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.