Personal Reflective Essay: My Original Recipe

My original recipe, turkey tetrazzini called for a package of regular spaghetti noodles, butter, chicken broth, 2 cups of regular milk, 4 cups of chopped turkey, and grated parmesan cheese. I modified this recipe to include whole-wheat noodles, olive oil, low sodium chicken broth, and skim milk. Whole-wheat spaghetti was added to increase protein, B vitamins, and fiber content. Olive oil was used to replace the butter because olive oil contains vitamins E, K, & fatty acids. I decided to lower the sodium levels of chicken broth because sodium is a nutrient that I need to be more aware of in my diet. I also decided to add reduced fat cheese and reduced fat milk because reduced fat dairy products are a healthy source of calcium and protein. I

The only difficult task in my recipe was preparing the alfredo/cheese sauce because as I was adding the flour, milk, and cheese, the sauce became very liquidy and runny. I had to continuously mix the sauce and add more cheese than what my recipe called for in order to get the sauce to a nice creamy texture. When I make this recipe again, I will make sure to purchase regular cheese and add more to the recipe in order to get the sauce at the desired texture. After adding all of the ingredients to the baking dish, I placed the dish into the oven and let it cook for about 45 minutes. My main concern for the recipe was whether or not it would lack flavor and if the sauce would still be too liquidy for the pasta. Once the tetrazzini was done, I sprinkled basil, black pepper, and cheese on top. I was pleasantly surprised with my recipe because it was very flavorful and the sauce wasn’t runny or liquidy. I have never made turkey tetrazzini before and it turned out really well. I consider myself a beginner at cooking because I don’t cook a lot at home and am still learning. I found this recipe very easy to make and would highly recommend it to other cooks who are still