Ultimate After Thanksgiving Hot Sandwich

It is just great to transform what you have on hand into something new and satisfying. Personally, I really like how this dish has a crusty dressing patty on the bottom and then the cheese sauce, turkey; bacon and tomato meld together into a very savory bite. Using the recipe for cheese sauce (below), you will have more than you need for 2 sandwiches—but hey, I’ve never had a problem using extra cheese!

Ingredients (Makes 2 open face sandwiches):

 Sandwich construction:

4 slices bacon
4 slices tomato
Salt and Pepper
3 cups leftover stuffing/dressing
4 thick slices leftover turkey

Cheese Sauce:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Cook bacon in a skillet until slightly crispy. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Salt and pepper the tomato slices and cook them in the bacon-scented skillet about 1 minute per side. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Form stuffing/dressing into two patties, each about the size of your hand (if your leftover dressing is not moist enough to form into patties, just add a little warm water). Cook the patties in the skillet until brown on both sides. Remove from heat, but leave them in the skillet, because that is where you will build your sandwiches.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the flour and cook for two minutes, stirring often. Slowly whisk in the milk, parmesan, cheddar, salt, pepper and Worcestershire. Cook for about 6 minutes on medium until the sauce becomes thick. Remove from heat.

Assembly: Top the stuffing patties with turkey slices, cheese sauce, tomato slices and bacon. Broil for 4-6 minutes or until bubbly all over.

Brined Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

6 cups apple cider
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup kosher salt
3 Tablespoons poultry seasoning
4 cups of ice
1 (6 to 7 pound) turkey breast, either fresh or thawed from frozen
1 slow cooker liner bag
1 twist tie
2 Tablespoons canola oil

Directions: In a large saucepan, heat the cider, sugar, salt and seasoning to a boil. Turn off the heat and remove the pan to a trivet or cold burner. Let sit until the pot is cool to the touch, about 1 hour. Add in the ice to cool the brine. Rinse the turkey breast with cold water and place it securely, cavity side up, into the bottom of the slow cooker liner. Slowly and carefully pour the cooled brine mixture over the turkey breast, holding up the ends of the bag with your non-dominant hand. Pull the edges of the liner bag together and tie very tightly with the twist tie. Place this into a grocery store plastic bag and put it in an appropriately fitted dish to make sure that it doesn’t leak all over it the bag tips or the tie comes undone. Brine for at least 24 hours, but up to 72 hours.

When you are ready to cook the turkey, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Drain the brine off, pat the skin dry and rub on the oil. Discard the slow cooker liner, and place the turkey breast in a roasting pan. Cook until a meat thermometer reads 165 to 170, about 2 hours. . Cover the breast with foil and let rest for about 30 minutes before carving. And those drippings? If you like gravy, the drippings here make awesome gravy that is full of flavor!

Cranberry/Clementine Sauce

Cranberries and citrus-what could be nicer? Plus, this goes together in a snap, can be done a day ahead and it is easy to double.

Ingredients (serves 6):

1 (12 ounce bag) fresh cranberries
2 cups water
½ cup granulated sugar
2 clementines (or tangerines), washed and cut into quarters (check for seeds and remove if there are any)
1 (3 ounce) package cranberry or raspberry gelatin

Directions: Place the cranberries, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to low boil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the cranberries burst. Remove from heat. Grind up the clementines, peel and all in the food processor until just slightly chunky. Mix the clementines and the gelatin into the cranberries. Stir well and let it cool. Pour into a dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least four hours or overnight.

Smoked Pork and Salsa Verde Soup

Here’s a four ingredient, quick and easy soup that is a nice break from traditional chili. If you have leftover smoked pork tenderloin, roast or pork chops this is a terrific way to create a new dish using up any extras. Non-smoked pork is good, too but I love the flavor of smoke here. You can buy smoked pork chops right in the store and cook extra one night to have some leftover for this soup.

