Turkey, Cranberry, and Mashed Potato Pizza

Thanksgiving leftovers as pizza toppings--mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce dotted with turkey and topped with feta and cheddar cheeses.

I'm going to share two Thanksgiving Leftovers Pizzas this month. One is for folks who don't want to make a special pizza dough, and the other is for folks who are game to try another of my new concoctions. Let's start with the easier one.

I knew I wanted a layer of mashed potatoes as the base, and after Thanksgiving I made several attempts using my Make Ahead Irish Mashed Potato Casserole. But none of my efforts with actual Thanksgiving leftovers really thrilled me, so I waited until I saw some turkey marked down, threw some other sides in my basket, and tried again.

For this particular combination I made 3 different pizzas--one without any cheese, one with cheddar, and one with feta. The pizza really needs cheese [this Beef & Broccoli pizza works without cheese, though]. I found I preferred the duo of feta and cheddar together.

You know, I don't think I'm going to type any more on this post. As I sit typing it up our newest addition, Robert Barker, is resting at my feet for his first night in his new home. I will share more of his story as I get to know him, but it's enough to say that he needs TLC more than I need to prattle on about pizza.

Shepherd's Pie with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes and Green Beans

Ground beef, slow-roasted tomatoes, and green beans tucked underneath a mashed potato crust.

Do you have any roasted tomatoes in your freezer? Ever since I first read Alanna's tutorial on Slow Roasted tomatoes, I've managed to put up at least a few bags each year. This year it's been cool enough that I've been roasting and canning in equal amounts.

I add roasted tomatoes primarily to spaghetti sauce, but every once in a while I play, like with this Enchilada sauce. This recipe uses leftover mashed potatoes and slow-roasted tomatoes to make an improved--and soup can free [not that there's anything wrong with a can of soup] version of a family favorite casserole.

I usually make my beloved Shepherd's Pie with a can of tomato soup. Since I've canned so many tomatoes and learned how to make Creamy Tomato Soup with Home-canned Tomatoes I don't have any tomato soup cans left in the pantry. I've still got cream of chicken soup for my Turkey Divan, though, and I don't foresee altering that recipe any time soon. My family loves it just the way it is.  Except I've got a kale version coming . . . but hey, that was my spouse's idea.

When you've got excess fresh green beans it's simple to freeze them. Trim to bite size, snap off the ends and strings [yes, there are many stringless varieties but I like sitting around nagging snapping beans with my family. I think it builds character relationships]. Blanch the beans [quickly dip into boiling water for a minute until they are bright green, then scoop out and dunk in cold water]. Spin them dry, lay out on a parchment or wax paper-lined tray, and freeze for several hours. I usually do this when I'm cooking pasta--do the beans first--and freeze overnight. I never dunk my beans in an ice water bath.  If I ever live in a place with an automatic ice maker, perhaps I'll try it.  Once the beans are frozen, transfer to bags or jars for long term storage.

Lazy Leftover Fruit Salad Ice Cream (#IceCreamWeek)

Welcome to Day 3 of Ice Cream Week 2014! This year the event is hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Susan of The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen. We have teamed up with 25 amazing bloggers to treat you to tons of amazing ice cream recipes. Have you entered into the giveaway?
Ice Cream Week is shaping up to be the best week ever!

Do you ever want a cold sweet creamy dessert, but you don't feel like working too hard for it?

This is where I was, mentally, the first time I made this dessert. I didn't have any eggs or heavy cream on hand and didn't feel like walking a mile down to my local grocery store--nor sending the kids. Nope, like I say in the title, I was just in a lazy mood.

I opened the fridge instead.

In keeping with my desire not to waste food, I started with some fruit salad that was leftover from breakfast. Using only what I had in the fridge/pantry, my daughter and I concocted this treat. When I heard about #IceCreamWeek I decided to make it again, take photos, and write the directions down so you could be lazy too.

This recipe is not a very labor-intensive undertaking, not like making an ice cream pie at home. Shoot, if you don't even want to turn on the stove to toast the nuts--skip it. You'll still get a sweet treat with little effort.

Note: This recipe uses a frozen banana. I don't like to eat bananas that are all spotty, so once they reach that stage I toss them into the freezer (in their skins, the perfect covering). If you don't have any frozen bananas a fresh one would probably work as well. Another Note: This recipe uses an ice cream maker with a pre-chilled bucket--so make room in your freezer for that bucket--it lets you be lazy!

