make turkey tetrazinni the weekend after Thanksgiving worked. Of all the things my mom would make growing up, I remember this the most. Here is my version using what I have on hand.

Turkey Tetrazinni

1 package of long pasta cooked al dente, I had some long forgotten fettuccine, my mom always used spaghetti
1 package of mushrooms (maybe questionable in this case), questionable portions cut off and then sliced
onion, about half, diced
1/4 cup plus four tablespoons of unsalted butter (if you have salted that is ok, just add less salt later)
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
2 cups of broth (I used leftover turkey broth)
3 cups of turkey, cut into small pieces
1/2 plus 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cups of cracker crumbs (you can use bread crumbs)
salt and pepper to taste
freshly ground nutmeg
some leftover fresh sage and parsley

1. Cook the pasta until al dente and set aside.

2. Cook the trifecta combo of onion, pepper, and mushrooms in a couple of tablespoons of butter until the juices have evaporated. Remove from pan, set aside in a bowl, take care to get all the bits out of the pan.

3. Melt the butter in the warm pan used to saute the trifecta. My new to me stove is gas, I love that I can control the heat so well. If you have an electric stove you can set the pan on a trivet and let the butter melt. Stir in the flour, cook for a couple of minutes, mix/whisk well.

4. Add the broth, milk, and half and half to the butter/flour mixture slowly. I start with the broth and add and whisk. Simmer for 5 minutes or so. At this point you can turn the oven on to preheat to 350 degrees.