Thanksgiving Leftovers With Style!

I make this every year, and so should you.  It tastes wonderful, and uses up lots of leftovers.  Good with cranberry sauce, too.  Long live leftovers.

http://cheeseparer.blogspot.com/2008/12/turkey-croquettes.html

Don't Cry Over Sour Milk---Make Waffles

This morning the milk was sour, and I quickly changed dinner plans to use the rest for waffles.  A combo of milk and orange juice and some orange rind will go into the waffles.  I make the waffles with low-fat Bisquick.  Can't tell the difference and I am such a picky person.


I serve the waffles with orange sauce.  When I'm in a hurry, the sauce is made with mandarin oranges, but tonight I'll make it from scratch.  I have a blood orange with the peel partly gone and some clementines.  Use what you have and save. 


Here is the sauce recipe. It's also good on pancakes and French toast. 


Orange Sauce: 

1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar (or a little less)
1/4 t. salt 
1 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons of grated orange rind
2 tablespoons butter
1 orange, sectioned


Sour Cream or cottage cheese. 


Combine cornstarch, sugar and salt in saucepan.  Blend in orange juice gradually; add orange rind.  
Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to  boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add butter and orange secions; heat. 
Serve over hot crisp waffles spread with sour cream or cottage cheese.  

A slice or two of crisp bacon would not be amiss.  Great for Sunday Supper. 


This recipe is from (I think) the Chicago Tribune in days of yore.  I made it right away, and the kids liked it too, always a plus.  When I served it to my parents, my  mother announced in a big huff, "I am not putting cottage cheese on waffles!"  Hey ma, don't knock it t'il you've tried it!  Talk about a generation gap. 

Last week's chocolate pecan pie.  No, the crust isn't burnt, it's chocolate.

You can basically clone the recipe and use strawberries, blueberries or (Yum!!) a combo.  Sometimes you cook with the food you have.  Or make pancakes.  It usually works out well. 

Call me The Cheeseparer

Turkey Croquettes

Turkey tamales? Turkey Tettrazini? Turkey Chili? Does the word "yuck" pop into your head? Does your family rebel at your most creative after-holiday culinary efforts? Mine did, too, until I found Turkey Croquettes.

I've had this recipe for so long. It maybe came from the Sunday Chicago Tribune mag, or maybe the Boston Globe. Best guess is the Tribune from days of yore.

Important note: get going in mid-afternoon on this, as you need two hours of refrigeration between various steps.

Turkey Croquettes

3 slices whole-wheat bread, crusts remove (save for the birds)
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped turkey, white and dark meat
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 eggs
1 t. dried thyme (my garden still yields fresh thyme through Thanksgiving)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups seasoned bread crumbs (far cheaper to buy "stuffing bread" and make your own)
3 T. chopped Italian parsley (my garden may still have a few springs of parsley)
2 T. papripa (sweet not hot)
3 T. unsalted butter, melted (no margarine, please, but if you use salted butter, cut down the rest of the salt)
1 cup corn oil (you may get by with less)
2 T. unsalted butter

Giblet or Turkey gravy--leftover is best

1. Soak whole-wheat bread in milk for 10 minutes. Remove bread, squeeze dry and shred. Reserve.

2. In a separate bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups turkey, reserved bread, onions, eggs, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss well. Place mixure in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Using pulse action, process until mixture is well-blended but not completely pureed. Fold in remaining 1 cup chopped turkey. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

3. Combine bread crumbs, parsley,paprika and melted butter in a 9-inch pie plate. Stir together with a fork.

4. Shape chilled turkey mixture into 6 large patties. Coat in bread-crumbe mixture and return, covered, to refrigerator for 1 more hour.

5. Place 1/2 cup corn oil (I actually use canola)  and 1 T. butter in a skillet. Over med. heat, cook croquettes 3 at a time, 7 minutes on one side, 5 minutes of the other side. They should be golden. (Keep warm in 300 degree over). Proceed with remaining croquettes, adding more oil and butter if necessary.

6. Serve hot croquettes immediately with heated gravy on top.

Serves 6

Note: Turkey gravy can be purchased. Be sure to check seasoning. Some dried or fresh herbs and pepper may be required.

The Cheese Parer