turkey mini pot pies

i'll be honest- i could go without the turkey on thanksgiving and simply indulge in the sides. mashed potatoes and stuffing to be exact. and then some more mashed potatoes and stuffing.
i'm convinced everybody has leftover turkey because they'd rather eat the sides too. shake up your traditional chicken pot pie with some leftover turkey and puff pastry dough.

turkey mini pot pies
2 cups cooked turkey, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 c frozen peas
1 sheet puff pastry dough, thawed (i use pepperidge farm from the freezer section)
3 tbl butter
1/3 c flour
2 c chicken broth
1 c milk
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbl butter, melted

1. melt butter in a stock pot. add carrots, onion and celery. cook on medium-low until soft (about 12 minutes). add frozen peas and cook for another couple minutes. 
2. add flour to vegetables and cook for two minutes stirring to coat. Add chicken broth and milk to vegetables and bring to a boil. turn heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes allowing liquid to thicken. add turkey.
3. cut 4 circles out of puff pastry dough using a cookie cutter or the top of a cup. (circle size needs to be larger than the ramekins).
4. ladle turkey mixture into 4 ramekins. lay puff pastry dough over the top. cut slits in dough, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt. 
5. bake pot pies at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until pastry dough is golden brown.

i'm baaaaack

so there's a baby in my belly hence my falling off the face of the earth for the last few months. pregnancy hasn't been very polite to me- eating and cooking just weren't on the agenda. well, i'm over the hump and expecting another baby girl in march. here's to getting back in the saddle again. my truck-driver appetite craves pretty much everything that's bad for you so strap on your seat belts (or elastic pants?).
i bring you kung pao shrimp! friends, this has a kick. red pepper flakes give it the heat so be sure to adjust the measurement based on your tolerance. i'm not a fishy eater, so i did the same rendition just substituting chicken. 

kung pao shrimp
1 lb peeled shrimp (i used 31-40 ct shrimp)
3 c brown rice
1/2 c cornstarch
3 tbl olive oil
6 tbl soy sauce
3 tbl sesame oil
3 tbl sugar
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 c dry roasted peanuts

1. cook rice according to the package.
2. whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, red pepper flakes and ginger. toss shrimp in cornstarch.
3. heat olive oil in saute pan until pan is hot. add shrimp cooking on medium heat for 3-4 minutes on  each side until cooked thru. 
4. pour sauce and peanuts over shrimp. simmer for 5 minutes allowing sauce to thicken. stir allowing sauce to coat both shrimp and peanuts. serve on brown rice.

roasted vegetable + brie grilled pizza- that's a mouthful

weird i know, but there's something so fantastic about roasted veggies. i had to throw 'em on a pizza. and since it's summer, grilling pizza is a must.  this pizza is fresh and hearty all in the same bite.
if you haven't grilled pizza before, you're in for a life changing experience. okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but it's awesome. and super simple!

roasted vegetable + brie grilled pizza
store bought pizza dough (we use sciortino's bakery dough sold at sendik's)
olive oil
7 oz brie cheese, sliced in teeny 1/2" pieces
tomato sauce

roasted veggies
1/2 of a zucchini, sliced and cut in half
1/2 of a yellow squash, sliced and cut in half
2 tomatoes, cut in large chunks
6 asparagus, cut in 3" pieces
1/2 of a orange pepper, cut in 2" x 2" pieces
1/2 of a yellow pepper, cut in 2" x 2" pieces
1/8 c olive oil
1 tbs fresh rosemary, minced
salt & pepper to taste

1. let dough sit on your kitchen counter for 2 hours prior to using. this allows the dough to get a little stretchy and more workable.
2. line a baking sheet with foil. throw your chopped veggies on baking sheet and toss in olive oil, rosemary and salt & pepper. roast in the oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. once done, set aside.
3. heat up your grill to a very low temp.
4. put small amount of olive oil on another baking sheet. roll out the dough to your liking and place on cookie sheet. brush the top with olive oil.
5. place dough olive oil side down on grill. close the grill and cook on low for 5-10 minutes or until bottom is lightly brown and crispy.
6. brush the top with olive oil and flip over. top with tomato sauce, roasted vegetables and brie pieces. close the grill and cook for 7-10 minutes or until lightly brown and crispy. turn off grill and let pizza sit for 3 minutes allowing cheese to set. (if the cheese isn't oozy enough for you at this point- throw in the oven on broil for a quick 3 minutes)

baked eggplant fries

who's the idiot that baked eggplant fries in the ridiculous heat last week? that would be me. yep, my oven and i never seem to part ways.
this recipe is a health-i-fied version of fried eggplant. (although the battered & fried stuff is still pretty amazing in my book). using a bit of olive oil in the breading and spraying with pam make for crispy happenings.

