Thanksgiving Leftovers

So now that the big day is done and gone, what do you do to get everyone to eat all the leftovers?  How about some Cranberry BBQ Sauce to go with that turkey?  Or, what about some salsa with cranberries?  Take your pick.

From Martha Stewart.com (and many others), Cranberry-Avocado Salsa

• 
  

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 1 minced jalapeno

  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped

  • 2 ripe avocados, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

  • 3/4 cup halved cranberries

  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

  • Coarse salt and ground pepper

  • Tortilla chips

  
  

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 minced jalapeno (seeds removed for less heat, if desired), and 1/4 cup chopped red onion.
  2. Add 2 ripe avocados, cut into 1/4-inch pieces, 3/4 cup halved cranberries, drained well on paper towels, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper; toss gently to combine. Serve tortilla chips, as desired.

  From Better Home and Garden's Cookbook, Cranberry BBQ Sauce

1 C Chopped Onion

1 T oil

16oz can whole cranberries

1/3 bottle chili sauce

1 T cider vinegar

1 t Worcestershire sauce

1/4 t ground pepper

1.  Heat up the oil and add the onion until soft. 

2. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until reduced.

Also, don't throw out that left over turkey bones until you've made turkey stock!  Great way to start soups all winter long.  Put the bones, your left over celery, onions, garlic and carrots into a pot and fill with water.  Boil for 1 hour and strain.  Store in your freezer in 1 cup servings.

I tried these a few weeks ago for an afternoon of Sunday football.  Surprisingly easy and good!

From Tasteofhome.com Meatballs in Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients
1 Egg, lightly beaten
  1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
  1 cup quick-cooking oats (panko will work too!)
  1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon chili powder
  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  1-1/2 pounds ground beef
  SAUCE:
  1 cup ketchup
  3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  1/4 cup chopped onion
  1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke, optional
  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls.

2. Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain.

3. Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour over meatballs. Bake 10-12 minutes longer. Yield: about 4 dozen.

Traditional Southern Biscuits

Ugh!  I can't believe how long it's been since my last post.  Bad, bad, bad.

With the cooler weather comes the desire to get creative in the kitchen.  I found myself buying biscuit dough a few weeks in a row and I started to add up how much I was paying.  Yikes!

I've tried to make biscuits in the past and they turned out rock hard.  I saw an issue of triple D (Diner, Drive-in's and Dives) that showed how easy it was to make good southern, flaky biscuits.  So I said, 'why not?'

The first time they turned out really good.  The second, not so good, but I used a dark pan the second time which apparently is a big no, no.

From Real Cajun, Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits:

2 C all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
pinch of salt (or not)
1/4 C shortening (butter flavor is actually ok)
4 T cold butter (cut into small pieces), plus 2 T melted
3/4 C well-shaken buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix flour, baking powder and salt
3. Use your fingers to break in shortening and butter until coarse and size of small peas
4. Make a whole in center of bowl.
5. Pour in buttermilk
6. Push edges of flour mixture into buttermilk very gently until just combined.  Like folding in egg whites.
7. Pour mixture out into flour service.  Try not to kneed dough too much.
8. Form dough into 1/2 inch thick.
9. Use biscuit cutter or cut into squares.
10. Repeat forming dough if needed.
11. Place biscuits close together in greased pan (do not use dark colored pan).
12. Cook 25 to 30 minutes, but pour melted butter on top after 20 minutes has passed.

Family Factor: first ones were a hit!
Stomach Factor: mild
Time Factor: first time was a little much, but second took only 5 minutes to put together

Gooey Goodness

The cookbooks are all packed up for our move later this month.  I was looking for something no so filling for Father's Day dinner since I already had a cheesecake made for dessert.  I opened the pantry to find a small collection of canned goods including corn, diced tomatoes, black beans and enchilada sauce.  I also had some rice and fresh chicken.  Let dinner begin!

Another original recipe (I've lost count on which number this is!)

Gooey Enchiladas
2 T vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups rice, cooked
1 small can corn, drained
1 medium can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 small can enchilada sauce (no preference on brand)
2 T butter
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or other blend)
6 soft tortillas

1. Heat oil in a deep skillet until hot.  Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides.
2. Cook the chicken on high heat to sear both sides then turn down the heat to low and cover cooking until done flipping sides occasionally.
3. Remove chicken from the pan and cover.
4. Add the onion and garlic to saute until tender.
5. Add the rice, corn, black beans, tomatoes and 1/3 of the enchilada sauce.  Stir until combined.
6. Chop up the chicken (should fall apart) into small pieces.
7. Add to the corn/bean mixture.
8. Preheat the oven to 350.
9. Turn the heat down low on the corn/bean/chicken mixture.
10. Add the butter until melted.
11. Add 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, cover until melted.
12. Give it one final stir to combine.
13. Heat the tortillas until warm (use your microwave and wet paper towels).
14. Add about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of mixture to each tortilla (depending on size), roll and place seam side down into a greased 13x9 baking dish.
15. Repeat 5 more times until the dish is full.
16. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with the remaining cheese.
17. Heat in the oven until bubbly on the sides.

You will have used about 1/2 of the corn/bean/chicken mixture with 6 tortillas.  You either can make another dish full and serve all at once or put the remaining mixture into a freezer bag and have a super quick meal during the week!

