Turkey Cranberry Sandwiches

This is my favorite fare to make with Thanksgiving leftovers, but sometimes you just have a hankering for it in March, so here we are.



quality bread
turkey slices
plain cream cheese
cranberry sauce (or in a pinch, lingon berry jam)
lettuce

Toast the bread and spread the cream cheese on real thick. Then add the turkey and a generous ooze of berry sauce. Eat immediately and repeat.

Cheese Soup

from Anja Jensen

Ooooh, you can't go wrong with this creamy hot soup on a cold winter night. Easily changed to a vegetarian meal by leaving out the meat, next time I would try adding some chopped tomatoes for more color.


5 large potatoes
5 large carrots
2 Tbsp oil
8 cups stock
1 tub cream cheese (8 oz, or 225 grams)
1 lb hamburger *although this is easily omitted
1 Tbsp curry
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the hamburger and drain the grease. Chop carrots and potatoes into chunks and boil until easily mashed (or pureed). Then combine the stock with the mashed vegetables, boil for 15 minutes then add cream cheese, hamburger and spices. Stir until melted and smooth.

Serves 6

Maailman paras pannukakku (World's Best Pancake)

-or-
Finnish Pancakes

from Mandi

Although these pancakes could be eaten for breakfast in America, they are sweet enough for dessert. They come out very soft and taste great with jam!


1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups milk
3 eggs
4 Tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 375. Begin by combining all dry ingredients. Then slowly add the milk, being sure to mix it well. Then add the eggs. On a stove, heat up the butter until it is melted and pour it on top. The mixture will be VERY runny, but that is ok.
To bake, lay baking paper on the bottom of a broiler pan until it is completely covered and pour the batter in. The liquid should be 1/2 inch or less thick. Carefully put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. The top will turn a dark brown, the pancake should be removed just before burning. Serve warm.

Shepards Pie

from mom

This is a cheap and easy dish, and very filling.

Filling:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 c beef broth
1 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp wine vinegar
carrots (sliced)
peas
corn
salt and pepper to taste

Topping: (mashed potatoes)
6-8 large potatoes
1/3 c butter
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 packet of ranch (optional)
cheese to sprinkle on top (optional)

First, boil the potatoes until they are soft enough to mash. Also, boil all vegetables until just softened. Saute onion, garlic and brown meat, then drain the grease. Add broth and flour until thickened. Add vegetables, seasonings and vinegar to the meat mixture. Pour meat mix into a baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350. Mash the potatoes until soft, add butter, milk and seasonings until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Plop the mashed potatoes on top and spread out until meat mixture is covered completely. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until mashed potatoes are golden brown.

Serves 8

Yogurt Marmalade Cake

from Pioneer Woman Cooks

This dessert is delicious, adding the yogurt in the bread makes it very moist and soft. In doing this again, I would probably experiment with the glaze a little bit, mine came out rather thick.

Cake:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 heaping cup of plain yogurt

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup canola oil

Glaze:

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1/4 cup yogurt

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside

In a different bowl, mix yogurt, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and oil until combined. Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and stir until just combined; do not over beat (may be a bit lumpy)

Pour the mixture into a prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove from pan. While cake is cooling, pour marmalade into a sauce pan and heat on low until melted, stirring occasionally. Add yogurt to pan and turn off heat. Stir to combine, then slowly pour over the top of the cake, allowing icing to pool around the sides.

Red Lentil Soup

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

I didn't end up making this exactly the same way, I had to make some substitutions and still it turned out pretty well. Ben ate the entire pot. That is 7 servings. Yikes.

2 cups lentils (black beluga or green french recommended)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion

1 can of crushed tomatoes

2 cups vegetable stock

3 cups of a leafy green (chard, kale, spinach) rinsed and chopped

salt, to taste

Yogurt:

a pinch of saffron

1 Tbsp boiling water

two pinches of salt

1/2 cup plain yogurt

Bring 6 cups of water to boil, add lentils and cook for about 20 minutes (until tender). Drain and set aside so they don't get mushy.

To make the saffron yogurt, combine the saffron threads and boiling water in a tiny cup. Let the saffron steep for a few minutes and stir it in with the yogurt. Mix in salt and set aside.

Then, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot and saute the onion in slat until tender. Then stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and stock until the soup comes to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens and wait another minute until just wilted. Ladle into bowls and served with a dollop of yogurt.

Serves 6-8

Feta Stuffed Bread

adapted from Arabic Bites

I love to try different breads when I make soup, and this recipe just was too tempting to resist! Although the photo doesn't reveal much, inside the bread is gooey with melted cheese and packed with flavor.

Dough:

3 cups flour

1 cup warm water

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp yeast

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

oil, for shallow frying

Filling:

8 oz Feta, crumbled

8 oz Cheddar (I used Edam), grated

3 scallions, diced

fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

*I also added a handful of diced sun-dried tomato... mmmm...

Place all dough ingredients in a bowl and knead until dough is soft (about 5 minutes for a mixer, 10 by hand). Cover dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1-2 hours).

While the bread is rising, combine all filling ingredients and set aside.

