No matter how you stack it a Thanksgiving Dinner Sandwich is pure goodness.  For me, the key ingredients are stuffing, turkey and mayo.  This year, thanks to my sister Sarah, I’m adding a schmear of Cranberry Horseradish Mayo.  Oh my word, that stuff is addicting.

Just like our Thanksgiving Dinner Party Meatballs, the Thanksgiving Dinner Sandwich should be served year round.  The familiar flavors are reminiscent of family and comfort food love.  What do you add to your holiday sandwiches?

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Thanksgiving Dinner Sandwich {with Cranberry Horseradish Mayo}

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• Bread or rolls
• Roast turkey
• stuffing or dressing
• cranberry sauce
• cranberry horseradish mayo
• gravy for dipping
• optional toppings such as black olives green beans, mashed potatoes, etc.

Instructions

• Layer leftovers on your bread or rolls, toasted or not. Roll up your sleeves, grab yourself a napkin, and get happy.

The post Thanksgiving Dinner Sandwich {with Cranberry Horseradish Mayo} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

We got a new pellet smoker grill and have had that bad boy fired up every weekend since, which means for the most part I’ve had weekends off from cooking.  At least cooking out of need vs. for fun.  Smoked turkey breast and the heavenly broth that followed was the recipe inspiration for this Turkey Divan Soup.

An unseasonably cool September day was all the incentive I needed to make a pot of comfort and love.  This recipe is going to be bookmarked for the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Can’t think of a better way to incorporate leftover turkey, broth, even gravy.  Other than say Traditional Turkey Divan or perhaps a Turkey Divan Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

This soup comes together very easily when you’re working with mostly leftover ingredients.  Bring 5 cups of nice rich turkey stock (or Homemade Chicken Broth) and one cup of cream to a gentle boil.  Whisk in a slurry of flour, cream and seasonings; then return to a boil.

Add diced turkey, gnocchi, sautéed onion, steamed broccoli florets and heat through.

I made my first batch of Homemade Gnocchi a couple weeks ago.  I’ll be sharing that process soon.  I froze half of them which is how they found their way into this soup.  You could substitute with your favorite pasta.  Our Turkey Divan Soup was very yummy topped with golden parmesan mushrooms, freshly cracked black pepper and a nice crusty bread.  What a wonderful bowl of leftover love.

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Turkey Divan Soup {with Gnocchi & Parmesan Mushrooms}

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 5 cups turkey or chicken stock
• 2 cups cream divided
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. ground thyme
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• salt to taste
• 2 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken
• 2 cups steamed broccoli florets
• 1 cup gnocchi or favorite cooked pasta
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 4 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese divided
• crusty bread optional

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan heat turkey stock with 1 cup cream to a gentle boil. Combine remaining cup of cream with flour, garlic & herb seasoning, thyme and pepper in a jar with lid. Shake until well combined, then whisk into stock. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Salt to taste. Add in cooked turkey, gnocchi and steamed broccoli.
• In a skillet, sauté onion until tender; add to soup pot. Add sliced mushrooms to skillet and sauté until golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.
• Serve soup in large bowls. Top with golden parmesan mushrooms and remaining parmesan cheese.

The post Turkey Divan Soup {with Gnocchi & Parmesan Mushrooms} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Turkey Noodle Soup {with Thyme Roasted Veggies}.

Okay, we’re in this together.  We’ve all got a partially carved turkey, wrapped in a wad of foil, taking up way too much space in the Frigidaire.  Let’s break it down.  I know, it seems like work to pick the bones of the good meat, trash the fatty stuff, and cram a carcass into a big stock pot.  But let’s do this.

Tonight or tomorrow (either is fine), once picked clean, fill that stock pot with the turkey carcass, water, the gizzards, aromatics like carrot, onion, garlic, celery, apple.  Then add seasonings like peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme…your favorites.  Bring to the lowest of low of simmer for as many hours as you can stand.  Keep the lid on the pot so you won’t lose as much volume and still allow your broth to intensify.

Once you’ve cooked the stock as long as you can stand it, pour the contents through a colander, capturing the broth in a smaller pot.  Trash all that stuff still in the strainer.  Place broth in the fridge for several hours or overnight.  This will separate the fat from the goodness.  Once congealed, you can easily scrape away the fat layer, leaving you with pure turkey broth love.

Three paragraphs ago, I should have simplified and said…made some kick butt turkey stock.  Then….

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Dice up carrots, onions, celery and sweet potato (or butternut squash, or your favorite root veggies).  Toss in olive oil, 1 tsp. dried thyme, a sprinkle of salt & pepper.  Spread in a single layer on a shallow baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until just tender and beginning to caramelize on the edges.

