Turkey & Biscuits

While I am a big fan of using left-over turkey to make Turkey & Wild Rice Soup, J doesn't enjoy soups. So tonight I tried a variation on a recipe I've done before using chicken.

Turkey & Biscuits
2 cups cooked turkey
1 can cream of chicken soup (I used reduced fat)
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
12 frozen biscuits

Place turkey in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
Mix soup, yogurt and spices and spread over turkey.
Put biscuits on top, leaving space for expansion.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

We had this with left-over cranberry salad and a green salad topped with almonds and craisins.

Thanksgiving with Friends

Last night, we had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with friends. It was a large group (8 couples) and it was so much fun. I made Granny's Cranberry Salad and these two dishes to share:

Cran Apple Dressing
14 slices of bread, cubed
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 apples, diced
1 cup cranberries
1 T fresh sage
salt
pepper

Melt butter in saucepan and saute celery and onion.
When onion is tender, add apples and cranberries until apples are soft and cranberries begin to burst.
Add broth to fruit and veggie mixture.
Gently fold in bread.
Pour into 9 x 13 pan.
Bake at 325 for 30 minutes covered, 15 minutes uncovered.

Honey Mustard Rosemary Turkey
12 lb. turkey (or whatever size you need)
1 orange, quartered
2 stalks celery
1 onion, quartered
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup mustard
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, diced
salt
pepper

Rinse turkey well.
Fill cavity with oranges, onion and celery.
Mix honey, mustard and rosemary together.
Pour honey mustard over turkey.
Bake turkey, covered, at 325.
Baste after one hour.
After two hours, baste again.
Baste again in thirty minutes and remove cover.
Baste every thirty minutes until turkey is cooked according to meat thermometer.

I keep the honey mustard drippings and use a gravy packet to make gravy.

We use the left-over turkey to make sandwiches with a layer of cream cheese, a layer of cranberry salad and a layer of turkey. So yummy!

Veggie Tarts

While I'm a bit behind in blogging this week, we've had some good dinners.

On Monday, we were all in the mood for something light after a weekend of Halloween's sugar saturation. I made two vegetable tarts, one thin crust, one deep dish:

Vegetable Tarts
2 refrigerated pie crusts, rolled
2-3 cups mozzarella cheese
2-3 T feta cheese
2 small zucchini, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
olive oil
fresh rosemary

For thin crust:
Unroll pie crust on a pizza pan.
Brush crust with olive oil.
Cover crust with thin layer of mozzarella cheese.
Top with one sliced zucchini and half of available red bell pepper.
(I added a bit of left-over cooked broccoli that I had in the fridge - this was a great addition, but I wouldn't use raw since I don't think it would cook enough in the oven.)
Brush again with olive oil.
Top with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary.
Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

For deep dish:
Unroll pie crust into a pie pan.
Brush crust with olive oil.
Cover crust with about 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
Top with one sliced zucchini and half of available red bell pepper.
Brush again with olive oil.
Top with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary.
Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Granny's Cranberry Salad

Growing up, my grandmother made this salad every Thanksgiving. She then went out of town for Thanksgiving, but not before dropping off a bowl of this for my mom, who loved it. Sadly, I didn't realize how good this stuff was as a kid. Happily, we found her recipe a few years ago and I now make it every year. But every year, I have to search for the recipe because I always put it in a different place. For my own sanity, here is the recipe for the next time I need it:

2 cups ground fresh cranberries
2 whole oranges
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 c sugar
1 package cherry jello (small package)
2 T plain gelatin (knox's)
1 c nuts, chopped (pecans)
1 1/2 c hot water

Grind cranberries and oranges (including peel) in blender or food processor.
Drain pineapple (reserving juice) and combine with berries, oranges and nuts.
Dissolve sugar, jello and gelatin in hot water and pineapple juice.
Add jello mixture to fruit and stir well.
Put in mold or your favorite bowl and refrigerate.

My grandmother always used the same bowl to bring this to my mom - a cut glass bowl with a silver rim. Unfortunately, I didn't think to ask for this bowl when my grandmother moved to a nursing home. But I still picture this salad in that bowl every time I make it.