The Aftermath

The Whole Pie

Turkey and other goodies

After we (we being my bf and I)  succeeded in making a beautiful and deliciously moist turkey last Thanksgiving, we also encountered the common challenge that everyone faces after the great feast: what to do with all the leftover turkey? Still on a high from our accomplishments in the realm of turkeys and ovens, the route of turkey pot pie seemed especially appealling. Just think, the rich flavorful filling with chunks of savory thanksgiving turkey surrounded by a butterly, flaky crust perfectly golden at just the right temperature in the oven. Mmmm, I can even start to smell that warm, wonderful aroma wafting through every nook in my house now.

Anyways, the bf was supposed to guest post the recipe that we used and how we went about making the pie, but since it has been more than half a year, our memory serves us poorly and that recipe is now but the fond memory of that lovely first bite of flaky crust and juicy turkey. At least I still have a picture to commemorate that wonderful pie … maybe we will recreate it again this year!

p.s. the one thing that I do remember about this recipe is how we made the filling creamy – after combining all the ingredients, we had found that the filling had too much liquid. We didn’t have any cornstarch on hand, but we did have leftover mash potato mix! A few sprinkles later and voila, pot pie filling is done!

Happy (belated) Holidays :)

I took a little hiatus from the blog for the holidays, so the next few posts will feature what I have been up to in my absence. I know, I know, I’m a terrible blogger for not keeping my posts relevant to the season but hopefully this will help bring back some memories of holiday cheer as old man winter settles in for the blustery days of January…

Nothing gets me in the holiday mood more than baking, so I made like a busy little elf and made goodie parcels!

Bringing back the cheesecake brownie bites:

Contents: dark-chocolate covered almonds, pumpkin bread, cheesecake brownie, hazelnut truffle

Wrapped! (in handmade origami boxes)

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of the things that I love about going home to the suburbs – having access to a full-size suburban family size kitchen and free reign over the oven. Over Thanksgiving, I made sure to take full advantage of the opportunity to bake to my heart’s content. One of my current favs is this chocolate chip cookie recipe – it includes a secret ingredient (instant vanilla pudding mix!) that gives the cookie extra depth of flavor and chewy-ness. These cookies are perfect from the oven – soft, chewy with little morsels of molten chocolate.

• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup butter (or 1/2 c. margarine, 1/2 c. butter – this makes the cookie softer when cool)
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 1 packet instant vanilla pudding
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups chocolate chips (mix it up a bit by using half white, half dark!)

Cookie Dough

1. Cream together butter, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients, add instant vanilla pudding. Mix well until combined.
4. Fold in chocolate chips
5. To make cookies: roll 1 tbsp. of cookie dough into a ball and then flatten onto ungreased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F until cookies are tan and slightly browned on the bottoms (about 10 to 12 minutes).
7. Enjoy with a tall, icy cold glass of milk!

Baked!

Nutella Bread Pudding!

It was extra cold out today, which inspired me to bake something warm and homey after I got back after work. I was actually craving chocolate bread pudding from the Dessert Truck, but was also in the mood to make something involving the delicious jar of nutella sitting in my kitchen cupboard. The result? Nutella bread pudding – warm, dense, chocolatey and hazelnutty, straight out of my own oven.

• 8 to 10 slices of Wonderbread
• 4-5 tablespoons Nutella
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1. Make 4 to 5 nutella sandwiches by spreading 1 tablespoon of nutella per two slices of bread.
2. Cut each sandwich into 9 squares. Pile into a 8 inch pie plate or square baking pan.
3. Mix eggs, milk and sugar together until well blended.
4. Pour egg mixture over nutella sandwich squares. Toss gently to coat evenly. Let stand for 10 minutes – preheat the oven to 350 degrees F during this time.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour, or until the center is set and the top is golden brown.
6. Cool thoroughly.
7. Cut with a serrated knife and enjoy!

Cheesecake Marble Brownie Bites

After I finished my bagel this morning, I realized that I had half a block of cream cheese left in my fridge and no more bagels to spread it on! I always wondered how people solve the puzzling mystery of how to get rid of leftover foods and condiments, such as when you run out of jelly but still have peanut butter left, or you when you are left with that odd piece of bread at the bottom of the loaf. The latter I solved with my bread pudding, and I decided that the only thing to do with the leftover cream cheese would be to make something that involves cheesecake! After a bit of brainstorming, I was down to a few choices: mini pumpkin cheesecakes, mini new york style cheesecakes, or cheesecake brownie bites. Being a chocoholic made the choice very easy to make. Forget lemons … the next time life hands you a extra cream cheese, whip up a batch of these little babies and you’ll definitely be putting that leftover cream cheese to a worthy cause.

• 1/2 box Dark Chocolate Brownie mix
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1/8 c. water
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. granulated sugar

1. Beat one egg with the sugar and cream cheese until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
2. Mix together brownie mix, oil, water, and remaining egg until batter is thick and consistent throughout.
3. Line a mini-muffin pan with paper muffin cups. Put one teaspoon of brownie batter in each cup. Add about 1/2 tsp. of the cream cheese mixture on top. Swirl using a chopstick (do not mix thoroughly).
4. Bake at 350 degrees F until tops are set. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. Makes about two dozen.