Recipe love: Lemon Poppyseed Quick Bread

Hey, guess what?

I've been eating, and cooking. So you know I have recipes to share!

Actually, calling it "cooking" is a bit of a stretch. Hubby's been grilling most of the summer, so my job has been to shop for and remind him to include a veggie with every meat, or to make a marinated veggie or salad of some sort for us. But we cannot live on grilled green beans and corn with every meal, so I made a few side dishes that we have loved.

First up, my friend J. found this easy-peasy recipe for refrigerator pickles on Smitten Kitchen; she made a batch for us on our vacation, and they were so delicious I bought my own gallon-sized mason jar and made my own!



Those are the ingredients. All of them. (I didn't even bother with the dill.)

Slice the Kirby pickles with a mandolin, add in 3 smashed cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of vinegar and 2 tsp kosher salt. Seal and shake every hour while they combine in the fridge. Done!

Here is the finished product.



Insanely easy and good. Hubby just had a plate of them after dinner, LOL. And they're 0 pts on WW.

I still make black-eyed pea hummus pretty regularly. This came to work a couple of weeks ago as my afternoon snack. Yum!



This week I added sun-dried tomatoes instead of my usual roasted red pepper. It's pretty pungent but I think it will be great in a revised version of this wrap sandwich; I have a batch of peppered turkey bacon, carrots, cucumbers and red bell peppers ready to go inside a whole wheat tortilla.

Ok, enough with the healthy stuff. Let's get to the real reason I'm posting: lemon poppyseed quick bread. I saw this recipe on Cooking Classy a couple of weeks ago and have been daydreaming about it ever since. I ordered poppyseeds from Penzeys, and picked up some lemons last week, but had been putting it off because it seemed like a lot of work just for a quick bread. Zest the lemons? Squeeze the juice out of them? Rub the sugar and lemon together? Brushing the glaze on? Maybe I could just buy a muffin at the store...

It was worth it. It was soooooo worth every extra step. The fresh lemon in it was just...OMG. Lemon poppyseed is my favorite of all muffins, but I have never had anything this lemony and delicious.



The mise-en-place before I started. Had to let the eggs and butter get to room temperature, so read the instructions in advance, and get everything you need out before you start. Trust me on this.



This was when I started to doubt -- that was a lot of work for so little to show for it. Juice on the left, zest on the right.

I WAS WRONG TO DOUBT. I wish I had thought to save the extra juice for my hummus. Argh!




Out of the oven, and looking good but a little dry.



Not so dry anymore! Do not stint on the glaze, just keep brushing it on until it's gone. You won't regret it.

Finished and ready to completely cool.



I cut it up and Hubby and I each had a half-piece. (*cough* Hubby may have had a couple of half-piece.) The rest is going to work; I think I am going to be the most popular person there tomorrow morning!



God. I need another piece right now.

If you decide to make it, go tell Jaclyn over at Cooking Classy how much you like it! It's totally her recipe -- she deserves all the credit.

Brain dump

OOOPS this has been sitting in my draft folder for two weeks. I am the Queen of Procrastination!

As disussed at that meeting, these are my two goals for summer by August 31:

Weight: Hit 10% goal 

Exercise: dog park when sunny, pool twice a week

Copy and print so visible every day -- Putting this down so I do it!!!

(*cough* Results so far: hit my 5% goal last week, have taken dog to park every day for at least a month. Twice a day on the weekends. It hasn't rained so I haven't been to the pool. My hand might be forced on that one tonight...)

Other stuff:

I never liked hummus, but these days I have been pretty much making a batch a week. I got the recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen and did a little modification. I have a mini-chopper so I cut the recipe in half so it all fits in the bowl.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (Blackeyed Peas or Chickpea)

1 can (15 oz. can) black eyed peas or chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp. garlic puree or minced garlic

3 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice (or slightly less if you're not that into lemon)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T olive oil

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

3 T tahini (sesame seed paste), to taste

1 roasted red pepper, water-packed, chopped and drained from jar

Dump the canned black-eyed peas into a colander placed in the sink, then rinse with cold water until no more foam appears.  Let black-eyed peas drain for a minute or two, then put them into the food processor with everything else. Chop it up!

