November 5, 2024

Thankful for Turkey!

Chinese-Chicken-Salad-Resize

Hi Ladies,

I’m sitting here with a belly full of food.  I bet when you read this, you will still have lots of food in your refrigerator from yesterday!  Thanksgiving is such a lovely day to spend with family and friends, eating turkey (and lots of other good foods) and enjoying some time together.  And then comes the day after …

So you don’t want to make a whole new meal, but you probably don’t want to eat exactly the same thing you did on Thanksgiving for three or four or five days afterward as you eat up your leftovers.  I made a list of links to recipes  on our website that you can make with leftover turkey.  I know – that was so thoughtful of me!  ;- }

See if there’s anything you like down here, or share in the comments your family’s leftover turkey preparation of choice.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful for Turkey!

Turkey Veggie Soup

Turkey Fajitas Salad

Tom Kha Gai

Grilled Chicken (Turkey) Supper Salad

Pineapple Chicken (or Turkey) Salad

Curry Chicken (or Turkey) Stew

Chicken (0r Turkey) Enchiladas

Chinese Chicken (or Turkey) Salad

{That should take care of at least a dinner or two, right?}

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana


To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

Leftover Link-aPalooza

My girls, admiring the turkey!

My girls, admiring the turkey!

Esteemed Ladies of Girlfriends Coffee Hour, I come to you with my apron in hand.  I ask for your mercy.  I don’t have a new recipe for you on this Black Friday…this day after Thanksgiving.  Let me explain.

We moved to Austin, Texas two week ago, from sunny Los Angeles.  This was our first Thanksgiving apart from family, friends, and “home”.  I didn’t make any new recipes, and I didn’t even make anything that challenging:  mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and pumpkin pie.  My husband made the turkey and gravy, and we bought rolls from the grocery store.  And you know what?  I was pretty happy with it!  Sometimes it’s nice to not stress over big events.  So instead of jumping through hoops to make a new recipe specifically for a blog post today, I’m just going to post links to stuff I MIGHT make.

That’s right.  I’ve got the turkey carcass on the stove already, making a delicious-smelling stock.  I’m not sure what I’ll do with the rest of the meat, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy.  But here are some recipes I’ll probably be checking out tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday.  And instead of worrying about it, I’m going to focus more on my kids, my husband, my health, and my sleep.  🙂

Ready for Link-aPalooza?  Let’s go!

This is for breakfast, minus the corn, and plus a little cranberry sauce:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/danny-boome/bubble-and-squeak-with-corn-puree-recipe.html

Still more mashed potatoes?  Maybe some Colcannon!

http://frugalgirlmet.blogspot.com/2012/03/colcannon.html

Lots of leftover cranberry sauce?  Go Ikea-style!

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/thanksgiving/leftovers-cranberry-sauce/recipes/food/views/Swedish-Meatballs-350172

Stuffing from last week’s Thanksgiving Burger?

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/stuffing-topped-vegetable-bake-138240.aspx

And if you have extra pie?  EAT IT UP!!!

God Bless you all.  — Dana

Thanksgiving Burger

thanksgiving burger

If you’re anything like me, Thanksgiving is one of your favorite times of the year.  The best food, the best company (family, friends, fortuitous strangers), and the best traditions.  If you can’t wait for that one day a year, make this Thanksgiving Burger!

The secret ingredient is a box of bread stuffing mixed in with the turkey.  It adds moisture and the unmistakeable seasonings that really make this burger special.  Your toppings can vary—add gravy, sweet potatoes, whatever you like!  I made mine easy, with a quick smear of mayo, cranberry sauce, and lettuce.

Ready to taste the season before the day gets here?  Let’s give thanks!

Thanksgiving Burger

Ingredients:

  • 1 box bread stuffing mix (I used Stove Top)
  • 20 ounces ground turkey
  • 1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 can cranberry sauce
  • for each serving:  1 hamburger bun, mayonnaise, a few leaves of lettuce

Directions:

  1. Prepare the stuffing mix according to the directions on the box.  Let cool a little.
  2. Combine 1 cup of prepared stuffing with the turkey.  (Refrigerate the rest of the stuffing and eat it later, or use it on top of casseroles!)  Form four 5-ounce burgers, and refrigerate for at least an hour so they firm up a little.
  3. Fry the burgers in a non-stick pan.  Use a little oil of your choice, and cover the pan with aluminum foil.  Cook on medium heat for about 6-8 minutes, until done on one side with a little crust.  Flip, cover, and cook again.
  4. To serve:  give a light coating of mayo to both top and bottom hamburger buns.  Add a couple teaspoons of cranberry sauce to the bottom bun, then the lettuce.  Top with the burger and the top bun.  Serve hot!

