Yum Peaceful Cooking: November 2014

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Turkey and Stuffing Crepes #SundaySupper





We all look forward to Thanksgiving. It is the biggest foodie holiday of the year after all. I think most of us look forward to the leftovers almost as much as the big day itself. Turkey Sandwiches, Turkey Soup, Turkey Broth, and of course just reheating the goods and gobbling it down again.

But what about taking it a step or two further and making a whole new, different meal? The possibility list just expanded quite a bit didn't it?

Today's Sunday Supper is all about doing just that. Re-inventing your Thanksgiving leftovers.

One of my favorite things to do, and I've been doing this in various forms for years, is to use the turkey to fill crepes. It's such a simple, no fuss dinner that your family is sure to enjoy.

A quick note about the crepes: If you want to make them from scratch, go for it. Did I? Nooooo. Not that I haven't but to be honest, after spending the whole day in the kitchen on Thanksgiving, I don't usually have the drive to actually make crepes. I buy them from the market. Pre-made. They're found in the produce section of all places. I guess cuz they're known mostly for being filled with fruit. I happen to love them filled with yummy savory turkey and stuffing.

Turkey and Stuffing Crepes

Printable Version

2 cups cooked turkey, shredded
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup craisins
2 cups gravy, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups stuffing
10 crepes
1 cup cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon cranberry juice
chopped chives to garnish

Preheat the oven to 350'F. Spray a 13 x 9 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey, craisins, and 3/4 cup of the gravy. Heat through, stirring occasionally for about 3 - 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed.


Scoop 1/4 cup of the turkey mixture along the center of the crepe and top with 1/4 cup of the stuffing.


Very gently roll up the crepe, folding in the sides as you go and place into your prepared casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining crepes until you have prepared all 10.

Pour the remaining gravy over the top.

Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, heat up the cranberry sauce, adding the cranberry juice (or water) to thin out just a bit.

When the crepes are done baking, remove from oven. Gently remove the crepes from the pan with a long spatula to serve (if you're not careful, they will fall apart a bit). Pour the heated cranberry sauce over the top and garnish with chopped chives.


Doesn't get much easier than that, does it? It just a fancified turkey sandwich but it's elegant enough to serve for dinner.

I know there are more leftovers than just turkey and stuffing, so I think you need to check out what the rest of the Sunday Supper team has in store for you:


Breakfast:



Main Dish:



Side Dishes:



Sandwiches:



Condiments & Sauces:



Dessert:



Cocktails & Drinks:



SSbadge-150x150 Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday!We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7 p.m. ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtagand remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Wild Boar Pacific Rim Sliders #SundaySupper


There are different kinds of 'food' hunters. Wild game, forager, and shopper. What you're into, where you live and possibly how you live might help define which kind of  hunter you are. Or maybe you fall under more than one category.

Sir Sportsalot doesn't hunt wild game. He just get's wild watching a game (hence the name "Sir Sportsalot"). I've never gone foraging, although I'd love to. It does intimidate me a little though.... being able to identify what you're picking...knowing the difference between what you can and can not eat...that sort of thing. So that puts me in the category of a shopping hunter. Hunting for that one, hard to find, ingredient. Driving to specialty stores, exploring markets in ethnic neighborhoods, just to try something new, exciting and authentic.

Well, I didn't really have to go far for this wild boar. I just happened to stumble upon it locally and it sorta ended up in my cart with very little struggle. Easy prey if you ask me. Much easier (and safer) than actually hunting a wild boar. And it comes so nicely packaged, too.


Wild Boar Pacific Rim Sliders

Printable Version

Sliders
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh, grated ginger
1 lb ground wild boar
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
12 slider buns

Topping
2 teaspoons oil
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
4 green onions, sliced diagonally
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

Wasabi Aoli
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon wasabi sauce
1/2 teaspoon teriyaki sauce

Preheat the oven to 400'F

In a food processor, combine the mushrooms, onions and ginger and process until finely chopped

In a medium sized bowl, combine the wild boar, chopped mushroom mixture, teriyaki sauce and bread crumbs. Mix until just combined.

Press the mixture evenly into an ungreased 11 x 7 rectangle baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

While the meat is baking, let's get everything else ready:

Heat the 2 teaspoons of oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the bean spouts and green onions. Allow to cook until just beginning to wilt and the bean sprouts are barely opaque. Stir frequently. Add a tablespoon or 2 of water if needed to prevent sticking. Add 2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce and continue heating until the sauce is slightly reduced, about a minute or two, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, wasabi sauce and teriyaki sauce. Mix until thoroughly combined and chill until everything else is ready to serve.