If the hummus seems too thick, add a few tablespoons of water and process. If you do not use a roasted red pepper, you will probably need more liquid so add water as needed.)

It lasts a week. (Or it would, if my husband did not inhale it one sitting.)

I actually prefer the black-eyed pea version because it tastes smoother and lighter. 

Also, I made the easiest and tastiest macaroni salad ever.

Whole wheat pasta, chopped shredded carrots, chopped onions, chopped celery, liberal dosage of dijon mustard, a little fat-free mayo, salt, pepper, seasonings, and a handful of shredded cheese. 

Mix and let sit overnight so flavors can meld. Serve with grilled items when husband only knows how to cook meat when he "makes dinner". 

Got a new haircut for summer, which I am enjoying. This is the straight version, but the miracle is, I have finally learned to master a curling iron. I love my hair everyday now. 

Also, my pets are awesome. Follow me on Instagram if you would like to see a million pictures of Abby. 

She made a friend at the park yesterday. They were adorable.

You say Frittata, I say quiche

This one is for my WW buddies; I'll be sending the link to our leader so I can easily share my frittata recipe with them, as I promised I would at our meeting on Sunday. I posted the recipe long ago, but it's good it always bears repeating!

I got this recipe from my friend Barbara years ago, and I've learned since that it is pretty indestructible. I've done so many different combinations over the years, and they all work. This isn't a true quiche recipe as it doesn't have any heavy cream, but frittatas don't have crusts. So it's kind of a hybrid of the two, and truthfully, it doesn't even really need the crust. I just like that it does.

Frittata Basics

INGREDIENTS:
-6 Eggs
-Vegetables (1-2 cups)
-Onions (a small one is fine)
-Cheese (anywhere from 4-8 ounces is good)
-Meat (optional)
-Seasonings
-pie shells (optional)

I could get more specific, but why bother? You can use Eggbeaters or real eggs, select as many veggies as you want, use fat-free or low-fat or full-fat cheese, include a bit of meat or not...whatever suits your fancy!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. If you are using a pie shell, you can pre-bake it in the oven if desired. If you want to save on the points, omit the shell and just spray a ceramic quiche/pie pan and pour the mixture directly in.
3. Prep the ingredients as needed. I often cook the onions and veggies in a skillet first, or the bacon if I am including some, etc. It depends on what you are using and the best way to get the natural flavor out of it. (If you are using frozen spinach, squeeze the liquid out!)
4. Beat the eggs and season as needed. (If using ham or salty cheeses like feta, you often don't need extra salt. Meatless usually needs salt and other seasonings; I swear by Penzeys.)
5. Combine everything and pour it into the pie shell or quiche pan. Sometimes you can place the veggies and meats in the pan and pour the eggs over it; other times it works better mixing it all up in the bowl first. Either way doesn't change the delicious end result.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. It puffs up a lot when it comes out but usually settles as it cools.
8. Cut into 8 pieces; you can leave in the pan and eat through the week, or wrap individual pieces for grab-and-go.

THE POINTS/CALORIES:

-Use the WW Recipe Builder to figure it out, as it will change depending on your choices. For example, I made deviled ham (ham in the food processor and mixed with mustard), gouda, asparagus and scallions in a pie shell this week, and each slice is 6 points. Omitting the pie shell would have taken me to 4 points, and using fat-free cheese instead of the fancy gouda I found would have lowered it more. 

This was the deviled ham, asparagus, scallions and gouda quiche. I mixed in dijon mustard with the ham, and it makes it sooooo good.

