Still Going Through The Leftovers.....

I think like most people I have had nothing but leftovers for the past few days..... 

Don't get me wrong, I do love the leftovers. Its the only time of the year to enjoy such a great feast that keeps on giving and giving and giving. I think what I enjoy most is how it lends itself to creativity, although my favorite standby is just putting everything in a bowl and covering it with gravy.

The Thanksgiving Leftover Pie only lasted two days, so it was time for something new today. Ill be honest this could be the last day of leftovers because it is time to stop eating with abandonment and eat healthy, maybe salad or something.....

So with that in mind I went overboard with today's creation:

Pan Fried Stuffed Potato Pancakes:

As always it was simple. 

• I took two handful of mash potatoes and made them into separate "patties". 
• I placed a little turkey and stuffing on one half, placed the other half on top and sealed the edges. 
• In a small dish I combined bread crumbs, salt and pepper. I covered both sides of the pancake with the bread crumb mixture. 
• I heated about two tablespoons of olive oil and half a tablespoon of butter over high heat. Its important that the heat is high in order to sear the potato so it doesn't fall apart. 
• Cooked the first side on high then turned the heat down to ensure the middle was hot and did the same with the other side. 
• Be careful when flipping the pancakes because they are very soft and delicate.

I served it with gravy and cranberry sauce:

For me it is time to say farewell to the leftovers and I think I honored them well. 

Now time to start talking about the month of December and what to bring to parties and Christmas dinner.......

Turkey, Turkey and More Turkey... What to do With it???

Second day of turkey and all the fixing, now its time to get creative.

I realize the possibilities are endless....

Turkey sandwiches
Turkey potpie
Turkey casserole
Turkey soup
A great treat for the dogs
And so on....

So my sister and I decided to get creative and play with our leftovers.

Of course we had everything- turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, potato chips and of course pate brisee.

What doesn't everyone have leftover pate brisee??? What is it? Its a simple pie dough that can be made any time with basic ingredients. My sister always uses Martha Stewart's recipe, its a staple for her to always use.

With all of those ingredients we decided to make a Thanksgiving leftover pie. So simple and so good. We laid the dough in a pie pan, then added a layer of stuffing, then turkey, and then potatoes. And to give it added texture we finished with crunched up potato chips. Placed it in a 400 degree oven and baked it until the top was golden brown. The layers were beautiful:

We finished it with a gravy and a little cranberry sauce to make it a true leftover meal:

We made this last night and there is non left, thats how yummy it was. If you had leftover veggies you could serve it as a side with a slice of this easy pie.

How creative do you get with your leftovers???

Eeeek.....Brussel Sprouts!

We all have a food that is just down right gross to us not matter what. For my Mom and many others I know it is the brussel sprout. 

For me I love them! I think the flavor is deeeeelicious and there is so much to do with it. So I thought it would be a fun challenge to get my Mom to eat them and I did! 

Not only are they yummy, they are also so good for you. Each tiny little sprout contains three times the amount of vitamin C than an orange and a great source of vitamin D. 

Always up for a challenge and voila! 

Brussel sprouts my Mom will eat! She liked them so much that we are serving them for Christmas dinner and she doesn't care if anyone else likes them.

What made them so good? Simplicity and fresh ingredients of course.

I simply sliced the trimmed brussel sprouts, sauteed them in olive oil and butter with fresh garlic, thyme form the garden, and slivered almonds. I added a little white wine and butter at the end. Seasoned with salt and pepper.

I realize I did not invent this way of cooking brussel sprouts, but who ever did is onto something. The best part is that you can add whatever you have around. It makes a great side dish or salad.

So what food makes you cringe? 

Me? Mayonnaise.... it literately will make me gag.... cant even do aioli... 

Fortunately I like pretty much anything else.