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

Soup:
1 (16 ounces) Salsa Verde
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 cups cooked, smoked pork, chopped  
1 cup frozen corn-no need to thaw

Garnish (any or all-completely optional):

Sour cream
Crumbled Cotija cheese
Crumbled tortilla chips
Diced red and yellow peppers

Directions: Pour the Salsa Verde, stock, pork and corn into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes. Serve in bowls with choices for garnish. Done!

Sweet and Spicy Orange Shrimp

I was craving shrimp, so I thought I would try this. These little gems have just a touch of crunchy coating, just a small tingly heat and a hint of orange. I like this dish as is because I can really taste the shrimp. If you want to ramp up the orange, throw a little orange zest into the sauce mix. If you want to add heat, throw in a sliced Thai chile or a few teaspoons of sriracha. I like to serve this as is for people who aren’t crazy about super spicy food and then pass the sriracha at the table.

Ingredients (serves 6 as an appetizer or 4 as a main course):

Shrimp:

1 ½ pound raw, shell-on, (16-20 count) butterflied shrimp (if you get easy-peel shrimp, you can easily butterfly them by just deepening the cut on the back and spreading them out)
1 cup finely crushed crisp rice cereal
2 Tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black or white pepper
½ cup canola, safflower or peanut oil

Sauce:

2 teaspoons canola, safflower or peanut oil
3 green onions, sliced thin, reserving a bit of the green for garnish
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons sweet Thai chile sauce
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 Tablespoons orange juice

Directions: Wash shrimp and pat dry. Combine cereal, corn starch, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge shrimp in the cereal mixture to lightly coat, shaking off excess. Heat the ½ cup of oil in a wok or pan on medium high heat until shimmering, but not smoking (a good way to test if the oil is hot enough is to put the end of a wooden chopstick or skewer in the oil—if bubbles form around it, it is hot enough). Fry the shrimp, in batches, until golden (about 3 minutes). Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Clean out the oil from the wok (into a jar, please-not down your drain). Wipe the wok quickly with a paper towel to make sure there are no crunchy bits in the sauce. Add the 2 teaspoons of oil. Add in the green onions, garlic, chile sauce and orange juice. Cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add the shrimp back into the pan and cook just a minute or so more, until the shrimp are coated with sauce. Pile the shrimp on a serving plate and garnish with reserved green onions.

White Bean Cassoulet

This is not a traditional cassoulet with duck confit and the like. It’s truly a glorified version of franks and beans and it is terrific on a chilly, rainy night. This is a rich, hearty, comforting dish—I love cracking through the garlic bread crust into the thick, creamy casserole. Bonus: You could easily make this vegetarian by using veggie sausages.

Ingredients (serves 6-8):

4 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 sprigs fresh parsley
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (12 ounce) package chicken and apple sausage, sliced
1 (9 ounce) package smoked sausage, sliced
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 rib of celery, chopped (about ½ cup)
1 large carrot, chopped (about ½ cup)
½ cup dry white wine
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans (great northern, white kidney, cannellini, whatever) drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole tomatoes with juice
3 cups water
2 or 3 teaspoons of salt (to taste)
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Directions: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Tie the rosemary, parsley and thyme together in a bundle with kitchen twine and set aside. If you don’t have fresh herbs, just use dried herbs to suit your taste. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add in the chicken sausage and cook until brown. Remove to a plate and add the smoked sausage into the pot. Brown the smoked sausage and remove to the plate with the chicken sausage. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot to the pot and cook for about 4 minutes until the veggies are just soft, but not brown. Add the wine to the pot and stir to bring the goodness up from the bottom of the pan. Add the sausages back in and then the beans, tomatoes, water, salt, pepper, and the herb bundle. Stir and break up the tomatoes. Bring the cassoulet up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Lightly cover the pot with a piece of foil and bake for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding a bit of water if it gets too thick. Meanwhile, toss the bread crumbs, garlic salt and butter together in a small bowl. After the cassoulet has cooked for the 2 hours, remove the cover and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top. Bake for another 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove the herb bundle before serving.

Hot Hazelnut Malt Milkshake

Submitted for your approval: a hot milkshake. With malt. And liqueur. Sweet dreams.

