by Lynn Greene
Treat yourself with tasty Thanksgiving leftovers
I hope you all have plenty of leftovers from your Thanksgiving
feast; turkey, mashed and sweet potatoes, even cranberry
sauce can be used to create some very tasty dishes.
Let’s start with the turkey carcass. If you don’t have
much left, put it in a big soup pot with some onion, celery,
bay leaves, salt and pepper. Boil away until the meat that’s
left falls off the bone. Use this for turkey salad, enchaladas
or your favorite casserole. Strain and freeze the broth
in 1-cup measurements. Next time you need a chicken broth,
use this instead of spending too much money on canned broth.
For mashed potatoes, my favorite has to be pierogis. Sweet
potatoes make marvelous muffins and that cranberry sauce
can be added to apples for a fruit crisp.
Pierogi
Makes 2 dozen
Dough:
1 large egg
1/4 cup salad oil
3/4 cup lukewarm water
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
Filling:
3/4 cup leftover mashed potatoes
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
dash of white pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
Egg wash:
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. water
For dough, whisk together egg, oil and water. Add flour
and salt; stir with spoon until a soft ball of dough is
formed. Knead until smooth, adding additional flour only
if necessary for ball to form. Cover dough and let rest
30 to 40 minutes while you prepare the filling.
For filling, combine all ingredients.
For egg wash, beat together egg and water. Set aside.
To assemble pierogi, divide the dough in half. Roll out
each piece of dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Use a round
cookie cutter or a glass that is 3 inches to 4 inch in
diameter. Cut out as many circles as you can and remove
extra dough and set aside.
On each circle, place one tablespoon of filling in the
center. Brush the edges of each circle with the egg wash
and then fold the circle in half, sealing the edges together
with your fingers. Continue with the other half of dough.
If you still have filling left, combine the dough scraps
and knead into one ball. Roll out and use up the rest of
the filling. Otherwise, these scraps can be cut up into
pieces as noodles for soup or as a side dish.
Lay the pierogi flat on a cookie sheet and freeze until
firm, then remove them from the sheet and place them in
a Ziploc bag and return to the freezer. Or, cook them right
away and serve.
To cook the pierogi, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add
the amount of pierogi you want and cook until the dough
is done, about three minutes. If the pierogi were frozen,
they will float to the top when they are done.
Serve them as is or saute them in a little butter and
parsley. Serve with sour cream on the side.
You can easily quadruple this recipe to make eight dozen
pierogi at a time. Just figure out how much mashed potatoes
you have left and go from there.
Sweet muffins
Makes 12 muffins
2 whole eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup salad oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1-2/3 cups flour
In mixer bowl, cream together eggs, sugar and sweet potatoes.
Mix in salad oil and water. Sift together dry ingredients
and add gradually while continuing to beat. Mix until smooth.
Line muffin tin with paper liner. Fill each cup about 3/4
full. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes
until the top of the muffin springs back when you touch
it lightly or when a toothpick comes out clean.
Apple cranberry crisp
This is one of those recipes that does not require exact
measurements, although I list them here for those who like
to have written guidelines. Use an 8-inch square baking
pan or pie plate. Use glass or teflon, not aluminum because
the acid in the cranberries will interact with the aluminum.
The tapioca helps to firm up the fruit as it thickens
the juice but if you don’t have any, the crisp will still
taste good but may be a bit looser.
Fruit layer:
6-8 medium apples, mixed variety, anything but red delicious
1 cup or thereabouts leftover cranberry relish, whole or
jelly
1 tsp. tapioca (optional)
streusel layer:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, optional
Peel and slice the apples into the baking pan. Pour the
cranberry relish over the top and sprinkle with the tapioca.
For streusel layer, combine ingredients using a pastry
cutter or forks until a crumbly mixture forms. Sprinkle
this evenly over the fruit and then top with the nuts,
if desired.
Bake in a 350 F oven for about 40 minutes until the top
is bubbly and nicely browned.
Editor’s note: Lynn Greene is senior editor for Community Shoppers Inc., which publishes the Janesville Messenger. Contact her at lgreene@communityshoppers.com |