Preheat a pan to medium heat and 1 Tbsp oil. Once risen, take the dough out and divide it into 8 balls. One at a time, flatten each ball into a round. Then plop 1-2 tablespoons of the filling in the middle and gather up the edges of the dough and pinch them together, creating a dough ball filled with cheesy goodness. Gently flatten the dough ball with your hands or a roller until it makes a thinner pancake. It will be a bit lumpy because of the filling, but take care not to puncture the dough.

Then place the stuffed bread on the frying pan and cook until golden brown on both sides (1-2 minutes each side).

Serve warm!

Snickerdoodles

from Simply Recipes

1/2 cup butter (112 grams)

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup white sugar

2 egg

2 cup all purpose flour

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Cinnamon Sugar mix:

3/4 cup sugar

2-3 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350.  Cream the butter until it is soft, smooth and light.  Add the sugars to the creamed butter and mix until they are fully incorporated and lighter in color.  Then add the salt and mix well.  Stirring vigorously, add the egg to the mixture and beat until the batter is uniform.  

In another bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch and baking soda.  Then fold the dry ingredients slowly into the wet mixture.  Once the batter is smooth, spoon out a ball of dough and plop them into the cinnamon mix.  Place the dough balls about 3 inches apart, flatten the top and sprinkle on a little more of the cinnamon-sugar mix.  

Bake for about 7-9 minutes, or until the edges are brown while the middle is still blonde.  

Best fresh out of the oven.  Makes about 24 cookies.    

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Shrimp (aka Penne a la Betsy)

from Pioneer Woman Cooks

If you have never ventured over to the Pioneer Woman website, it is really worth a look.  A blog about her life on the ranch she has great recipes with step by step instructions and witty commentary.  This dish is one of hers, and it's delicious and hard to mess up.    

1 lb shrimp

3/4 lb short pasta

butter

olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine (or stock)

8 oz tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp parsley

1 Tbsp basil

salt & pepper

pepper

* I also added 3 diced tomatoes 

Boil pasta in salty water until al dente.  Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 lb of shrimp.  Heat 1 Tbsp butter and olive oil in a skillet, add the shrimp and cook for a couple of minutes until just opaque.  Do not overcook them.  Set aside to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Once they have softened, add 1/2 cup of wine (or stock)  stirring occasionally for several minutes.  In the meantime, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails.  Chop them into small bite sized pieces and set aside.  

Pour tomato sauce in the wine mixture and stir until combined.  Then add 1 cup heavy cream.  Stir frequently and turn the heat down to low.  Add herbs and finally the shrimp back into the mixture.  Once combined, pour atop the pasta and mix it in.  Serve immediately.   

Taco Soup

from a Relief Society program

This soup is so easy and you can add or substitute many of the ingredients depending on your preferences and what you have on hand.  It's a perfect meal when you don't have much time, plus it's a great way to use food storage.  

2 garlic cloves

1 medium onion

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground beef 

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 cup corn, drained

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 14 oz  can Mexican style tomatoes

1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 14 oz can tomato juice

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 packet ranch dressing mix (optional)

1-2 chili peppers (optional, if you want some heat)

corn chips

sour cream

In the bottom of your soup pot, brown the ground beef, garlic and onion.  Drain excess fat, and add tomato juice, canned tomatoes, beans, corn, seasonings and simmer on low heat for about an hour.  Serve with a side of corn tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream.  

Pasta with Olive Tapenade

adapted from Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater

Ben loves olives, and lately I have been looking for recipes that use them. This one was great, and easily adaptable. I added tomatoes and garlic, and sprinkled a little feta on top but you could just as easily do without. We liked the strong flavor, but agreed that this may not be kid friendly food...

1/2 lb pasta (The recipe calls for long pasta, like spaghetti. I just used what I had.)

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp diced kalamata olives

1 Tbsp capers

1 Tbsp parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

2-3 tomatoes, diced

Crumbled feta (garnish)

Boil salty water and cook the pasta until al dente. Saute onions and garlic in a glug of olive oil, add capers, olives, and spices and pour hot mixture into drained pasta. Top pasta mixture with diced tomatoes and feta, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Bran Muffins err... Bran Bread

adapted from Cookie Baker Lynn

I grew up with my mom's amazing Bran muffins, but her recipe requires a food processor (something I don't have at the moment) so I rooted around for a recipe that would be easier to prepare, healthy, and still pack a flavorful punch.  I found this recipe, baked it as a loaf (I don't have muffin tins either...) and it turned out lovely.  

2 cups bran cereal

1 1/4 cups milk

1 1/4 cups flour (whole or white)

1/2 cup honey (or sugar)

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large banana, mashed

Feel free to add raisins, nuts or other berries if desired.  As you can tell, you can make this recipe as healthy as you want depending on the ingredients that you choose.  

Preheat oven to 400 (350 if you are baking a loaf).  In a larch mixing bowl, combine bran cereal and milk.  Let stand for a few minutes to soften the cereal.  Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a small bowl and set aside.  Turn back to the cereal mixture and mix in the egg and oil, beating well.  Mash the banana and add it to the wet mixture.  Stir in flour mixture and pour the batter into a prepared muffin tin or bread loaf.  

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 or until golden brown (for muffins)

Bake for 50 minutes at 350 or until golden brown (for bread)

Best served warm, with butter.  Enjoy!