What's for Dinner Wednesday? And the Tidy Cook

I will say it. I love Rachael Ray. I think she is a genius and tonight we are having Rachael Ray's Turkey Bolognese Pasta. This recipe is a rollover meal where you make a large batch and then use the leftovers in a couple meals, but today I will be cutting in half so there are no leftovers. For the full recipe go here.

I will also be talking about cooking tidy today. No matter what I always end up doing dishes, so since I cook I try to make it as easy as possible in the evening so I have a few things I do to keep the cooking mess under control.

The Trash Bowl - got it from RR, totally genius basically take a large bowl and put all your cooking mess in it. Cans, packaging, peels, whatever, goes all in one place, then just dump in the trash when done.

Gather Ingredients First - this really does help for some reason. If I can organize my ingredients beforehand it makes cooking easier. Keep them all in one spot during cooking, I even put them away while im waiting for the chicken to cook or whatever.
So back to the Turkey Bolognese, Here is the halved version for ya.

1lb ground turkey
Couple Tblsp of EVOO
2 Carrots, peeled and grated
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 Bay leaf
1 Cup of chicken broth
1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
Spaghetti
1 cup of grated parmigiano-reggiano or romano cheese

Heat up the EVOO in a dutch oven or large pot. Add the turkey, breaking it up as it browns.

Once the browning process has started add the carrots, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, add the bay leaf and cook for a couple more minutes.
Stir in the broth and tomatoes. Bring to a bubble and set to low. Discard the bay leaf.

Salt the water and cook pasta al dente. Drain then put pasta back in warm pot. Toss pasta with cheese and 2 cups of the sauce. Stir and serve with an extra ladle-full of sauce on top. Yummo!
It also helps if you have a cute little kitchen helper :) It seems like she always gets crabby when it's time for me to cook dinner, so she got to hang in the kitchen and pull out pots and pans.

So tell me what you are having for dinner and how you keep your kitchen organized :)