Ingredients (makes 2 drinks):

2 cups milk
½ cup vanilla ice cream
2 Tablespoons malted milk powder
2 shots Bailey’s ® Hazelnut Flavored liqueur

Directions: Whisk together the milk, ice cream and malted milk powder in a saucepan Cook over medium heat until the ice cream is melted, the malted milk has dissolved and the mixture is thoroughly heated through (you should see small bubbles forming around the sides of the pan). If your malted powder clumps, just push the clump against the side of the pan and it will fall apart. Remove from the heat, pour into mugs and stir in one shot of liqueur per mug.

Tomato Casserole

I got the idea for this dish on my recent trip to Italy…HA! I’m joking. I simply had some tomatoes I wanted to use and then thought about how cannelloni comes with a cream sauce and a tomato sauce-so, here I am. This is major comfort food, my friends.

Ingredients:

2 cups (tightly packed) cubed Italian bread
1 cup fat free half and half
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup grated parmesan

5 strips bacon

½ cup chopped onion
8 small tomatoes (I’m using the ‘vine ripe’ kind), cored and cut into quarters
2 cups (lightly packed) chopped Swiss chard
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the half and half, egg, salt and grated parmesan. Pour into the bottom of a 1.5 quart baking dish.

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Add the onion, tomatoes, Swiss chard, garlic salt and Italian seasoning into the bacon drippings. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Add in the bread cubes and bacon. Cook and stir for 3 minutes more. Spoon this mixture evenly into the cream mixture in the baking dish. Top with the shredded parmesan and bake for 35 minutes.

Banoffee Pie

I've posted several healthy recipes lately. Let's take a deep slide into sheer decadence! My friend Mark first introduced me to this dessert years ago and his is (and always will be) much better than mine. Still, I have to try. Trust me, this is one dessert every can agree on. Serve this and your guests will swoon. There are many ways to make the caramel toffee for this dish, including boiling unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk for hours. I’m too afraid of exploding toffee to do that, so I cook it in the oven (bonus: this cuts the time in half).

Ingredients:

Pie:
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 bananas

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons butter, melted

Topping:

2 cups sweetened whipped cream
Chocolate shavings
Toasted almonds (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a shallow glass baking dish. Cover it with foil and place it in a larger metal pan (like a 13x9 cake pan). Pour water in the larger pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the condensed milk pan. Cook for 1 ½ hours, making sure there is always enough water in the larger pan. Remove from oven and let cool.

Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Mix the graham crumbs, sugar and melted butter together. Press into a 9 inch pie plate and bake for 12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Pour the condensed milk caramel into the cooled crust. Slice the bananas on top of the caramel. Place in the fridge until just before serving. Then, top with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and toasted almonds (if using).  

Nut, Fruit and Grain Clusters

This so doesn’t taste like a healthy snack, but it is. It has a deep, rich flavor.  I love granola type things, so I thought I’d play around with the concept. Note: The toasted barley is very crunchy, so if you plan to serve this to people with dental issues, you might want to skip the barley and add another cup of oat cereal.

Ingredients:

½ cup barley
4 cups O shaped oat cereal
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup sliced (or slivered) almonds
2 Tablespoons ground flax seed
2 Tablespoons wheat germ
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries

6 Tablespoons light stick butter

2 Tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup honey
¼ cup maple syrup (or agave)
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt

Directions: First, toast the barley by placing it in a dry skillet and cooking it on medium low for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until pale golden. You’ll know it is starting to toast when it smells nutty.  Remove from the stove and let cool. In a large bowl, mix the cereal, oats, toasted barley, nuts, flax seed, wheat germ and dried fruit.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats if you have them or spray the dickens out of the pans with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar on low heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Add in the honey, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Cook for three minutes and then pour over the cereal mixture. Stir to coat all of the cereal mixture. Spread the mixture between your baking sheets and pat down into an even layer. Bake for 16 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and break into clusters. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Shaved Fennel, Celery and Artichoke Heart Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette



I know, sounds pretentious, right? It’s actually a very simple, light little salad that brings a bit of brightness to a rich meal. This makes enough for 4 side salads and you will most likely have dressing leftover for other uses.