Some other combinations I have made:
-Ham, mozzarella and broccoli

-kale, onions, tomatoes, and pepper jack

-heirloom cherry tomatoes, peppered turkey bacon and blue cheese crumbles

-kale, bacon and cheddar

-kale, bacon and swiss

-roasted cauliflower, sauteed onions, mustard and parmesan

-light Italian chicken sausage, broccoli rabe, sun-dried tomatoes, feta
-crabmeat and swiss
-broccolini and mushroom

Really, the only limit is on your imagination and your food preferences. I've tried combos I never thought I would like, but they came out great. I don't even like tomatoes, and that one with the heirlooms and blue cheese is one of my all-time favorites.

Happy eating!

Sunday musings, weight-less edition

No meeting this week since the center is closed for Easter. (Happy Easter, you guys!)

I'll have to catch a meeting this week, although it looks like the only evening meetings are Wednesday and Thursday. I could use a couple of extra days before the next weigh-in anyway.

It's been an unusual week. Went to western Michigan for a quick trip Sunday and Monday, where I ate well and didn't worry too much about tracking.

 But of course, as these things go, I then had a tough time getting back ON track once I got back to work and my regular routines. There wasn't any food in the house and I wasn't inclined to cook. I didn't even get to the pool!

But that's the way it goes, sometimes. Just as long as one week doesn't stretch into two...

So today I did a lot of Sunday cooking, using up all the yummy ham I picked up in Michigan. (Drier's makes the best ham. I only ever buy it and eat it from there. Forced moderation!)

I made:
-ham salad with pickle relish and lowfat mayo
-cauliflower-ham casserole (from this recipe at Kalyn's Kitchen)
-quiche with ham, swiss, green onion and mustard (from my basic quiche/frittata recipe, I just used up the extra ingredients from the casserole plus mustard; I inspired myself with this recipe from a few years back)
-roasted Brussels sprouts
-sweet-and-spicy candied pecans (for fun and salads)
-cut up red bell peppers
-cut up strawberries

Here was Hubby's plate tonight: 

I'm not actually very fond of spring foodstuffs -- summer and fall foods appeal to me much more -- but I think I did pretty good this week. Brussels sprouts, green onions, ham, and strawberries all made it onto my plate.

And I am pretty sure I am going to over ham by the time this week is done. Won't need any more for a loooooong while!

Recipes!

I looked back at my recipe label, and it doesn't look like I ever posted my Babchi's sauce. Time to remedy that!





Bachi's Spaghetti Sauce

Babchi was my grandmother. She moved in with us when I was five and my youngest sister was born, and lived with us until she died when I was in college. She was a woman who liked routine; every afternoon she watched her soaps, and every evening with her tea she read Harlequins or played cards. I come by my love of serial stories, romances and card games honestly!

Anyway, this was one of her standard dishes that she made. We all loved spaghetti night. I doctored it a little; she used onion and garlic powder, I like the real thing. Otherwise this is the recipe she wrote down for me a long long time ago.

2 big cans (28-oz) crushed tomatoes

1 big can (28-oz) tomato puree

1 small can tomato paste

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

basil (dried, fresh or frozen cubes)

thyme

oregano

salt and pepper

1 TBSP sugar

Saute the onions and garlic in large saucepan until translucent. Add the crushed tomatoes, puree, basil, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil.

Turn down to simmer, add the paste and sugar. Stir occasionally and let simmer, covered for a couple of hours.

Fresh sauce in the fridge only lasts a week, so freeze any leftovers for later. I regularly freeze them in pint or quart baggies, as in the above picture.

+++++

The other request was for the black-eyed pea salad. I make that one a little differently every time, but this gist of it is:

-1 can blackeyed peas, drained and rinsed

-2-3 cucumbers, peeled and diced

-2 oz crumbled feta

-rice wine or white wine vinegar (I prefer the white wine)  

olive oil (optional)

Penzey's Greek seasoning

salt and pepper

Mix and season to taste. Feel free to season liberally since cucumbers are usually bland on their own. :)

+++++

Did a little more cooking today too. I bought a new WW cookbook, Make & Take Meals, at the meeting last week, and decided to try a couple of items today. Everything in it is fast and easy, some of which is actually from salad bar items at the grocery store. In other words, just like how we eat these days at Casa LFD.

