pilgrim's stew

when i was a kid, my mom always gave her casseroles names like "fireman's stew" or "cowboy stew" to make them sound cool, i guess, so we'd eat them. well, this is "pilgrim's stew." (by me, not my mom.)

ingredients:

• 3/4 poundish of your choice of short macaroni (i used fusili)
• brick of sharp cheddar
• 1/2 pound sliced american cheese
• 1 pound fresh asparagus
• pint of half and half (or milk, heavy cream, skim, whatever)
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1/4 cup of flour
• package (i dunno how much it was...) ground turkey breast
• sea salt & fresh ground pepper

prep:

• chop asparagus in one inch chunks
• cube or shred cheddar
• cube or tear up american
• cook macaroni per package instructions, rinse in cold water
• cook turkey in nonstick skillet (with about a half cup of water in there you can cover it and not pay too much attention, then let the water boil off when it's done or near done)
• preheat oven to 400

actual cooking:

1. melt butter in medium saucepan
2. add flour and whisk until evenly combined
3. immediately add half and half and continue whisking until combined
4. (now is a good time to add ground pepper and a little salt to taste)
5. add cheese, stirring or whisking until smooth
6. combine cheese sauce, asparagus, macaroni and turkey in a casserole or baking dish
7. bake at about 400 degrees until you think it look browned (about 20 minutes for me)

this turned out to be SO MUCH more delicious than i'd expected. really, wonderful. obviously the base is your average mac and cheese, but the turkey and asparagus make very special.