baked eggplant fries
1 medium to large eggplant
1 1/2 c plain breadcrumbs
2 tbl italian seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
5 eggs
1 c flour

1. peel eggplant of it's thick purple skin using a knife. cut into long 1" thick strips.
2. prep your dredging bowls. one with flour, one with eggs (whisked) and one with your breadcrumbs. add italian seasoning, salt & pepper and olive oil to your breadcrumb bowl and stir to combine breaking up olive oil clumps.
3. dredge your strips in flour, then egg and finally breadcrumb mixture. lay on a baking pan lined with foil. repeat process with all strips.
4. spray strips with pam. place on the top rack of your oven. bake for 10 min. pull out and flip strips to other side. spray again with pam and bake for another 5 minutes.
5. serve with warm marinara sauce.

chipotle zucchini turkey burgers

always, always looking for ways to sneak veggies in my recipes. i thought zucchini would go well with turkey. and yes, my friends, it did. pair with some sweet potato fries and you have something spectacular. the addition of three tablespoons of olive oil may sound strange, but it really moistens the turkey. i promise it is worth it.
so here i thought i had something innovative, until i saw a similar recipe floating around pinterest by a very popular blogger. ugh. i'm going to pretend i didn't see it. don't make hers. make mine.

chipotle zucchini turkey burger
1 1/2 lb ground turkey
1 zucchini
1 tbs chipotle tobasco
1 tbl worcestershire
3 tbl olive oil
salt & pepper

1. chop zucchini into larger chunks and throw into a food processor. pulse a few times until finely chopped.
2. add ground turkey, zucchini, tobasco, worcestershire, olive oil and salt & pepper into a bowl. combine ingredients using your hands and form into four patties.
3. freeze patties for 20 minutes allowing burger to firm up a bit.
4. grill for 7-10 minutes on each side on medium heat.
5. serve on a toasted, crusty bun.

i heart thawk

my very best friend kailyn ann introduced me to her family's little cottage in tomahawk, wisconsin way back in 2000 i believe. i fell in love with tomahawk (we call it thawk) and lake nakomis way back then and am still in love with it now. it's what you would picture as "up north" complete with pine trees, an ice cold lake and bald eagles. what makes it even more special is the company. the smith family welcomes all their visitors with open arms.
i'm so beyond fortunate to be invited to to tomahawk to this day to experience the great north woods. bringing my baby girl brings a whole new dimension to our long weekends. watching her see it all for the very first time is unexplainable.
well memorial day weekend came and went. it was reagan's third time, but probably the first time she really "got" it. the weekend was simply fantastic. being the cooking fanatic i am, i volunteered to plan the grub for the weekend. we embarked on an all american (or should i say wisconsin-ian) fish fry, baked french toast, yogurt parfaits, a cajun pasta and some barbecued chicken complete with a homemade barbeque sauce. after consulting kailyn for some creative approaches to the bbq i chose mango as the surprise ingredient. it was lip smakin' good.
soooo... here's the funny part. i was looking at some pictures from way back when and came across an album from a summer weekend in tomahawk in 2006. this was us then. (p.s. there's a beer bong in the back).

 

and this is us now. bbq covered faces and all. as you can see it was a hit with all ages.

 

here's the recipe. throw it on anything. literally. anything. the mango adds a sweetness allowing for less use of sugar, which i'm always a fan of.

mango bbq sauce

1 1/2 c ketchup

1 c pureed mango

3/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp liquid smoke

2 tbl molasses

cracked black pepper

1. combine ingredients in a saucepan. 

2. bring to a low boil. turn down heat and bring to slow simmer. cook for 30 minutes allowing flavors to develop.

b.l. double t

this is so delicious you'll thank me later. a fancy twist on the classic blt.
aoili is a sauce usually consisting of mayonnaise, garlic and olive oil. i added sundried tomatoes making the "double t". my "l" is spinach. just a preference really. bacon is bacon... let's get real.

b.l. double t panini
8 slices ciabatta bread
12 slices bacon
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
3 c fresh baby spinach

sundried tomato aoili
1/3 c sundried tomatoes, packed in olive oil
4 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves
3/4 c lite mayonnaise

1. arrange bacon slices on a cookie cooling rack over a baking sheet covered in foil. bake bacon at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.
2. meanwhile, make aoili by combining all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
3. layer a couple tomato slices, a handful of spinach and three slices of bacon on a slice of ciabatta bread. spread a generous amount of aoili on another slice of ciabatta bread. place on top of your sandwich.
4. brush each side of ciabatta with olive oil and place onto your grill pan (or saute pan if you don't have a grill pan). cook on medium heat until warm and crispy. flip to other side. cook until that side is warm and crispy.