Left overs! For breakfast?

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I just can't get enough turkey when Fall comes along!! I start off by buying turkey breast in September, trying different preparations, move on to thighs for casseroles or curry.  For my family, it doesn't end with Thanksgiving. Turkey for us, is the gift, that just keeps on giving!

What's your leftovers style? The obligatory turkey-stuffing-etc. sandwich? Throw an egg on those brussel sprouts? Repurpose the mashed potatoes into a family doughnut recipe? Or if you're craving spicy, ever tried a mouth-numbing Szechuan-style turkey dish? I dug up some leftovers recipes, so you can make the best of the gift that keeps on giving.

Dressing dressed up!

Leftover dressing
Butter for pan
Leftover gravy (optional)
Heavy cream
Chopped herbs of any kind
Eggs

Heat a pan on medium high, melt butter until it starts to bubble. Spread a nice even layer of dressing on the pan and press it down so that it makes a good contact with the hot surface. Leave it alone so crisps nicely. In the meantime, warm leftover gravy in a separate saucepan, add heavy cream to desired consistency, add chopped herbs to flavor. Let gravy cook but not boil. 
 

Flip dressing and crisp on other side. While dressing is crimping, cook eggs to your liking.  

Plate dressing and add eggs in top, drizzle (or ladle) gravy as desired.  Enjoy!

Fancy Pants Scramble

Butter
3 eggs
Leftover white meat turkey
Spinach
Garlic
Brie
Fig compote

In a sauté pan melt butter, add turkey to warm up, add garlic to taste

Once turkey and garlic have warmed through, add eggs, spinach and Brie. Scramble until spinach starts to wilt and Brie just starts to soften.

Plate and top with a bit of fig compote (or even leftover cranberry sauce) and enjoy with toast. 

Lunch:

Having lived in Mexico for several years, one of our favorite lunches was Tortilla soup. Our daughter Laura could almost live solely on good Tortilla soup! Turkey and chilies go remarkably well together. Heck, the turkey's even the national bird of Mexico, or at least it would have been had the Golden Eagle and a half dozen other birds in line for the job in front of it had posed slightly less imposing silhouettes on a coat of arms. Hahaha! It is, however, widely consumed in Mexico.

 Turkey Tortilla Soup

  J. Kenji López-Alt

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6, active time 30 minutes, total time 30 minutes

• 2 cups peanut oil/canola for frying tortilla strips (see note)
• 4 corn tortillas, cut in half, then sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (see note)
• Kosher Salt
• 2 pasilla chilies
• 2 ancho chilies
• 2 whole chipotle chilies canned in adobo sauce plus 1 tablespoon sauce
• 2 quarts low sodium canned or homemade chicken or turkey broth
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 whole poblano pepper, seeds and stem removed, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane grater
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 pound leftover turkey meat, shredded by hand into rough 10-inch pieces
• sliced scallions, sliced cilantro, diced avocado, diced jalapeño and lime slices for serving

1. Heat peanut oil/canola oil to 350°F in a dutch oven or wok over high heat. Add tortilla strips and fry, agitating with a metal spider or slotted spatula until strips are crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, season with salt, and set aside.
2. Combine all chilis in a medium saucepan and add half of the chicken broth. Simmer over medium-high heat until the chilies are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender or hand blender cup and blend until completely smooth.
3. While chilies are simmering, heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add the onions and poblano pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining chicken broth. Add chili purée from step 2 as soon as it is ready.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, add turkey meat, and cook until flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve hot, passing tortilla strips, scallions, cilantro, avocado, jalapeños, and lime wedges at the table.
   
    ~ You can use store-bought tortilla strips or crumbled tortilla chips if desired. For a milder flavor, remove one ancho and one pasilla chili and replace 1 cup chicken stock in step three with 1 (14.4-ounce) can of diced tomatoes with their juice or Ro*Tel tomatoes.
   
   Dinner:

Sichuan-Style Hot and Numbing Sliced Turkey


  J. Kenji López-Alt

The classic Sichuan flavors of chile oil, vinegar, and Sichuan peppercorns go together fantastically with cold leftover turkey. It's a welcome change the next day after all that heavy Thanksgiving fare.

Ingredients

serves 4, active time 10 minutes, total time 10 minutes

• 1/4 cup hot chile oil, preferably homemade (see note)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons Chinkiang vinegar
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried chile flakes
• 1 tablespoon toasted ground Sichuan peppercorns, picked over for twigs or black seeds
• 1/2 pound to 1 pound roasted turkey breast, cold, sliced int 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly torn
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, crushed underneath heavy skillet
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine chile oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chile flakes, and half of peppercorns in a small bowl and mix with fork to combine. Combine turkey, cilantro, peanuts, and chile vinaigrette in small bowl and toss to combine. Pile onto plates and top with grated garlic and remaining Sichuan peppercorn.

~This dish can also be made with sliced pork or chicken. To make chili oil, combine 1/2 cup crushed red pepper flakes (preferably Chinese) with 1/2 cup oil in a small saucepan. Heat until lightly bubbling, then remove from heat. Allow to steep several hours or overnight. Chile oil can be stored in refrigerator for up to three months in a sealed container.
If you're using homemade chile oil, include one tablespoon of chile debris while making sauce in the first step and omit dried chiles. Chinkiang vinegar is available at most Asian grocery stores. When using Sichuan peppercorns, use only the red or brown outer husks, not the shiny black seed inside.

Black Friday is here!! If you like to partake in that "Sport" I wish you good luck!!

 We are doing our traditional girly brunch with a bottle of Veave Clicquot of course!! Then Wee Bear and I will host dinner Friday night to accommodate our 7 month old Grandchild's sleep pattern and allow her Mom and Dad to relax with their siblings. Saturday, bowling with the cousins and kiddo's!

I have been busy working on a new Christmas tree, a little more edgy than our past trees! And, I will share my decorating tips on future blogs!

 Sew Whats cooking with Joan! An apron made for Sweet One and I by our friend Fawn, who has an embroidery business. She sews the apron out of any fabric you may want, then embroiders anything you want on it! If you are wondering what to get for a hostess gift, or a gift for Aunt Marge...click on the icon on the right side of this blog and you will be directed to Fawn's web site. she can customize any idea you have, or give you some creative ideas to thrill and delight!

  More of Fawn's Embroidery, I bought two sets of three, just beautiful for hostess gifts, tuck one around a bottle of nice wine, in a decorative bag!

We have a action packed weekend planned with family! See you on Monday with a sweet blog with my Granddaughter and I tackling a English Gingerbread cookie!


Enjoy your weekend no matter what you have planned! 

Cheers!
JJ