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana


To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

The Five B’s: Butternut, Brussels Sprouts, Baby Bellas, Bacon, and Balsamic

2013-11-06 18.45.34

 

Raise your hand, please, if you—like me—are planning out and testing recipes to serve at your Thanksgiving Day meal!  Over the next few weeks, both here on the blog and also over in our FaceBook GCH-Fellowship page, we will be chatting about recipes for the big feast.  Last Friday, Dana shared that “…it is always good to have a couple of side dish recipes in mind.”  She gave us her recipe for a delicious-looking side dish salad here on the At Home with GCH blog.

So today I am giving you a recipe entitled The Five B’s: bacon (yum!), butternut (oh, yum!), brussels sprouts (yumm-o!), baby bellas (yum-yum!) and balsamic (yummy!)….silly, I know.  But seriously, consider trying this as a side dish for your Thanksgiving feast!  Easy to prepare (the veggies can be prepped the day before).  And the prepared dish can be popped into the oven the moment you take the bird out!  It will be done and piping hot when your bird has finished resting and been carved.  This dish definitely fits into our healthy but oh-so-yummy point of view!  Enjoy!

2013-11-06 18.45.52

Five B’s: Butternut, Brussels Sprouts, Baby Bellas, Bacon and Balsamic

Ingredients:

3-4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2# thickly sliced bacon, chopped
1+1/2# Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 medium-large butternut squash, cleaned and cubed
8 ounce container Baby Bellas, cleaned and quartered
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup (the REAL stuff, please!)
1+1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
pinch fresh grated nutmeg

Preparation:

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • In a medium-sized saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook 8-10 minutes ‘til crispy. Lay out on a paper towel to drain; set aside.
  • Lightly oil a large sheet pan (or two!) with olive oil.
  • In a very large bowl, or stockpot, pour in the prepared veggies…Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, Baby Bella mushrooms…along with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil; stir well to evenly disperse the oil and season well with salt & pepper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, additional 1 tablespoon olive oil, and maple syrup. Drizzle this mixture over the vegetables and toss so that they are evenly coated.
  • Spread out vegetables in a single layer (very important!) in the pan(s); sprinkle with salt, pepper, allspice and nutmeg.
  • Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes; carefully remove pan(s) stir and flip over the veggies so that the other side can caramelize. Place back in over and continue to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or ‘til the veggies are slightly brown and caramelized.
  • Remove from oven and, just before serving, top with crumbled bacon

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

God loves you ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

Frozen Pea Salad

Frozen Pea Salad Resized

Here we go, ladies – we’re heading into the holiday season!  Every time I go to the supermarket now I see dozens of magazines at the check out, with photos of glorious turkeys and fantastic centerpieces.  But let’s be honest – not everyone will have to make a turkey this year. In my case, my newlywed brother-in-law and his wife will be hosting Thanksgiving, so they are in charge of the turkey.  But it’s always good to have a couple of  side dish recipes in mind.  I’m usually responsible for making at least one pie and cornbread stuffing, plus some kind of vegetable  dish.  This year, I plan to bring this Frozen Pea Salad.

Before you think I’ve gone off the deep end, No, the peas are not frosty little balls of ice.  They are thawed and cold, but not actually frozen anymore.  The version of this recipe my Mom used to make featured sour cream and a little mayonnaise.  I’ve switched that out for Greek yogurt to up the protein and lower the fat a little bit.  This can easily be doubled or tripled, depending on how many people you are serving, but I would suggest not adding in the cashews and bacon until you are ready to eat, so the textures stay distinct.  It’s sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy, cold and delicious!  If you need an easy, off-beat vegetable side dish, read on, friends!

Frozen Pea Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or more, to taste)
  • 2 green onions, finely sliced
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup salted, roasted cashews (you can break them up a little or leave them whole)
  • 4 slices bacon, fried crisply and drained

Directions:

  1. Take the peas out of your freezer and empty the bag into a Pyrex or other casserole dish.  Set them by the stove as you fry the bacon.  The heat from the stove will help the peas thaw.
  2. Fry the bacon crispy, drain it well, blot with paper towels, and dice.
  3. Are your peas thawed yet?  If not, microwave them for thirty seconds at a time, stirring well each time, just until the ice melts and you can squish a pea between your fingers.  You still want them very cold, just not icy and crunchy.  When thawed and still very cold, drain any extra water in the bowl.  Mix in yogurt and green onion, and season with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  4. When serving, sprinkle the pea salad with cashews and bacon.  If you have leftovers, either keep the cashews and bacon separate, or make sure they stay on top.  If they get mixed into the salad and then saved that way, they will soften up.  It will still be delicious, but it won’t have the crunchy versus soft texture difference that makes this salad so fun!

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana


To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!