This recipe uses a stove or hot plate, an ice cream maker, and a freezer.

Lazy Leftover Fruit Salad Ice Cream (serves 6 to 8)

½ cup chopped pecans
1 cup milk, or cream, or half and half (2% is what I used)
1 ½ cups vanilla yogurt (full fat)
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 frozen banana, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 cup chopped up fruit (blueberries and peaches are lovely together)

Preheat a dry skillet over medium high heat. Toast pecans in skillet until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, yogurt and brown sugar. Stir in banana pieces. Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Mine takes about 15 minutes before it start thickening. Once the ice cream starts thickening, add chopped fruit and toasted pecans to the ice cream maker. Churn 5 more minutes. Serve at once for a soft ice cream, or transfer to a freezer container and freeze for an hour until firm.

Be sure to swing by all of today's Ice Cream Week Participants:

• Roasted Blueberry Milkshake by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Cherry Almond Chocolate Ripple Semifreddo by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Peach Pit Swirl Ice Cream by Scoop Adventures
• Pumpkin Gelato with Salted Caramel Swirl by The Redhead Baker
• Salted Butter Pecan Brittle Ice Cream by Cookistry
• Lemon Curd Ice Cream by Life Tastes Good
• Pistachio-Cherry No Churn Ice Cream by The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Blueberry Frozen Yogurt by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Raspberry Ripple Buttermilk Gelato by Crumb
• Chocolate Cookies ‘n Cream Milkshake by Love and Confections
• Lazy Leftover Fruit Salad Ice Cream by Farm Fresh Feasts
• Apple Cinnamon Ice Cream by Noshing with the Nolands
• Gluten Free Devil’s Food Ice Cream Cake by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Blueberry-Kiwi Lemonade Shake by The Spiffy Cookie
• Caramel Macchiato Soft Serve Ice Cream by Wishes and Dishes
• Carrot Cake Ice Cream by Mind Over Batter
• Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream by The Gunny Sack
• White Peach Ice Cream with Bourbon Caramel by Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine
• No Churn Low Carb Peach Ice Cream from Yours and Mine are Ours

Grilled Cheese with Guacamole and Corn Salsa

Guacamole, hummus, and corn & black bean salsa nestled into the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich.  A delicious leftover repurposed into a snack.

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Leftover guacamole is like a Christmas tree on the lot on December 26th.  No one wants it.  Sure, you can cover it with plastic wrap . . . or water (check out these terrific kitchen hacks) . . . to help with the oxidation, but the fact is it's a has-been.

Or is it?

I turned some game day leftovers into a yummy grilled cheese sandwich, and before Grilled Cheese month [who thinks of these things? Zucchini bread day?Apple turnover week?] ends I wanted to share it with you.

I'm glad to even the score between vegetarian grilled cheese sandwiches and those containing meat on this blog, as I think grilled cheese (and tomato soup) is one of those combinations that appeal to a wide variety of eaters.

Earlier this month we stopped for grilled cheese on the way home from a Spring break trip to have my phone stolen at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. [Am I the only one who is scouting the opposite side of the road for places to eat on the way home when we've just barely embarked on a trip?]  We were surrounded by multigenerational families, couples, and individuals all enjoying a grilled cheese sandwich. [We stopped at Fair Oaks Farms and bought gooey grilled cheese sandwiches on bread that managed to be both soft and chewy--must investigate different kinds of bread for my sandwiches.]

I think I ranted enough about using your leftovers the other day with my Taco Rice Tortilla Pizza post.  Today I'd just like you to enjoy a tasty, if a bit messy, sandwich.  And rest assured I've got some other grilled cheese ideas kicking around for next April!

For more recipes using Avocados, please see my Avocado Recipes Collection. For more recipes using beans, please see my Beans/Legumes Recipes Collection. For more recipes using corn, please see my Recipes Using Corn Collection. These collections are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, the garden, the neighbor's garden, repurposed leftovers, and great deals on ugly produce at the grocery store.

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Taco Rice Tortilla Pizza {Leftover} Pizza Night!

A easy and fast pizza for a family Pizza Night--combining leftover taco meat with vegetables and grains on a tortilla pizza covered with cheese. Simple. Frugal. Tasty.

