Leftovers

We don't often blog about food or recipes, but when we do it's because we feel they are VERY worthy. Cooking is something our family LOVES to do together. New recipes is a tradition we attempt to do each week. We are going to start sharing some of our success on the blog, and photos! Realizing food photos are a fun way to practice with the camera, so we're doing 2 things we love.

Most everyone dreads leftovers, but during the holidays we love it. A giant turkey means 3, 4, or 5 more meals I don't have to cook. For Christmas we actually made 2 turkeys so we would definitely have leftovers. We put our second one in the oven as we were sitting down to eat. It was a great idea, plus 2 smaller turkeys cook much faster than one huge one. One thing I should mention, is we always use fresh ingredients when possible and try to make homemade. So you can take any of our recipes and substitute canned/frozen/dried, etc.

Turkey Tostadas with spicy Cranberry-ChipolteSauce

(cut out of Southern Living magazine November issue, but also found at MyRecipes.com)

Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, sliced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and sliced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups shredded roasted turkey
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt to taste
8 tostada shells
1 cup refried black beans (see recipe below)
Spicy Cranberry-Chipotle Sauce (see recipe below)
1 cup crumbled queso fresco (fresh Mexican cheese)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
8 lime wedges
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Sauté first 3 ingredients in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes or until onion is golden. Stir in turkey and garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Season with salt to taste.

2. Bake tostada shells on a baking sheet at 400° for 3 minutes. Spread shells with refried beans; top with turkey mixture. Drizzle with a small amount of Spicy Cranberry-Chipotle Sauce. Sprinkle with queso fresco.

3. Bake at 400° for 10 to 12 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and remaining sauce.

The Chef

The Ingredients

The Finished Product.
SO GOOD, worth making even if you don't have leftovers.

Refried Beans

(from the Food Network)
INGREDIENTS
One 15 1/2 oz can pinto or black beans, drained & rinsed (we made our own beans)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2/3 to 1 cup chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Reserve about a third of the beans. Mash the rest of the beans in a medium bowl with a large fork. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Add the spices and cook until fragrant about 1 minute.
Add the mashed beans and half the broth; cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Ad the reserved beans and enough of the remaining broth to loosen up the beans. Simmer until the beans are thick but not pasty, about 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the fresh coriander, if desired, and serve.

Spicy Cranberry-Chipolte Sauce

(utilizing leftover cranberry sauce)

Makes about 1 1/3 cup

Microwave 1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce; 1/3 cup taco sauce; 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (just 1 pepper, not 1 can) minced; 1 tsp chili powder; 1/2 tsp ground cumin at high for 2-3 minutes or until thickened, sitrring halfway through.