Once the meat is cooked and slightly cooled, carefully drain off the excess grease and gently remove onto a cutting board. Slice into 12 even squares


Spread the Wasabi Aoli onto your slider buns, place a patty on there and then top with your sauteed bean sprouts.


The wild boar flavor is wonderful. Slightly sweeter than your typical pork. I love each component from this slider separately, but when they're combined....wow!! So fun, so delicious and simple to make. And now I can say I've eaten wild boar!

Now tell me....what's your favorite food to 'hunt' for?

Here are some recipes for ingredients that are hunter or foraged for...enjoy :)

Spread it on Thick

Nibbles and Sides

The Main Event

Sweet Treats

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7 p.m. ET.  Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Almond Mocha Pudding Cookies


Let's make this short and sweet. Just like the recipe for these delicious cookies. I will however give you a quick background.

During my recent visit in Alabama, my sister and I were craving something sweet. Or maybe it was just me and she politely went along with it (how southern of her). Either way, we quickly discovered the limitations of our resources. But I was determined. I mean...I was in a gorgeously huge kitchen after all....and I needed to bake!


A quick inventory found us with flour, sugar, butter, and eggs....thats good. We have the basics. What else....a box of chocolate pudding? Hmmm....this could be interesting. Oh, and a handful of sliced almonds..

Well...this is a job for Google! A quick search for 'pudding in cookies' came up a surprisingly long list of results. I had never heard of using pudding in cookies (apparently I'm in the minority where that's concerned. Oh well, so much for thinking we were on the cutting edge of a new method). What we ended up with were amazing, delicious, soft, melt in your mouth cookies!

Almond Mocha Pudding Cookies

Inspired by Kraft Easy Pudding Cookies
makes about 4 dozen 2" cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened (read the tip below regarding the end result based on which one is used)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 3.9 oz packet of instant pudding
1 tsp instant coffee
2 eggs
2 cups self rising flour
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat your oven to 350'

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy,

Add the pudding and instant coffee and beat until combined.

Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Mix in the flour until well combined.

Scoop out 1 tablespoon of cookie dough, form into a ball and place onto a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Place a few almond slices on top of the dough ball and gently press to secure.

Bake 11 - 13 minutes. Allow to cool 1 minute before placing onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. (HA!! Ya right! Who are we trying to kid here? Grab one...for each hand.)


Tip:
Margarine will result in a fluffy almost cake like cookie
Butter will result in a flatter, not as fluffy cookie

Both are soft, chewy and amazingly delicious! Don't be surprised if they don't last more than 24 hrs.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Horiatki Salata #SundaySupper



Horiatki Salata aka Greek Village Salad is simple, light and amazingly delicious. If this is how the villagers eat....I need to rethink things a bit. You know that saying "less is more"? Well it certainly applies here...in a big way!

I found this recipe in It's All Greek To Me by Debbie Matenopoulos. Its one of many recipes in this book that I've attached a post-it to. If you want to lighten things up a bit during the holidays, Greek food is the way to go.

Let me go on to say that typically, I'm not a huge fan of feta cheese. Nor am I a fan of kalamata olives. For some reason, when combined with the ingredients in this salad, and once coated and marinated with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.....these two ingredients seem to take advantage of being in their element and shine like nobodies business.

It says that this salad is an everyday traditional side dish but you know what? It holds it's own as a main dish. The only dish. Great for lunch...a light dinner. You don't feel like you've missed out on anything!

Horiatki Salata

From the It's All Greek To Me cookbook
Serves 4-6

1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced (it says seedless but that wasn't available)
4-5 large tomatoes, sliced
1 large red onion, sliced
1 large bell pepper, sliced (it says green but I prefer orange, red or yellow)
1 cup kalamata olives (I recommend pitted) plus more if desired
1/4 lb Greek feta cheese, packed in brine, drained and sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
Juice from 1 lemon (about 2 or 3 tablespoons)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon cut into wedges to garnish

In a large bowl, toss together the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and olives. Top with the slices of feta cheese. Crush the dried oregano in the palm of your hand to release the fragrance and natural oils and sprinkle over the top along with the capers. Drizzle the lemon juice and then the evoo over the salad. Set aside and let marinade for about 20 minutes before serving.


Looking for more ideas on light meals during the holidays? Check out what Sunday Supper has in store for you!

Drinks
Appetizer or starter
Main Dishes
Side Dishes
Desserts
Sunday Supper Movement Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.