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Let's change the way your family perceives leftovers.

While I am fortunate to have a family who not only eats leftovers but fights over them [perhaps that's just sibling rivalry?] I understand we're not necessarily the norm.

[warning, rant ahead--and not about corporate cranberries this time]

Why should you eat your leftovers? For starters, you paid for that food--why throw your money away? [Unless you like to throw money away, in which case I'll finally install that DONATE button the spam commenters are always telling me to install--not that giving me money via the blog would be throwing it away--in fact it would result in an improved recipe index].

Even if you buy every morsel of your food at a big box store, someone worked--hard--to grow/harvest/process** that food, and throwing it away devalues that work.  If you're throwing away edible animal products then the life of that animal is also devalued.

**Processed food:  to me, most of the food I eat has been processed.  Wheat is ground into flour, milk is cultured into cheese and yogurt, and of course my burgers didn't walk out of the field, into town, and hop up onto my grill [they didn't call the class Meat Processing for nothing].  People worked to alter the food before I chose it.

Not to get even more preachy, but unless you're composting all of your food waste, the decision not to use your leftovers is bad for our planet.  I know the raccoons enjoy anything edible in my trash, but it's not a sustainable long term solution.

To me, if the initial food tasted good then the leftovers of that food should also be good [something like french fries, nachos, Banh Mi or Po' boy sandwiches, or tempura would be among the exceptions to this rule]. By this reasoning, since you're starting with good food you just need to change up the accessories a bit.

Good grief I am not giving fashion advice!  I buy my clothes at the thrift shop where I work. I'm just referencing The Uniform Project where a gal wore the same Little Black Dress every day for a year, changing up the accessories each day, to raise money for kids to go to school. You can find the year-in-video here--check it out, it's pretty awesome.

I've had good success with this accessories concept, and here's one way I'd like to share:  taco meat.  When I make a batch of taco meat, my recipe is here, my family of four (two teens) doesn't eat it all.  I'll take that leftover meat and combine it with a grain (such as farro or rice) and additional vegetables, and make a meal out of that (my recipe is here).

But we don't eat all of the next meal--there are leftovers of the leftovers.  So for a Friday Night {Leftover} Pizza Night may I present an easy, fast, simple Taco Rice Tortilla Pizza. After the complicated "pick violets, make wild syrup and wild violet sugar, then make muffins" from earlier this week it's time to kick back, enjoy a Cheater Margarita Smoothie, and have a fast easy dinner.


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Sea Salt, Caramel, and Chocolate Matzoh Toffee

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Got leftover matzoh?  Make a decadent dessert! This buttery toffee is topped with caramel and sea salt for an irresistible treat.

I gave myself an unexpected gift over the weekend.  I single tasked. 

I single tasked the activity of enjoying nature.

After a busy morning of cooking followed by a walk in the woods while my spouse photographed the daffodils [all of these flower photos are his, I was just the dog wrangler--which, lemme tell you, 3 zippy leashes is HARD!] followed by errand running--I found myself sitting in the grass next to Crystal the Composting Guinea Pig.

I'd brought out with me my copy of MELT [so I could see what I needed in addition to the Humboldt Fog cheese I picked up at the store earlier], my phone [since I hadn't even checked email yet that day], and some sun tea.

While Crystal moved methodically through the clover I quickly scanned both the cookbook and the unread emails then started to play a game on the phone.  

It was a gorgeous morning and all of a sudden it hit me.

I needed to put down the phone and just experience the warm sun on my prone body, the tickly grass underneath me, and the sound and feel of the breeze.

I lay in the grass in the warm sunshine like I haven't done in probably 30 years.  And when Crystal's maid my daughter came to let us know the cage was ready, I felt refreshed.

[I'd love to say that the feeling lasted throughout the day, but if you've ever nagged a teen to write an essay for an application that they are not motivated to write, you'll understand what an inner-peace destroying experience that can be.]

As I write this, though, I'm sitting on the porch with a Wee Oliver Picklepants in my lap.  His good eye is scanning the yard for pretty, but he's not budging from his comfy perch so all the birds that are enjoying the Spring are safe.  I've regained a bit of that peace.

Spend sometime outdoors when you can.

Single task while you're doing it.

Give yourself that gift.