Thanksgiving leftovers?

Post turkey day, everyone's fridges are likely packed full of turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and other miscellaneous side dishes. What to do with these leftovers? Honestly, I have no idea. I'm very particular about how I eat my Thanksgiving foods: I need enough gravy to cover my potatoes and stuffing, turkey must be reheated to the proper piping hot temperature otherwise I find it utterly disgusting, and nothing, nothing should ever touch my dinner rolls.

Today I decided to make a little Thanksgiving leftover lunch. Originally I wanted to make a wrap, but then I decided to make a faux quesadilla, with cranberries, turkey, a bit of orange, lettuce, and black pepper white cheese. If I had to eat Thanksgiving foods every day of the year, this is how I would do it.

Next up, I think I'll try making a wrap with leftover turkey and roasted red pepper hummus, with some spinach thrown in for good measure.

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soup and sandwich dinner

It's fall and butternut squash is in season. What better way to prepare it than roast it, then make it into a soup?? I was really inspired to make soup after seeing Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup on 101 cookbooks. The recipe does call for acorn squash, but I used butternut since I had it on hand and it tastes great!

Pair that with a grilled cheese sandwich, enhanced with cheese, apple, and bacon and you've got a seriously good meal.

This recipe comes from Tyler Florence, another one of my favorite Food Network chefs. If you are tired of eating the same old, I have nothing else to eat so grilled cheese will do, sandwich, be sure to give this one a try!

(Not your ordinary) Grilled Cheese

2 slices of bread
green apple, sliced thin
2 pieces of bacon, cooked until crisp
white cheddar cheese, sliced
dijon mustard
butter

1. Heat a griddle over medium heat.
2. To assemble the sandwich, spread a layer of dijon mustard on one slice of bread. Layer the cheese, apple, and bacon on top, then add the other slice of bread. Butter the bread and place onto the griddle, butter side down. Be sure to butter the other side of the sandwich at this time.
3. Cook the sandwich until golden brown, flip, and cook the other side until golden as well.

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bacon cookies!

You either love the idea of pairing bacon with anything and everything, or you think that's the worst idea ever. I personally fall into the latter category--I love perfectly crisp bacon, however, this is the limit of my culinary imagination. Until recently.


I made bacon chocolate chip cookies over a week ago...not too bad. I scoured the internet for more bacon cookie recipes and found a couple that sounded really tasty, including these, originally found here.


The recipe seems to be a basic shortbread style cookie with some crisp chopped bacon thrown in for good measure. The sweetness of the cookie comes exclusively from the maple glaze and the optional (but oh so necessary), caramelized bacon placed on the top.


The caramelized bacon (pictured above) adds extra crunch and bacon flavor. Surprisingly, the bacon within the cookie itself doesn't add much flavor, so this "garnish" is essential.

In the end, I suppose you're a bacon with everything type person or you're not...

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Pumpkin Chip Muffin Loaf

I was looking for a recipe with canned pumpkin so I could use up my leftovers from the pumpkin cookies I made. I finally settled on this recipe, but I wasn't entirely set on making cupcakes, mostly because I didn't have the cream cheese for the frosting but also because I wanted a coffeehouse-style baked item. (Side note: I really like the search function on allrecipes which allows you to search by ingredients you want and/or don't want...perfect when you need to use something left in your fridge!)


I followed the recipe exactly, using approximately 1 cup of regular sized chocolate chips. I poured into a loaf pan and baked for about an hour.

This makes a wonderful afternoon sweet snack, perfect with tea or coffee.

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Weekend Cooking

I'm a cooking machine this weekend. I have hopes of making many things, including:

• bacon cookies
• peppermint ice cream
• buttermilk biscuits
• English muffins
• and maybe some yeast bread

We'll see how much I actually accomplish ;) So far, I've got the ice cream setting up in the freezer and the cookies cooling, waiting for icing and a candied bacon topping.

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Individual Blueberry Persimmon Crumble

I went to Uwajimaya, an Asian grocery store here in the NW, and bought a bunch of interesting items. Never having seen them in grocery stores before, I sampled persimmon and bought a couple to experiment with.

Persimmons have an interesting flavor which I can't accurately describe. It reminds me of apple, but much more mild. I was thinking they would be great roasted with potatoes, or baked up in some kind of dessert. I decided to go with the latter.