Here's the plan for the week, handily posted on the fridge for Hubby and me. This way, he knows what is available so on the nights I go swimming after work, he can feed himself from the fridge instead of waiting for me to get home or ordering delivery for himself/us. 

The top section are items I made on Sunday or which can be made into sandwiches. I need food for lunch and dinner for myself, which tends to translate into sandwiches with side dishes of salads and fruit. The middle section random foodstuffs in the fridge which need to be eaten soon (not included on list: shredded Brussels sprouts and spinach). The last part is what I am planning on making mid-week once we run out of the top half of the board. 

The black bean-carrot salad is one I made up this afternoon. I had leftover carrots from last week that I wanted to use up, so I started putting together a cold salad. I chopped the carrots into smaller chunks, drained a can of black beans, and threw in some thinly sliced red onion. Tossed all of that with olive oil, rice vinegar, cumin and lime juice. Not bad!

I had that for dinner tonight with the roast beef with fig jam and blue cheese. DAMN, that was a good sandwich idea from that new WW cookbook. Figs and blue cheese are delicious together, and I had no idea how nicely they would pair with the roast beef. YUM.

+++++

Tomorrow I will be trying the cereal bars. Not sure yet how they will be -- they seemed a little sweet -- but it will be a nice treat in the afternoon if they are too much for breakfast.

No-Bake Cereal Bars
6 WW points as is, 5 pts if you make the same substitutions I did.

1/3 cup almond butter (I used Better'n'Peanut Butter)
1/3 cup honey
2 TBSP light corn syrup
2 cups multi-grain Cheerios
2 cups wheat bran-flake cereal, coarsely crushed (I used Wheat Chex)
3 TBSP dried cranberries
1.5 TBSP ground flaxseed (I omitted).

1. Line 9-inch square pan with parchment paper; spray bottom and sides with Pam.
2. Stir almond/peanut butter, honey and corn syrup together in small bowl. Set aside.
3. Combine cereals in large bowl; microwave 1-2 minutes until warmed. Mix in cranberries (and flaxseed). Gradually stir in butter mixture, stirring until cereal is evenly coated. Microwave another minutes, and stir.
3. Pour cereal mixture into pan. Use more parchment paper to help spread out if needed. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Cut into 8 bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 week. 

+++++

What are you cooking this week?

Links and Thinks

Is the title too twee and/or dorky?

1. I've been making good headway on a few of my resolutions already. My 45th birthday (!!!!) is this March, and the day falls in the middle of the week. I had a few grandiose plans for celebrating but those usually end up getting scrapped. Instead I decided to give myself a gift I sorely need: I am taking the entire week off. A birthday staycation!

I am already counting down the days: 45 business days to go. Seriously.

2.  Also from the resolution front: I dropped off a couple of bags of food at the Food Pantry, added this Donate page to my bookmarks, did my monthly edits/purchases post, and got the 3 posts in last week.

3. I am also working on the budgeting. For years I used Quicken on Windows, and loved the program. It was linked to all my accounts, I could categorize all my purchases easily, and setting up budgets was a breeze. Switching to a Mac changed all that; Intuit refuses to make a good version of Quicken for the Mac, so I had to abandon my beloved program. I've been half-heartedly using Mint, but my Nordstrom account doesn't link to it, and after all this time, I just don't love the idea of doing all of my financial planning up in the clouds. I have online banking so it seems like a weird tic, but when I pull all my accounts together in one place with their account numbers, I just feel better if it is on my computer.

So I have been comparing programs and I am torn between two: iBank and Moneydance. Anyone have any experience with either? Thoughts?

