Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

I realize as I’m typing this that many of you have probably already consumed any leftovers remaining from Thanksgiving, but on a rainy day like today any kind of pot pie, leftovers or not, sounds warm and comforting. This is actually my first homemade pot pie…every other pot pie has come from the frozen food section of the grocery store. Besides the lack of ability to make a good ruffled edge on the pie crust, the pot pie turned out to be quite good. The filling was nice and creamy with the occasional crunch of the pie crust in each bite.  We managed to eat the whole thing for dinner or I would have shared a picture of the filling inside. Now I just need to find a good recipe for all the leftover ham…

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

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1 pie crust

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/2 cup finely diced carrot

1/2 cup finely diced celery (I omitted this)

2 cups leftover turkey, light and dark, diced (or shredded)

1/4 cup flour

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

splash of white wine (optional)

1 cup heavy cream

Frozen peas

Fresh thyme, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt butter in a skillet or Dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until translucent.

Add turkey and stir. Sprinkle flour over mixture. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour in chicken broth, stirring constantly. Splash in wine (if using). Pour in cream and frozen peas. Bring to a slow boil and allow mixture to cook and thicken a few minutes. Add salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish or deep pie pan.

Roll out crust so that its about 1 inch larger than the pan you’re using.

Place the crust on top of the pot pie mixture, and press crust into the sides of the dish. Cut vents in the top of the crust.

Bake for 30 minutes or until very golden and bubbly.

Allow to cool for a little bit before serving.

Source: Pioneer Woman

One Year Ago Today: Potato Soup

Asian Meatball Subs with Hoisin Mayonnaise

Well I have arrived home safely from our Thanksgiving travels. I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving! I don’t know about you, but at the moment all food is starting to seem unappealing and cooking is about the last thing I want to do. I’m sure I will get over it soon, but for now I am having to push through. I made this tasty sandwich before our holiday travels began. I’m a sucker for hoisin sauce and the rest of the ingredients sounded too good not to try. Many of the prep work can be done the night before or morning of cooking to make yet another easy and quick meal after a long day at the office. The sandwiches were delicious. If I changed anything at all about this recipe it would probably be the bread, it seemed like a lot compared to the amount of meat. I probably could have ate a second one, but with all the bread consumption, I decided to save some for lunch the next day.

Asian Meatball Subs with Hoisin Mayo

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1 slice white sandwich bread

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon soy sauce

5 scallions, white and green parts separated

1 1/4 pounds ground pork

3 large cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1/3 cup water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and chopped

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 to 4 teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce

Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying

1 cup bean sprouts

4 7-inch-long pieces baguette, split open

Tear the sandwich bread into small pieces, then toss with the milk and soy sauce in a large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mince the scallion whites. Cut the scallion greens into thin 2-inch long strands. Put the strands in a bowl of ice water and refrigerate while you make the meatballs.

Add the scallion whites, pork, garlic, ginger, water chestnuts, egg, cilantro, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the bowl with the bread; mix until combined. Gently form into 16 golf-ball size meatballs. Put the meatballs on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours.

Stir the hoisin sauce, mayo, 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice, chili-garlic sauce, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Add the meatballs in batches and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Drain the scallion greens and toss with the bean sprouts, the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Spread the hoisin mayo on the insides of the baguette pieces, then fill with the meatballs and top with the scallion-sprout mixture.

Source: Food Network Magazine, November 2010

One Year Ago Today: Meatball Sliders

Starred Recipes Recap

Here is a recap of the recipes that caught my eye last week:

• I have attended many events serving breakfast and they always include an assortment of Danish. They look appealing, but usually are a disappointment as far as flavor. Annie’s Eats made a homemade Apple Cream Cheese Danish Braid that sounds and looks so much better than the catered version.
• Culinary Covers is a blog dedicated to trying recipes straight from the cover of books and magazines. This week a Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue was tested from the cover of Southern Living’s magazine. Since Lori tested and approved of the pie I really want to try it out for myself.
• Almost every baker has a good coffee cake recipe in their recipe box. I like to find recipes that include ingredients I haven’t tried yet. Home Cooking posted a recipe for a Pecan-Pear Sour Cream Coffee Cake that looks delicious.

Last week I mentioned that I would be back in my home town visiting family for Thanksgiving. I am happy to say we have arrived safely and I am looking forward to spending time with my family and close friends. I have decided to not post any recipes this week so that I can enjoy my time with everyone. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Happy cooking and baking!

Football Fridays: Buffalo Chicken Bites

 

I’ve been waiting to make this appetizer since the start of college football season and never quite got around to it. I seem to enjoy buffalo chicken dips and bites over actual chicken wings. I suppose it has something to do with the messiness usually present with buffalo wings. The bites reminded me a lot of the Buffalo Chicken Dip previously posted. Cornflakes are coated on the outside of the bites to provide some crunch; all that is left is a quick dunk it some ranch or bleu cheese. This was the perfect snack to enjoy during weekend football games. To cut down on prep time, the bites can be made and placed in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

I hope everyone has a great weekend…only a few days left before Thanksgiving!

Buffalo Chicken Bites

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3 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce (adjust to your level of heat)

3 1/2 oz cream cheese, softened

1 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup green onion, diced

1 cup all purpose flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3 to 4 cups cornflakes cereal, crush (I used Special K)

Ranch (or bleu cheese) dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, cream cheese, and hot sauce until combined. Stir in the cheddar cheese and green onions. Using a small cookie scoop, spoon out the chicken mixture and roll into about 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a plate until ready to dip.

In three separate bowls, set out the flour, eggs, and cornflakes. Dip each ball into the flour, then egg, then cornflakes. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Source: Pennies on a Platter, originally from The Food Network

One Year Ago Today: Sausage and Peppers

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

This cookie can be summed up as a chocolate brownie filled with toffee which has melted inside to give a chewy center. I purchased the pre-chopped toffee bits which can normally be found in the baking isle of your grocery store. Next time I think I will go for the actual toffee bar and do the chopping myself. The bits of toffee should be a little coarser than the bagged toffee bits. Some of my favorite cookies have a crunchy outside and a soft, chewy center and this cookie definitely fits into this category. After serving them to the fam, they didn’t stick around for long!

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

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1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

16 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups light brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

8 oz coarsely chopped toffee bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave using 20-second intervals, stirring in between each period. Continue until the mixture is melted and smooth. (Be careful not to scorch the chocolate). Cool mixture to lukewarm.

With a stand mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and then toffee. Chill batter until firm but not hard, about 30 minutes.

Using a cookie scoop, place dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to the touch, about 15 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

Source slightly adapted from: The Culinary Chronicles