Blueberry Persimmon Crumble

Ingredients

• 2 persimmons, cubed
• 1 cup blueberries
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp butter

Crumble Topping:

• 1 1/2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp butter, softened

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set aside 4 small ramekins.
2. In a saucepan, combine fruit, sugars, and butter. Cook over medium low heat until a bit of juices release and thicken slightly.
3. Meanwhile, combine the last set of ingredients for the crumble topping.
4. Put the cooked fruit into the ramekins. Divide the topping evenly among the 4 servings.
5. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, until topping browns slightly.

This makes for a nice fall dessert, perfect served on its own or with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Pumpkin Cookies

I originally tried these at work when a coworker brought some in. I've never eaten anything like them before--soft like a biscuit or muffin, but with the sweetness of a cookie. I had to ask for the recipe. When I got it, I modified it a bit, using a different icing, subbing half the sugar for brown, and adding a bit of salt and vanilla. But in the end, I'm not sure those changes made that much of a difference because these are so good as is.

I did a search for other pumpkin cookie recipes and found a ton of them, each very similar. So apparently I've been out of the loop on this one.



Pumpkin Cookies

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla (or try 2-3 tsp maple syrup for variety)

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the pumpkin and egg and beat until well combined.
2. Add all the dry ingredients and blend, careful not to overmix.
3. Drop the cookies onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on size. I take mine out when they are a bit firm to the touch on the top, but soft underneath.
4. To make the frosting, combine the last 4 ingredients and whisk until all lumps are gone. Frost the cookies after cooled.
   

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Gyoza!!!

Let's be honest...I am a glutton for gyoza. There's just something amazing about pork, vegetables, and that salty dipping sauce that I can't get enough of. My friend, Tammy, was dead set on making gyoza and we finally got together to make them this afternoon! Its definitely a good idea to have some help on this recipe, as it can be quite time consuming to assemble and cook 60 gyoza, but so worth the effort!

I got my gyoza recipe from Amy Kaneko's book, Let's Cook Japanese Food! which I bought on sale from Powells over the summer. I chose this recipe over others mostly because the ingredients were easy to come by.



Gyoza

1/2 lb napa cabbage, finely chopped and well drained
3/4 lb ground pork
2 green onions, minced
3-5 shiitake mushrooms, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sake
1 tsp soy sauce

1 package round gyoza wrappers (about 60 skins total)
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp water for each batch

Soy sauce
Rice vinegar
Chili oil

1. Gently mix the cabbage, pork, onion, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, sake, and soy sauce (the first set of ingredients above).
2. To assemble the gyoza, take one gyoza and fill with about 1 tsp of the pork filling. Wipe a bit of water onto the edge of the skin and press skin over to form a seal. To make them prettier (and perhaps more authentic), pleat this closed edge. Set aside on a waxed paper baking sheet. It is important to not let them touch, as they will end up sticking to each other. Keep assembling until you run out of filling or skins.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat, depending on your stove. Add the canola and sesame oils and coat the pan. When the oil is hot, add the gyoza cooking about 10-12 at a time. Do not atttempt to move them! Cook for 3 minutes or until turning brown on the bottoms. Carefully add 2 tbsp water to the pan and promptly cover. Let cook for an additional 5 minutes, adding a small amount of water if necessary to prevent burning. Remove the lid and cook until remaining liquid evaporates (I turned my gyoza over after removing the lid to avoid any burning).
4. To make the dipping sauce, mix your desired amounts of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili oil.

Since this recipe makes so many, I recommend freezing them flat on a baking sheet. To cook later, thaw them and cook as normal.

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Teriyaki Sauce

If you recall my last adventure with tofu, this idea spun out of it. What to do with half a block of tofu?? I ran across this recipe by a simple google search and I absolutely loved it! I had the tastiest lunches the past couple days and my mouth waters for the next go round.

Teriyaki Sauce

1/4 cup low-sodium tamari
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp finely chopped garlic

1. Mix all ingredients with your meat (or meat substitute) of choice. (I marinated my cubed tofu for a few hours which was just right.)
2. Stir fry meat in a hot pan with a bit of oil until cooked. Try to keep as much teriyaki liquid out of the pan for now, as it will splatter and be messy, and burn pretty easily.
3. Add in reserved sauce and cook until slightly thickened. Note: if this sauce was in contact with raw meat, use at your discretion.

I served mine with short grain brown rice on the side.

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Sweet and Spicy Almonds

I found this recipe for spiced pecans a while back and filed it away. A couple days ago I finally came around to making it with the almonds I had on hand.

