By The longest day of the year was Tuesday. I know this because Dziadek Wally called to tell me, as if I might have missed it, as if the sun staying up until almost nine wasn't evidence enough. He said, "Myszka, today is the most light you'll get. Use it." I don't think he meant it philosophically but I took it that way because I take everything that way lately — every sentence a fortune cookie, every observation a sign. I am twenty-one and looking for meaning in daylight hours. This is either poetry or a problem.
Work at the park district is settling into rhythm. Pool traffic is steady now — the same families every day, the same kids running on the deck no matter how many times we blow the whistle. Denise has started letting me handle the phone by myself, which feels like a promotion even though it isn't. I answer calls about pool hours and swim lesson registration and lost-and-found goggles. It is not important work. It is work, and it pays, and I eat lunch at my desk and bring leftovers that Denise eyes with increasing interest.
This week's leftovers: a skillet thing I made Monday night. Ground turkey — $2.49 a pound at Aldi, cheaper than beef and Mom doesn't notice the difference if you season it right — with rice, black beans, corn, salsa, and shredded cheese melted on top. One pan. Maybe four dollars total for the whole skillet, and it fed me, Mom, and Dad for two dinners. I brought the rest to work in a Tupperware container that used to hold Babcia Rose's sauerkraut and still faintly smells like it. Everything in this family has a history, even the Tupperware.
Jess came to the pool on Wednesday. She showed up with a towel and a water bottle and sat on a lounge chair and read a magazine like a normal person doing a normal thing on a normal summer afternoon. I checked her in at the desk and didn't make a big deal of it. She swam two laps and then sat in the sun and I watched her from behind the desk when I thought she wasn't looking. She was thin. She was there. Those two facts exist simultaneously and I am learning to hold them both without one canceling the other.
She left at three and waved and said, "See you Saturday," and I said, "Yeah," and she walked out into the parking lot and the sun was still high because it was the longest week of the longest days, and I used every one of them, Wally. I used every one.
That week asked a lot of me, and by the time Saturday came I wasn’t interested in anything that required more than one pan and a little faith. Ground Turkey Taco Macaroni is what I make when I need to feed people without falling apart—it’s fast, it’s filling, and there’s something about the familiar smell of taco seasoning hitting a hot pan that makes a kitchen feel like a safe place again. Jess was coming, life was continuing, and this is how I showed up for it.
Ground Turkey Taco Macaroni
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
- 1 cup dry elbow macaroni
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup salsa (jarred is fine — use your favorite heat level)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown the turkey. Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no pink remains, about 6–7 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Bloom the seasoning. Sprinkle taco seasoning over the cooked turkey and stir for about 1 minute until the spices smell toasted and everything looks evenly coated.
- Add the pasta and liquids. Pour in the dry macaroni, chicken broth, salsa, black beans, and corn. Stir everything together until combined and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Simmer covered. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. If it looks dry before the pasta is done, add a splash of broth or water.
- Melt the cheese. Remove the skillet from heat. Scatter shredded cheese evenly over the top, replace the lid, and let it sit for 2–3 minutes until melted. Serve directly from the pan.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 375 | Protein: 27g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 810mg