Turkey Sliders

One of my favorite way of using leftover turkey is in a Sandwich! This year I decided to make Turkey Sliders, quick, easy and a bit different. The best part, only 4 ingeredients

Rolls (I purchased Franz Dinner Rolls)

Cranberry sauce

Turkey breast slices

Salt and pepper to taste

Mayonaise

Cut your rolls in half, spread one side with mayonaise, the other with cranberry sauce

Place your turkey on the bread, salt and pepper to taste

Turkey, Vegetable and Pasta Soup

This week I have decided to re-post some old favorites that you can use as either a Side Dish for your Thanksgiving meal or a way to use up leftovers! Enjoy!

If you know me, you know that I am a soup beast. I make soup just about weekly in the Fall and Winter months. I also love to make soup stock, it is just so much better than the stuff in the can or box. I still keep those around for emergencies.

Making soup for me is a 2 day affair, the first day simmering the bones, skin, herbs and veggies, then straining and letting it sit overnight so the fat floats to the top and I can remove it. One thing I learned long ago from Alton Brown was that you never let your stock come to a boil or it will get discolored, let it just bubble ever so lightly so you can barely see it. Your stock will be nice and clear.

Another great tip which I figured out on my own, is when adding pasta or rice to your soup (and you are planning on eating it at a later date), let it get barely al dente, then put your soup pot into the sink which you have filled with ice water. It will cool the soup down fast and your rice and pasta is less apt to overcook and get mushy when re-heated.

1 turkey frame and skin (I used a turkey breast)

turkey stock, enough to fill your pot after all the bones and veggies are added

6 carrots peeled and sliced

6 celery stalks sliced

1/2 onion diced

3 cups of diced turkey breast meat

1/2 box of pasta shape of your choice

Place the turkey stock into a soup pot and add the carrots, simmer on low till they are just beginning to get tender about 10 minutes

Add the onion, celery and simmer for another 10 minutes, then add your turkey meat

Simmer for another 10 minutes then add your pasta, cook per the directions till barely al dente

You can serve immediately or place into a sink full of ice water and chill it down fast and then refrigerate when it cools.

Savory Whipped Yams - Thanksgiving Week 2010

This is a wonderful side dish and different from the overly sweet candied yams. I am re-posting it for Thanksgiving Week.

Until about 15 years ago I thought the only way to eat yams was covered in butter, brown sugar and marshmallows. We went to a friends house for dinner and she served them savory, I was hooked. It is a refreshing way to serve Yams!

Ingredients

2-3 large Yams

1/2 cube butter or margarine

salt and pepper to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste, I use 1/2 tsp but I like heat

crumbled bacon (optional)

1/2 tsp fresh sage chopped finely

Peel your Yams and cut them into cubes, boil in water until fork tender, drain.

Add the above ingredients to your Yams, whip them with your hand held mixer and serve.

They are amazing!

Barding Turkey - Thanksgiving Week 2010

I decided to re-post some of my Thanksgiving Dishes you may have missed. The first one is how to Bard a Turkey. It is an old and fairly easy technique which gives you the perfect bird!

My husband and I enjoy watching the Cooks Country Magazine show on our local PBS channel. They cook American food and do it again and again until they perfect the method. I have made many of their recipes and indeed they all have been perfect in both taste and methodology.

They had a Thanksgiving Special and talked about "Barding" your turkey which in the old days was the only way to keep it from drying out, as their ovens did not remain at a constant temperature. You essentially cover it with Salt Pork, Cheesecloth and then Foil and bake. They took an old method and re-invented it for today cooks.

I have to say that even though it is a bit of effort, it was the most flavorful and moist turkey I have ever eaten, and everyone agreed. I made two for separate occasions on Thanksgiving and it was incredible. I will never make turkey another way again.

Turkey covered with Salt Pork

You will need one 2-yard package of cheesecloth for this recipe.

Ingredients

1 package cheesecloth (see note)
4 cups cold water
1 turkey , 12 to 14-pounds (my turkey was 19 lbs)
1 pound salt pork , cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (this may be hard to find, we finally got it at New Seasons Market) (I have no idea if you could use bacon, Cooks Country advises against it)

Instructions

For the turkey: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cheesecloth from package and fold into 18-inch square. Place cheesecloth in large bowl and cover with water.

Tuck wings behind back and arrange turkey, breast-up, on V-rack set inside roasting pan.

Prick skin of breast and legs of turkey all over with fork, cover breast and legs of turkey with salt pork, top with soaked cheesecloth (pouring any remaining water into roasting pan), and cover cheesecloth completely with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Roast turkey until breast meat registers 140 degrees, 2½ to 3 hours. Remove foil, cheesecloth, and salt pork and discard. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Continue to roast until breast meat registers 165 degrees and thigh meat registers 175 degrees, 40 to 60 minutes longer.

Olive and Sun Dried Tomato Spread

I went thru a phase where I loved, loved, loved Martini's, dirty please, extra dirty with lots of olives! I think I actually just liked the Martini's for the olives, I love olives, any kind, color or shape. Filled with garlic, habenero, pimento and even small onions.

I was reading Shelby's blog Grumpy's Honeybunch and saw she made a spread with olives. I could not WAIT to get some cream cheese and try it for myself.

I used regular green olives stuffed with pimento, added a bit of pepper and a dash of salt. It was the perfect spread for this olive lover. I literally nearly swooned, ok I did swoon a bit. My husband is not such a lover of olives, so I decided to add some Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil. That toned the olive taste down just enough! Heaven on a cracker!

1 package cream cheese

3/4 of jar of Green Olives with Pimento (or any olive you like), drained and diced

dash of salt

dash of pepper

2 tbl of finely chopped Sun Dried Tomato

Crackers of your choice

Let the cream cheese come to room temperature, mix in the remaining ingredients and serve with crackers or on a Bagel would be awesome!

Barbara's Velveeta Chili Dip/Soup

My Ex-Sister in law whom I adore and consider more of a Sister than anything gave me this recipe about 25 years ago. She always made it for events and parties and I crave it to this day.

We were swimming together today and started talking about what else but food! We discussed this recipe and how each one of us make it, and before you know it I decided to have it for dinner tonight!

I pulled out my old yellowed recipe card and made it her way and it is such comfort food. We have eaten it as a dip and a soup, it is very versatile and did I mention YUMMY!

You can substitute what you have on hand.

Here is what ya need!

1/2 onion diced

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 to 1 soup can milk

1 small Velveeta brick

1 cup cheddar

1 can fire roasted green chili's

1 can diced olives

(diced chicken - optional)

1 to 2 burrito sized flour tortilla

I like to add some mexican hot sauce (Cholula)

Put it all together in a crock pot or fondue pot and let it warm up to a simmer and fully melt

Tear the burrito shells up into bite sized pieces and put them into the cheese and stir till combined. I like to let it work for awhile with the burrito pieces till they melt into the mixture

*I also like to saute the onions first for a milder flavor

**Serve with corn chips OR my favorite Frito Scoops!