I'm not 100% sold on the final product, but I'm sure they'll grow on me :)


Sweet and Spicy Nuts

2 tbsp butter
3 cups nuts (the original recipe calls for pecan halves)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp chile powder
1 tsp paprika
1/4 cup cider vinegar
salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle.
2. In a large saucepan or skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add nuts and saute until slightly browned (3-5 minutes). Stir in sugar and cook for about 1 minute until a bit caramelized. Keep a close watch on the mixture because it burns quickly! (Personal experience tells me...a burned the first mixture--oops!) Don't be afraid to turn down the temperature, use your instincts. Add in the spices and vinegar, stir until cider has evaporated. Season with salt.
3. Spread nuts on a pan in an even layer and bake for 5-10 minutes until crisp.
   

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Jamaican Jerk Spiced Tofu

I found this recipe, thinking I had tempeh waiting to be used...turns out I was wrong! So I decided to use extra firm tofu instead.



Jamaican Jerk Spiced Tofu

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 block extra firm tofu, cubed
2 carrots, shredded

Vegetable/canola oil for the pan

Combine the spices in a bowl; set aside.

In a skillet, heat oil over medium to medium high heat. Add tofu and stirfry until lightly browned. Add the spices to the pan and toss with tofu, then add carrots.

Serve over rice.

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Garlic Toasts with Red Pepper Aioli

This is one of my favorite recipes, from my favorite chef, Giada de Laurentiis. It's super simple too if you have roasted red peppers on hand.

Garlic Toasts with Red Pepper Aioli

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, patted dry
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2" slices bread (Giada recommends ciabatta, I use Marsee baking Petit Pairs)
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling

Method

For the aioli:

In a food processor, finely chop the garlic. Add the roasted red peppers and blend until relatively smooth; add mayo and blend well. With machine running, stream in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

For the toast:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil over the bread slices. Bake for 5 minutes until golden and slightly crisp.

To serve:

Spoon the aioli liberally on the toasts.

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Moroccan Chicken with Tomatoes and Zucchini

This next recipe is from Robin Miller's cookbook. I got it at the library and really enjoyed it for its easy, yummy recipes. The recipe is great for fall when zucchini is in season. The dish tastes very nice over basmati rice to make a meal.

Moroccan Chicken with Tomatoes and Zucchini

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 lbs chicken breasts, diced into 2 inch pieces
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 medium zucchini, diced

Method

1. Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add oil and cook garlic for 60 seconds. Be sure not to burn!
2. Add the chicken and brown well on all sides. Next, add the spices and cook for another 60 seconds or so.
3. Add the tomatoes and zucchini and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 5 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper.

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Pumpkin and Yogurt Corn Muffins

You know what it's like when you've let the dishes pile up in the sink, the bathroom get too dirty, or the laundry become a bit too daunting? Yeah, I have neglected this blog for a couple weeks now which means I've got several things to post today.

I found this mini corn muffin recipe on justbento a few weeks ago and thought it sounded really tasty. Plus, I had some leftover yogurt I needed to use up. Unfortunately, I over baked the muffins and they were practically inedible :( If baked properly, I recommend serving them with some maple butter--mix together softened/melted butter with maple syrup and allow to refirm.

Pumpkin and Yogurt Corn Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup minus 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
• 3 tbsp raw cane sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup lowfat plain yogurt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just blended.
3. Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes or so. Be sure not to overbake or they will be dry!

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Coco Loco Brownies

I've tried a Rachael Ray recipe for brownies in the past and it was a total disaster...we're talking an inedible hot mess of chocolate and marshmallows. I found a recipe for brownies in her magazine and decided to try it, half blocking out my negative experience and half wondering what would come of it.

I followed the recipe to a tee. Did it seem right? It did not. But I stuck with it. While they are not the best brownies I've ever had, they are extremely delicious and I will recommend the recipe.



Coco Loco Brownies

1 3/4 cups sugar
1 stick butter (I used salted) at room temperature
1 cup unsweeted cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/2 whole almonds, roasted and chopped (to roast, stick in the preheated oven until lightly toasted--do not let them burn)
3/4 cup chocolate chips
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper (this will make it much easier to remove from the pan and put onto a cooling rack, preventing the brownies from steaming in the pan).
2. In a saucepan, cook the sugar and butter over medium heat until bubbling. Remove from heat, stir the cocoa powder and 1/2 tsp salt; cool for 10 minutes.
3. While cooling, mix the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
   
4. Whisk in the vanilla and eggs into the cooled sugar mixture until well blended. Stir in the flour, then almonds. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
5. Spoon dollops of coconut mixture over the tops of the brownies. Gently pat down any large mounds. Bake until the coconut topping is golden brown and the brownies are set.
6. Take the brownies out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
   

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