Linny's Kitchen: November 2012

Friday, November 23, 2012

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Everyone over indulges without feeling guilty and you are doing it together in solidarity with your family and friends. In my family we always over estimate the amount of food that is needed with the thought of plenty of leftovers to hold everyone over just in case there is a national shortage of food for the next week.

Over the years I have become creative in seeking ways to use the leftover in some for other than Turkey Soup or Sandwiches. In the spirit of giving I have complied a list of some of my favorites finds to share with all!

Breakfast

Thanksgiving Baked Eggs from Via Viands - Warm, cozy and delicious baked eggs with leftover stuffing, potatoes, squash and turkey (really anything that you have) make up this perfect brunch dish for the day after Thanksgiving meal. Serve it up with some coffee and spiked egg nog and you are good to go!
Leftover Thanksgiving Frittata from Vanilla Late - A fritatta is truly one of the most amazing and simple breakfast dishes to make that will feed many, use few dishes and leave none hungry. As good as they are warm they are also good cold too.
Pilgrim Eggs Benedict from Brigs Restaurant - Poached eggs, over mashed potatoes, stuffing, squash, or sweet potato topped off with some hollandaise sauce and cranberry sauce. Oh MY!

Lunch

Curried Turkey Salad from Simply Recipes - Spread a little leftover cranberry sauce on toasted bread and scoop on this yummy salad instead of a regular sliced turkey sandwich. So Good...
Turkey Bacon Avocado Sammy from the Hen Basket - serve it up warm with some melted cheese (I used Monterey Jack in place of Swiss,) need I say more.
Turkey Cranberry Quesadilla from YumSugar - Good for lunch or as a snack to share. However, be careful as they are addicting.

Dinner (Round Two)

Turkey Pot Pie from Full Bellies, Happy Kids - This is sure to be a crowd pleaser for all ages.
Thanksgiving Salad from Serious Eats - If you are feeling a little guilty about the third helping of green bean casserole and two slices of pie, then this is for you. You can boost up the veggies and use quinoa as substitutes.
Not Your Traditional Leftover Turkey Soup - Eating Well featured this yummy Squash and turkey Soup that can be made with the leftover Turkey. It has a little kick to it from the pepper flakes but, it is calmed by the lime juice. Add a dollop of Cabot's Low Fat Sour Cream or Fat Free Cottage Cheese and this is a healthy refresher from the previous day's feasting.

Linny's Tip - Cooking and Storing Potatoes

Potatoes should be kept in a cool, dark place with good ventilation. The ideal storage temperature is 45 to 50ºF. At these temperatures, potatoes will keep for several
weeks. But don't store potatoes in the refrigerator! When kept below 40ºF, potatoes develop a sweet taste, due to the conversion of starch to sugar. This increased sugar causes potatoes to darken when cooked. If you store potatoes at room temperature, try to use them within a week or so.

Keep potatoes away from prolonged exposure to light, which causes them to turn green. This greening causes a bitter flavor. If potatoes develop green areas or start to sprout, just trim off these areas before using.

Always add potatoes to cold water to boil. This ensures that potatoes will cook evenly throughout.

Linny's Tip: Tomatoes

Did you know tomatoes are second in consumption to potatoes!

However, there is one important thing everyone should know about tomatoes and that is how to store them. Tomatoes do not like the cold at all. In fact when you keep them in the refrigerator they will become mealy and loose their robust flavor.

Instead store them in a cool dark place with their stem side down for ripe tomatoes. For those tomatoes that a not quite ripe leave them on a sunny window sill and soon they will turn bright red and juicy ready to honor any salad or BLT!