Leftover Turkey Finds a Way

After all the delightful feasting, if you made the turkey, you're probably also going to get stuck with a bit of turkey leftovers. What do you do with these leftovers without it feeling like you're eating leftover turkey for weeks? Turkey sandwich, step-aside!

Creamy turkey pot pies are the new cool kids in town. Okay, I admit, when I first heard of chicken pot pies or turkey pot pies, I was kinda grossed out. Can chicken and pie be in the same sentence? It was a weird concept. Then I tried a piece and absolutely fell in love! I couldn't wait to make my own.

What is great about chicken/turkey pot pies is that they let you use the entire chicken. So this week, you might have turkey leftovers, but this also works amazing with leftover rotisserie chicken. I've always been kinda apprehensive about buying rotisserie chicken because we always have too much left over and don't quite know what to do with it. This was a wonderful solution.

What are your favorite ways to finish that left-over turkey?

Thanksgiving Baking Recap

Thanksgiving eve I had a blast baking three different pumpkin desserts for three different family gatherings. Survey says they all turned out delicious, and in the spirit of giving - I wanted to share the recipes.

Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Notice the progression? All were slightly different, and David said the pumpkin cheesecake bars were his favorite, but feedback was good for them all. And I think they were worth not remembering whether I turned off the oven while we were half way to our family dinner on the other side of town. Twas a moment of panic infused problem solving, and thankfully in the end our apartment is still standing.

Thanksgiving: What to Make?

The week leading up to Thanksgiving is always exciting - this weekend was extra exciting for me because my husband conspired a little early birthday surprise for me. It was my first time flying since I was a toddler - flying over the many vineyards in Dundee was breathtaking.

But now its time to figure out what I'm going to make to the several Thanksgiving feasts that await. I have narrowed down to a couple different options:

Betty Crocker's Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake OR the almost perfect scoring Pumpkin Bars OR the perfect scoring Pecan Pie Bars (not pictured)?

With 3 upcoming feasts, I just might make them all...

Hot Apple Cider - Perfect for a Chilly Day

Fall is hot apple cider while snuggled on the couch with a cozy blanket and intriguing book. Or if you're a student, like me, its one of those little things that goes a long way in making writing essays a bit more serene and enjoyable.

Usually, because of the chaotic school-work life, I have to opt for the instant Alpine Spiced Apple Cider, but I am looking forward to trying some of the more authentic apple ciders come winter break.

Here are some varieties on cider recipes if you want to mix it up a little bit:

Easy Apple Cider - 5 ingredients, 5 minutes prep time and ready in an hour - I may have to give this one a shot this weekend!

Hot Spiced Cider - Adds flavors of maple, orange and lemon.

Spiced Apricot Cider - Never tried apricot cider before!

Spirited Apple Cider - Sounds perfect for a cold and wet rainy night by the fireplace.

Winter Recipes

Cooking is quickly becoming therapeutic. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from preparing a delicious meal, then devouring it and receiving praise for its deliciousness. Philosophers say a lot of things, such as love being the key ingredient to a delicious meal. Perhaps that is true. But I say that a meal both made with and then received with love leads to the ultimate deliciousness.

It is amazing that I can talk so positively about cooking. Prior to getting married it was my biggest fear and nuisance. I hated it, avoided it, and never thought I would do it. My confidence skill was zero. But, thanks to the nurturing love of my husband, this has changed and with exploration and freedom to explore in an nonthreatening environment - it has become in fact therapeutic and something I look forward to everyday.

Here are some of my favorites from this winter - I hope you will find them as enjoyable and in the end delicious as we have:

Spaghetti Squash

Zuppa Tuscana

Curried Chicken Corn Chowder

They are definitely recipes that will be made again!

June Reflection

The end of June already? Incredible! These past two months have been a time of joyous transition that inevitably made me lose all sense of time - but I don't mind :) I've gotten married (wedding planning stress no more!) and began building our new home with my wonderful husband. We've had a lot of fun visiting Home Depot and seeing our garage sale purchases finding their perfect fit in our apartment. Of course, its only been 2 weeks since our wedding - we still have a lot to do (anyone know where to find a sweet entry/console table?), but we are satisfied with what we have. We are definitely looking forward to entertaining our friends at our home and practicing the wonderful art of hospitality!

On another note - today, I was pondering what to make for brunch with the limited groceries that lay in my fridge. We had a lot of leftover pita bread from the wedding that I figured I might as well use. I was craving a sandwich - and behold a pita sandwich was born. It turned out quite delicious I must say :) Here's the details of what I used - but do experiment! (and let me know how yours turns out!)

-1 slice of pita bread
-Lightly spread pita bread with Mayo
-Generously shred cheese on pita bread
-add 2-3 peices of sandwich turkey ham (or your fave meat)
-Microwave for 25 seconds for cheese to melt
-Add your fave veggies, mine were: cucumbers, tomatoes & lettuce.
-Fold up the pita bread into a taco/wrap style and walla!



Delicious, quick & easy - just the way I like it!

And now, back to the laundry.. :)