If you are getting tired of hot turkey sandwiches right now, try this easy and flavorful enchilada casserole to use up some of that leftover turkey.
One of our family’s favorite recipes over the years has been sour cream enchiladas. They are incredibly delicious, but so much work. A few years ago I started making these “casserole style,” without rolling them – just layering them like a lasagna. I usually buy a rotisserie chicken at the store, but . . . . with soooooo much leftover turkey falling out of the fridge right now. . . why not use that up?! The tomatillos and chiles pair so well with the cheese and sour cream – this will become one of your new weeknight favorites!
I am always looking for recipes for Thanksgiving side dishes that are festive, flavorful, frugal and, well, NOT boring for Thanksgiving. I have made potato with poblanos gratin before, but mashed potatoes are a must-do on Thanksgiving, so I decided to try cauliflower in this recipe instead of potatoes. I was inspired to try a low-carb veggie by one of my favorite blogs, Kalyn’s Kitchen, which features fabulous low-glycemic deliciousness.
The smokiness of the smoked paprika is perfect and the poblanos pair well with cauliflower. This has been one of my most successful food experiments in quite awhile. I ate a small piece, and my husband ate THE ENTIRE REST OF THE PAN. I am NOT making that up. He was still raving about it this morning when I left for work!
Who says sweet potatoes must be smashed into a 9 by 13 and covered with browned mini-marshmallows? This fun twist on traditional tamales will treat your taste buds to a whole new sweet-potato world!
Tamales are quite a bit of work. But, the nice thing about them is you can gather friends and family around the table to help share the work and make lots of great culinary memories in the process. Even small kids can spread masa on a corn husk! You never know – tamales could become one of your new holiday traditions.
I literally bought some pomegranates on impulse the other day as I was stocking up on squash from the glorious display at Wegman’s. I had no specific plans for them, but decided I wanted to experiment with adding them into a savory dish – preferably one involving one of the squashes I just procured (I’m gripped by something of a fixation at the moment).
As it turns out, they’re a wonderful accompaniment in this stuffed squash recipe, like juicy little jewels, adding tart little bursts of flavor that pairs nicely with the mellow, sweet spice of the stuffing. Continue reading ‘Fall Flavor Fest: Moroccan Stuffed Acorn Squash’
Pumpkin Polenta with Spinach, Pecan and Craisin Topping
There is something so comforting about polenta – smooth, soft and creamy. I decided to make a polenta that just screams “FALL FLAVOR!” and so adding pumpkin to the polenta seemed like a natural. It turned out great – with a fall-flavors topping of spinach, pecans and craisins.
Polenta is a great item so handy to have on hand. Lydia of The Perfect Pantry recommends storing polenta in the fridge to keep its freshness. Polenta can be used in endless recipe creations, including her Polenta Squash and Cheese loaf.
This is a fun festive Thanksgiving side recipe – more flavorful than mashed potatoes, but still comfort-y and so, so easy on that busy day!
I love to have a little something fun to put on our Thanksgiving table!
For at least 20 years – since my kids were little guys – our family has been making these little candy turkeys to put at each place setting on Thanksgiving day. Sometimes we get ambitious and make dozens of them and take them around to all the neighbors the day before Thanksgiving. These are so fun and festive and easy enough for a 5 year old to put together.
All you do is purchase candy and some vanilla wafers and “glue” them together with some chocolate frosting and Voila! — instant candy turkeys. I love the little “burnt peanut” candy head – somehow it is perfect for a turkey head. They’re completely edible, too. Yum!
For each candy turkey you will need: 2 vanilla wafers; a Hershey’s kiss; a mini-Reece’s peanut butter cup; 3 candy corns with white tip cut off; 1 burnt peanut candy; and about 1/2 tablespoon of chocolate frosting. Spread the chocolate frosting on with a butter knife and then “glue” the rest of the candy on as shown above.
Make this a new family tradition for Thanksgiving!
And, check out this beautiful edible candy garnish by another food blogger: Hard Maple Syrup Candy, Slash Food (these are beautiful!)
So, I recently got quite carried away with the bounty of winter squash now gracing the front tables of the produce department, and came home with about a dozen, in several varieties. You’ll head about some others soon enough, but this recipe is simple as can be and incredibly frugal. I was browsing through my beloved copy of Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons (one of my favorite cookbooks), looking for new ideas, and came across something I’ve never tried: a masa and squash cake from El Salvador. Continue reading ‘Tamale lovers & squash fanatics: Try pupusas!’
I don’t cook with pears a lot. They are not crispy and crunchy like apples, they’re usually milder in flavor than apples and they can be grainy – especially Bartletts. But let me tell you what – this way of cooking pears has made me a believer!
by Didi Emmons (one of my favorite cookbooks), looking for new ideas, and came across something I’ve never tried: a masa and squash cake from El Salvador. 
Molasses Sauteed Pear Dessert Recipe