4. I want to add Helen's dinner-table "aspiration" as an addendum to my own New Years resolutions; we have a great kitchen table, and we only use it with company. Not only is it a great way to truly slow down and appreciate our food (when I did Core we sat at the table all the time), but it is a way to spend more time together, take a breath between working and laying on the couch watching TV, and most of all, will eliminate most of the food stains on our clothes, laps, computers, and rug. ;-D

5. Lest you think all of this resolution business is a waste of time, a recent study showed that our personalities are changing all the time even though we think they are not. Science! (TM Jessie) It's never too late to change yourself.

6.



This is what I needed the plastic shoe boxes for. ;-D

Yes, those are all of my frozen bagged foods. I made tomato sauce and a batch of Sheila's green pasta sauce, and froze them flat on a cookie sheet.



Then I stacked them in the plastic boxes, alongside another container of soups. They had been scattered throughout the freezer, and I realized we weren't eating them as much as we should. This should help with that.



That's chicken noodle, smoky black bean, Tuscan bean, and butternut squash-carrot soup on the right. My friend Amanda created another recipe for a savory parmesan-nutmeg muffin that I am going to try, and I think we will be making quick work of some of these soups this week. (I will post the muffin recipe once I have tried them out!)

P.S. I stole the shoebox idea from Kat at Corporette, from a post from many moons ago. The frozen baggies idea I incorporated immediately, but I waited on the shoe box until now. It felt way too anal-retentive organized, but...that's what I am! Might as well make it work for us. :)

7. Meal planning frequently falls apart for me when I try to do it over the course of a week, and sometimes (like this one) even Sunday Cooking doesn't get done. I think sometimes I am just too ambitious; I buy all the ingredients but for whatever reason I just don't feel like doing the work, and the food goes bad and we order pizza instead.

So when my friend A linked this cooking challenge, it was a light bulb moment. OH! Not every meal is made for the same reasons, or with the same amount of effort -- and even comfort non-cooking foods have their place in meal planning!

I can use my own lists of known classics and my Pinterest board for new ideas, but this categorization from that post is one I want to use over and over:

• Classic Weeknight – Exactly what it sounds like. Quick, simple, healthy, meals that require minimal effort when you are charged with getting dinner on the table fast.
• Make-Ahead – Some of these would also fall under “Classic Weeknight,” but the beauty of them is that you can do a large chunk of the work on the weekend and store in the freezer.
• Keep the Spark Alive – These are a little more involved than regular weeknight dinners, but they are every bit as crucial to your psychological health because they take time and love and have the potential to get you excited about cooking again.
• Security Blankets – These are not recipes, per se, but suggestions for finger-foody things (peanut butter, hummus, baby carrots) that don’t need to be cooked.

The challenge is that you look at your calendar for the week, and see which nights should be Security Blankets or Make Aheads, which are ones that you have time to try new things (Keep Spark Alive), when you can prepare Make Aheads or just Classic Weeknights. You are supposed to pick a couple from each, and Security Blankets for the rest of the days.

I LOVE THIS IDEA. I can tweak it for us so easily, to ensure we definitely do more home cooking, with a reasonable mix of new, favorites, easy, hard and pre-made, or just a happy PB&J or baked potato.

8. Doesn't this sandwich look amazing? I don't know why it never occurred to me that we could make reubens at home. We can make reubens at home, OMG. And it can be a healthier version too: turkey pastrami, good sauerkraut and rye bread, a light Thousand Island...my husband is going to love this one. Oh my yes.

9. Did everyone see Ally's trick for wearing collared shirts under crewneck sweaters? She doesn't button the shirt underneath except for the top and bottom buttons, and tucks the rest to the sides. As I commented on her blog: Woman, you are a genius.

10. Is it time for my birthday staycation yet?

Thanksgiving 2012: Leftovers

On the last day of Thanksgiving, there were leftovers.

All weekend, Hubby had been polishing off most of the leftovers in their purest form: he just makes himself another plate of his favorites and microwaves them.

Me, I like to repurpose. The first couple of days were sandwiches and soup, but on Sunday I decided to extend the life of what we had left a little bit longer.