Family Factor: love!
Stomach Factor: depends on the enchilada sauce you choose
Time Factor: Initial work about 45 mins, reheat mixture from freezer very quick

Coleslaw with a kick

Sean and I took a cooking class a few weeks ago.  The class was about being your own personal chef.  Not for a business, but to get more out of the food you are buying and stop wasting food (aka leftovers).  I was surprised on how much I learned.

We walked away with a handful of recipes and we have tried most of them already.  In the two weeks I have cooked since the class the only thing I have thrown out was some leftovers from the kids mac n' cheese.  Again, very surprised on how well this works with my family and our busy schedules.

Below is the coleslaw recipe we were given.  I make coleslaw (or broccoli slaw as it's called) a lot in the warmer months, but again, usually throw some out every time.)  You are supposed to be able to freeze this recipe, but I haven't given that a try yet.  Needless to say, I don't think this will last but two days in my house.  Yeah, it's that good.

Louisiana Cole Slaw:

1/4 C mayo (shocked on how little!)
2 t Dijon mustard
1 T packed light brown sugar
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T buttermilk (chef said you can easily leave this out if you don't have any)
2 t celery seeds (I used celery salt and left out the salt)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground pepper
1/16 t cayenne (I used 1/4 t)
1 C shredded green cabbage (about 1/4 head)
1 C shredded red cabbage (I just bought the shredded blend in the veggie aisle)
1/4 C green pepper, finely diced
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
2 T grated yellow onion (yes, grated)
2 T minced fresh parsley (or 3/4 t of dried)

In a bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, sugar, vinegar, buttermilk and spices except the parsley and whisk well to dissolve the sugar.  In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Toss with the dressing until evenly coated.  Adjust the seasoning to taste (this is where I kept adding more cayenne to give it a kick).  Place in refrigerator, covered, to chill before server at least 1-2 hours.

Family Factor: wow!
Stomach Factor:  a little spicy, but we liked it!
Time Factor: let just say, I made it in between classes Saturday morning...

Crab cakes with a southern twist

Being from Maryland, I had to try to make my own crab cakes for the Superbowl.  The only problem is that no one in my family likes crabs except me.  So, I tried this southern style recipe and simply replaced the crab with salmon.  I also made my own remoulade sauce.

Loosely interpreted from Cajun Cooking

Crab Cakes with Remoulade

1lb crab, lump and picked through
4 strips of bacon cut in half
1 T butter
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 poblano chile, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t salt
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/4 t cayenne
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 C mayo
1 t whole grain mustard
hot sauce (optional)
1 t parsley or Italian seasoning
1 T lemon juice
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, make sure they are dried out
2 T veggie oil
Remoulade sauce (see below)

1. Cook bacon in a skillet in two batches until they are very crispy.
2. Reserve the drippings and snack on the stips as needed (or see the suggestion at the bottom of this post).
3. Add the butter to the pan without cleaning it out.
4. Add onion, pepper, garlic, salt, chili powder, black pepper and cayenne and cook, stirring until the veggies are soft, but not brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Transfer veggies to a mixing bowl and let them cool for about 15 minutes.
6. Add the crab, egg, mayo, mustard, hot sauce, seasoning, lemon juice and 1/4 C of the bread crumbs to the veggies.  Gently mix the ingredients together.
7. Form 4 patties using a biscuit cutter to get straight edges looking like hockey pucks.
8. Put the cakes on a plate and cover to refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes or overnight.
9. To cook the cakes, put the bacon drippings plus 2 T oil into a skillet.
10. Put remaining bread crumbs in pie pan.
11.  Dredge both sides of the cakes in the bread crumbs shaking off excess.
12.  When the oil comes to temp, add the cakes and fry for 4 to 5 minutes per side.  Make sure you do not crowd the pan frying in batches if needed.  Serve immediately.

Remoulade Sauce

Mix 1 cup mayo, 1 t Old Bay, 2 t lemon juice together and then refrigerate.  Drizzle over the crab cakes when they are nice and hot.

Family Factor: very good, but suggest to crumble up the bacon to add to the mixture with the crab (hmm...next time!)
Stomach Factor: you can make this as spicy or mild as you want
Time Factor: actually, surprised on how quickly this can be done

Good luck Raven fans!

Chicken with a Twist

I've been fighting a bug since New Year's Day and have been searching for something like chicken noodle soup to soothe my cold.  Needless to say, I found it, but of course, I had to change it up a little bit.  The original recipe is below and read on to see how I altered it.  The good news, it's scaled for two people.

From Crockpot Cooking:

Baked Chicken Breasts

2-3 chicken breasts
2 T butter
1 10.75oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 C dry sherry
1 t tarragon or rosemary
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t garlic powder
1 4oz can sliced mushrooms, drained

Combine everything except chicken in crock pot.  Add chicken and coat on all sides.  Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours.

I replaced the cream of chicken with cream of potato, dry sherry for 1/4 c white wine and 1/4 milk and 1 T Worcestershire.  I also omitted the mushrooms.

I put everything in the crock pot and cooked on high for 2 hours and it was pretty good.

Family Factor: Quote: "tastes like chicken fried chicken without the fried"
Stomach Factor: milk
Time Factor: quick