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette:
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 orange
½ teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup olive oil

Salad:

1 small fennel bulb
3 stalks celery
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
4 Tablespoons shredded parmesan

Directions:

Vinaigrette: Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl and taste/adjust for seasoning. Set aside.

Salad: Shave the fennel and celery into wafer thin slices using a mandoline or a sharp knife and some patience. Slice the artichoke hearts thinly and add them to the fennel/celery mix. Toss with enough of the vinaigrette to coat and chill until needed. Place salad onto four plates and top with 1 tablespoon parmesan each.

Banana Pecan Snackin’ Cake

When I was a kid, snackin’ cakes were all the rage-so much so that you could even buy snackin’ cake mixes. This kind of cake is really moist, doesn’t need frosting, is inexpensive to make and goes together faster than you can preheat your oven!

Ingredients:

2 large, really ripe bananas
2 eggs
½ cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring (optional, but it adds a great depth of flavor-like a butter-pecan kind of thing)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 inch cake pan with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine the bananas, eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and butter flavoring. Beat with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined.

In a mixing bowl stir the flour, baking soda and salt together. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a bit at a time. Once those ingredients are thoroughly combined, stir in the pecans.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 35 minutes until the top and sides are golden and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Let cool and then cut into 9 big squares or 12 small ones.

Painted and Grilled Flank Steak

So, I found flank steak on sale and wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I decided I just wanted to enhance the beefy flavor and not really change what the steak was, so I came up with this. I love the flavor bomb you get when you first bite into a piece-it's deep and rich. Also, the neighbors are saying it smells great as it grills!

Ingredients:

For the paint:
2 teaspoons ground espresso powder
1 teaspoon beef bouillon powder
½ teaspoon ground chipotle powder
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1 Tablespoon molasses (blackstrap if you have it)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons olive oil

For the steak:

1 (1 ½ to 2 pound) flank steak

Directions: Combine all ingredients for the paint in a small bowl. Paint both sides of the steak and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Preheat grill to medium high heat and grill the steak for 5-6 minutes on each side (until medium rare-longer if you want medium). Let the steak rest for a few minutes and then slice it against the grain. I’m serving mine with simple tomatoes and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Really Crunchy Fried Mushrooms

Sometimes you just need a fried mushroom. Here’s why I love this recipe: 1) the coating doesn’t fall off the mushrooms when you try to eat them, 2) they stay crispy when held in a warm oven, which means you don’t have to be frying at the last minute, and 3) the crunch—oh, my! I think my neighbors heard me eating one of these. Keep this fry batter recipe handy-it great to fry all sorts of things- onions, asparagus, shrimp, peppers, etc.

Ingredients:

To fry:
About 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Fry Batter:
½ cup cornstarch
1 cup flour
2 teaspoon powdered egg white (if you don’t have it, just skip it)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon herb seasoning (your choice: maybe Italian seasoning,  Greek seasoning, garlic salt, whatever. I like to use Fox Point from Penzeys®)
1 to 1 1/2 cups light beer

The rest:

8 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned
2 cups panko bread crumbs
Kosher salt to finish

Directions:
For the fry batter: Mix all the fry batter ingredients (cornstarch though beer) with electric beaters, adding the beer slowly until you have the consistency of a thick pancake batter.  

Heat the oil in a large, shallow skillet over medium heat.

Pour the panko into a shallow dish.

Dip the mushrooms into the fry batter and let the excess drip off. Some people like to use toothpicks or chopsticks stuck in the end of each mushroom, but I find it cumbersome—I just use my hands. Roll each mushroom in panko and place in the heated oil. Cook in batches for about 3 minutes or until the bottom is light golden brown. Turn them over using two forks and cook another few minutes until the other side is golden brown. Remove (again using the two forks) to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with a little kosher salt.

Looking for a dip to go with them? Try mixing mayonnaise with a little horseradish.