First up was a variation on this Thanksgiving Salad. I heated up the last of the Brussels sprouts and green beans, some sweet potatoes and a chopped up slice of turkey in a skillet...




then cooked some quick couscous, and mixed it all together.



That should be lunch for the next couple of days.


Next was a variation of one of my favorite sandwich spreads, Turkey Salad with Cranberries.



I chopped up the last of the turkey (all those little pieces on the platter came in handy!), the last of the celery, and some dried cranberries. Seasoned it with Mural of Flavor and added fatfree mayo.



Yum.




YUM. On toast with carrot chips. Yesssssss...

I have another idea to meld two recipe ideas into Sweet Potato-Spinach Ravioli. First was from this recipe, then I saw that My Bizzy Kitchen made a great one with spinach that I knew I wanted to incorporate.

Unfortunately, work is taking over my life and I am getting a little tired of leftovers. We shall see if I end making that or if the sweet potatoes make it into a pot of soup or just the trash.  I'll let you know by Friday! ;-D

Thanksgiving 2012: The Calorie Count

A couple of days before Thanksgiving, this fascinating article made the rounds on several of my news and food sites. The question asked was: how many calories will you eat on Thanksgiving Day?

The answer: 2,486 calories, excluding any alcohol or breakfast. They estimated including those could bloat it up to over 4500 calories.

This was their breakdown:
A six-ounce serving of turkey with the crispy skin on, including 4 ounces of dark meat and 2 ounces of white for a total of 299 calories.
• Sausage stuffing at 310 calories — go big or go home, right?
• Dinner roll with butter for 310 calories
• Two kinds of potatoes are always in order during the holidays: Big serving of mashed sweet-potato casserole made with butter, brown sugar and topped with marshmallows for 300 calories per serving, and a half-cup of mashed potatoes for  140 calories of starchy goodness.
• Green bean casserole at 110 calories for 2/3 cup, cranberry sauce at 15 calories and roasted brussels sprouts (veggies!) for 83 calories.
• Then there’s pie that has to get shoved in there — pumpkin pie at 316 calories per slice, pecan pie for 503 calories and lots of whipped cream on all of that at 100 calories.

+++++

I decided to do my own tracking on the LoseIt! app. I already showed you guys the calorie counts for all the recipes I did, so adding them together was a snap.

My total for the whole day was somewhat less, and it DID include alcohol, breakfast, and the Thanksgiving Sandwich for dinner.

Breakfast was two mini cinnamon rolls and a small plate of fruit: 243 calories.

Pre-lunch was cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon and a cranberry pomegranate cocktail: 403 calories.

Lunch was turkey breast with no skin (178), cranberry sauce (37), mashed potato casserole (195), cornbread stuffing (188), Brussels sprouts (59), green beans (57), and a second cranberry cocktail (216): 930 calories.

Dessert was pumpkin cheesecake and a pumpkin-oatmeal cookie: 362 calories.

Dinner was my absolute favorite part about Thanksgiving, The Sandwich. 2 slices wheat toast, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and a slice of bacon: 343 calories.

That comes to 2,281 for the whole day. My dinner alone was 930 compared to 1567 in the Times article. Guess burning the rolls helped me more than I thought! ;-D




How did you do? Does the thought of counting up the calories for Thanksgiving horrify you?

P.S. The costume for the flamingo was a gift from my mother-in-law; she got us outfits for them for all the major holidays. It's been a running joke that we make fun of the geese on her stoop that she decorates for the holidays, so this was her "revenge". Ha! She found them in a catalog somewhere. I am afraid to ask where. :)

Thanksgiving 2012: Recipes, Part 2

When last we left our Thanksgiving table, we had appetizers, a soup for leftovers, and cookies. Hrm, I think we need to add a bit more to our feast!

First up was, of course, an Herb Roasted Turkey. I went with a bone-in turkey breast, which is super-easy and stays moist.



