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Month: November 2021

Thanksgiving Leftovers Reimagined: Quick and Easy Combinations

Posted on by Admin General

Whether your fridge is full of leftover turkey, stuffing, potatoes, or pie, simply reheating ingredients makes for a most uninteresting meal. 

Everyone looks forward to a delicious post-Thanksgiving panini, we make ours with brie, turkey, and a variety of sauces. Some more exciting inventions tend to be for the breakfast table, and light dinners. Think of these as creative combinations, no formal recipe required. 

Post-Thanksgiving breakfast dishes are just as crave-worthy as the dinner that inspired them. Many of the combinations I’m sharing have become part of our Thanksgiving tradition. The options are endless.

  • Poached Eggs over Apple Dressing: Place ¼ cup warmed Aunt Marion’s Apple Dressing in a bowl and top with two poached eggs and fresh chives. The well-seasoned bread cubes will soak up the delicious egg yolks, and the chestnuts add a pop of Autumnal flavor.
  • Cranberry-yogurt Parfait: Pull a few plump cranberries out of your leftover cranberry orange sauce, and set aside. Then, using an immersion blender, smooth out the remaining sauce. With plain yogurt, assemble the parfait: Layer the bottom of a glass with ¼ cup of yogurt, add a generous layer of cranberry orange sauce, and repeat, top with a tablespoon of yogurt, a couple of plump cranberries and orange zest or fresh rosemary. My husband enjoys his favorite granola on the bottom of his parfait, you can also top the parfait with leftover nuts.
  • Thanksgiving Smoothie: In a blender, combine 1 cup fresh-pressed apple cider, 1-1/2 cups cranberry orange sauce, 2 frozen bananas, 1 cup yogurt, a dash of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg. Blend until combined. Makes two large servings.
  • Turkey Frittata: Heat leftover roasted vegetables in a skillet, stir in leftover potatoes and turkey. Pour in an egg mixture of your choice, cook and top with fresh herbs.
  • Apple Butter: Make apple butter for your favorite breakfast breads by beating together sweet butter and a little homemade applesauce.

For post-Thanksgiving dinners, there is nothing better than reimagined hors d’oeuvres followed by a warm Potato Leek Soup or a big green salad.

  • Crostini Appetizer: This crostini appetizer is an easy- to-make nibble that looks beautiful, and celebratory. Toast baguette slices under the broiler until crisp, and top with Brie or goat cheese, caramelized onion and cranberry orange sauce. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. 
  • Sweet Potato Open-Face Sandwiches: Slice left over sweet potato lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Brush the slices with olive oil, and warm them on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and build with a variety of toppings: add cheese and cranberry orange sauce, guacamole and microgreens, chopped roasted brussels sprouts, or turkey and gravy.  The options are limitless.
  • Mashed Potato Bites: Warm leftover mashed potatoes with your favorite cheese and pipe over crackers, top with sauce or gravy of your choice and freshly chopped herbs. The perfect complement to a super soup. 
  • Sweet Potato–Kale Frittata: Sautée leftover sweet potatoes and Kale in a skillet, stir in onion, garlic, and goat cheese. Pour in an egg mixture of your choice, cook and top with fresh herbs. Serve warm. 
  • Crispy Potato Cakes: Heat oil in a skillet, add 1 ½ cups chopped onion and a tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper. When the onion is soft add 3 cups of left-over mashed potatoes and transfer to a mixing bowl with 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs. Using a 1/3 cup measure, form potato mixture into 12 cakes. Gently press panko on both sides of each cake. Cook cakes in a skillet of hot oil. Cook in batches, turning once, until golden brown and heated through, about 8 minutes. Serve over greens, alongside turkey slices or top with any leftover sauce or gravy. 

Roasted Broccoli with Vinegar-Mayo Glaze

Posted on by Admin General

Simply roasted broccoli is delicious and easy to prepare. This recipe adds a creamy, cheesy glaze to caramelized, crisp-tender florets and sweet stems, elevating this common vegetable to rockstar status. This dish pairs well with both fish and chicken and has been a welcomed side dish on our Thanksgiving table for years. Mayonnaise is a fine substitute for Mindful Mayo.

Cut broccoli florets to a matching size (about 1/3-inch thick) to ensure even cooking, and do not discard the stems—peel and slice them to add a depth of texture and sweetness to the dish. 

For the crispiest, most tender florets, be sure the broccoli is completely dry before tossing it in the mayo mixture. Thanksgiving Day, when so many pans are on the fire, and no one has time for vegetables to dry, put the broccoli in the oven for a few minutes before seasoning—it dries the broccoli quickly, ensuring the mayo mixture will coat the broccoli evenly. Be sure to spread your florets in an even layer on the baking sheet, with a little space between each one. If preparing for the holidays, and you do not have room for two baking sheets in the oven, roast the broccoli in batches.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Serves 8-10

Patricia’s Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

Posted on by Admin General

My mother created this take on a classic Thanksgiving side dish. She was not a great cook; she simply did not have the time—a career and six children were her priorities. Cooking was something she delegated, but she took immense pride in doing it herself for Thanksgiving, and we all looked forward to the treat.

Making a traditional sweet potato casserole was too time consuming for my mother, and so she did it her way, creating a cross between classic candied yams and a sweet potato casserole. Smothered in marshmallows, one of my favorite childhood treats, this was an irresistible, sweet, sticky, indulgent side dish. For my mother, the sweeter the better. This adjusted version offers a little restrained sweetness, and just the right amount of buttery flavor with a bit of crunch. You can leave out the marshmallows, but in our home, they are always included.

Many supermarkets use the terms “sweet potatoes” and “yams” interchangeably, although yams and sweet potatoes are two different plants, grown in various parts of the world. The sweet potato is in the morning glory family, while yams are related to palms and grasses. Yams are found in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Central America. Sweet potatoes are grown in the United States, with North Carolina leading the way. What you are likely buying is an American-grown sweet potato. True yams are imported and a rare find outside of specialty grocery stores. For this recipe, any orange-fleshed varieties like Jewel or Garnet will work well.

Recently, the New York Times shared Timeless Recipes from the Archives, and included sweet potatoes baked with lemon, attributed to a Gage & Tollner’s chef named Edna Lewis. My father’s family frequented this restaurant for three generations, beginning in the late 1800’s, and so I cannot help but wonder if this recipe had an influence on my mother’s creation. My mother liked to bake her potatoes in an old cast-iron pan. She said it was easier as it only requires one oven mitt, not two. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 38 minutes

Yield: Serves 8-10