I used fresh herbs - sage and rosemary -- to mix with the dried thyme, dried toasted onion, dried garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil to make an herb paste.



I tucked that all underneath the skin, as well as on top. Carrot, onion and celery acted as my aromatics, and some chicken broth on the bottom of the pan kept it all from drying out.



8 pound turkey, 20 minutes a pound = 2.5 hours to cook at 325 degrees. We took it out and tented it for 30 minutes while the veggies went into the oven to roast.



Hubby carved it up nicely -- that is only one breast! He did the other one after the turkey had cooled and we were cleaning everything up.



I had made my friend Sharyn's Mashed Potato Casserole the day before.



It's pretty easy. First you peel and boil the potatoes for 20-25 minutes. I only did a partial peel because I like that in my casserole.



While they boil, dice an onion and garlic and saute it in a small pan.

When the potatoes are done, drain them and return to the pan. Add in the onions, butter, 2 heaping tablespoons of horseradish, cup of sour cream, salt and pepper and mash it up. (I use a hand masher, but I like them still a little chunky.)




Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese until fully mixed. Pour the whole thing into a casserole dish, and add paprika or Northwoods seasoning (optional). You can either bake it at 350 for 20-30 minutes now, or refrigerate and bake off the next day.

I won't lie, the mashed potato casserole is a calorie monster. That's why I only make it once a year. (1 serving = 1 cup.)




The other big starch was of course, my favorite Cornbread Stuffing with Turkey Sausage. I got the recipe from Eating Well several years ago, but it is definitely a keeper! I had to bring a container of it to Shopping Friend on Friday! ;-D

Forgot to take a picture of the ingredients together, whoops! But the recipe is:



Ingredients
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage, (about 4 links), casings removed
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery
2 pounds (approx 12 cups) prepared cornbread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (You can make it yourself, like I tried and burned, or you can buy it, as I ended up doing)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 1/2-3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 10 minutes.
Add onion and celery; cover, reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.




Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Add cornbread, parsley and sage.
Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Pour 1 cup over the stuffing mixture and toss gently (the cornbread will break into smaller pieces). Add as much of the remaining broth as needed, 1/2 cup at a time, until the stuffing feels moist but not wet.
Spoon the stuffing into the prepared pan and cover with foil.
Bake the stuffing until thoroughly heated, about 25 minutes. Serve warm. (This also can be baked off the next day; I had room in the oven so both the stuffing and potatoes went into the oven during the last half-hour of the turkey's time.)







I think a serving size is a half-cup, but that doesn't seem right. Anyway, it's a high-calorie item so I try to eat it reasonably.

But that wasn't all! There was fresh cranberry-pomegranate sauce...





...roasted Brussels sprouts seasoned with balsamic and thyme...



...and roasted green beans seasoned with Mural of Flavor.



Mmmmmm, delicious.




But wait!!!

There's one more!!!

I ALSO made slow-cooker sweet potatoes, an idea I got from Kalyn's Kitchen.



Peel and cube sweet potatoes, toss in olive oil with salt, pepper, and any seasonings you want (I used Northwoods and a dash of chipotle). Dump into slow cooker and cook for 3 hours on high.



Unfortunately I did not read the recipe correctly and put them on low for 3 hours, and they were not quite done. I kept cooking them through dinner anyway, and by late afternoon they were done.



Too late to be added into the feast, but I have a couple of ideas for them anyway. I think I am going to try these sweet potato raviolis, and this Thanksgiving Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Brussels sprouts.  Lastly, now that my other soup is packed away in the freezer, if there are any sweet potatoes left after the ravioli and salad, they will become their own soup.

Speaking of leftover recipes, I would make this Shepherd's Turkey Pie but I am pretty sure Hubby will have polished off the potatoes and possibly the turkey before I have a chance. Maybe I can steal some turkey away from him to make one batch of turkey salad with cranberries! 

Anyway, it was a great meal(s), and we have been eating very well ever since.

What are you guys doing with your leftovers? Anything fun or different?