Meanwhile, prepare egg noodles, according to package instructions.  Note: I cook my noodles separately because I favor a less starchy broth.  I then add them in when ready to serve. You can certainly cook them in the broth.

Add thyme roasted veggies to your pot of clean broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, season according to taste.  Add in cooked egg noodles and cubed cooked turkey.  Enjoy one of my Thanksgiving favorites.

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Turkey Noodle Soup {with Thyme Roasted Veggies}

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 turkey carcass
• reserved giblets
• reserved ‘picked’ good turkey
• lots of water
• patience
• peppercorns
• bay leaves
• diced aromatics such as carrot, onion, celery, sweet potato
• thyme
• garlic
• olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper
• egg noodles

Instructions

• Roast turkey and enjoy.
• Once dinner is over (or the next day) pick carcass of good meat and reserve. Place carcass into a stock pot with giblets and aromatics like onion, garlic, celery, carrots, sweet potatoes. Add herbs like peppercorns, thyme & bay leaves, cover with water and cook covered on the lowest of settings for as many hours as you can stand.
• Strain broth through a strainer into a smaller pot. Transfer broth to the fridge for 4 hours our overnight so the fat will separate from the broth.
• Skim the broth of fat, discard fat.
• Meanwhile prepare egg noodles according to package instructions and reserve.
• Return broth to soup pot, bring to a boil. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add in oven roasted veggies, cooked egg noodles and cubed cooked turkey.
• Enjoy!

The post Turkey Noodle Soup {with Thyme Roasted Veggies} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Shelby and I recently had the pleasure of flying north to visit my brother, sister and their families for a few days.  We, like many families, are separated by distance and life and the stuff that can get in the way.  This trip was a chance for us to put all of that aside and just be together.  It was wonderful.

How does that relate to Turkey Tetrazzini?  I’m about to tell you in a long winded way.  However you won’t hurt my feelings if you’re simply here for a great leftover turkey recipe and know that we loved this growing up.  See below.

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Turkey Tetrazzini

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 8 ounces egg noodles
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
• 1 onion diced
• 4 Tbl. butter
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chicken or turkey broth
• 2 Tbl. dry white wine
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups cooked turkey cubed
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1 2.25- ounce can sliced ripe olives drained
• sea salt
• freshly cracked pepper

For crumb topping…

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup crushed cracker crumbs

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 quart casserole dish.
• Cook egg noodles according to package instructions. Reserve.
• Sauté mushrooms and diced onion in 1 Tbl. butter until mushrooms have released their liquid. Remove from pan and reserve.
• Melt 2 Tbl. butter in sauté pan over medium heat. Dust with flour and whisk until bubbly. Stir in milk and broth. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
• In a large bowl combine cooked noodles, mushroom/onion mixture, cream sauce, cubed turkey, green peas, and sliced olives. Pour into buttered casserole dish.
• In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup cracker crumbs, and1 Tbl. melted butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden.

If you’re up for reading some reflections of growing up in my family…I’m up for sharing (don’t worry family, I won’t spill all our secrets).

I am the youngest of three, my brother the oldest and my senior by 9 years.  We moved a lot when we were little and my memories are much different than theirs.  This recent trip north (CT to be precise) was the first time we had all been together since our mom’s passing in 2010.  We did some reminiscing, shed a few tears, laughed a lot, ate a lot, and hugged ‘eachother’ every chance we could.

I’ve shared before that I did not learn to cook in the kitchen with my mom and grandmothers like many did.  I always recall my mom as a wonderful cook with signature dishes like Boston Baked Beans, Swedish Meatballs, Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates, and so many others.  All of these dishes were mostly served for an event or holiday, which reminds me that Mom was a great entertainer.  Forgive me if I reflect backwards as I type.  Great entertainer who lived for events.  I am very much like her in this regard, yet I’ve learned from her experiences how to take a new approach.  Over the years I witnessed her disappointment when the crowd left (or had gone to bed) and there she sat, often with a sink full of dishes, a signature pie that was never sliced, a brand new recipe that was outshone by the old favorites, and her vision of the perfect evening gone straight down the toilet.  As a child of 10 or 12 or 16, I didn’t understand.  From my eyes we had great fun.  There was no shortage of laughter, excellent food, drunk adults telling stories that we kids would do anything to overhear.  No, we weren’t Little House on the Prairie but it was the life I knew and loved.  As Mom got older, holidays became even more important to her and her level of expectation remained high.  When she was physically no longer able to host ‘events’ she began to live vicariously through us.  Once I was a married adult, my Christmas and Birthday gifts from Mom were the finest of gadgets and entertaining tools.  Yes, I own a complete set of Escargot shells, dishes, and … the things that Julia Roberts made famous in Pretty Woman.  We’ll call them Escargot pliers.

Spending time with my brother and sister as adults gives me a new perspective on our childhood.  I’ve found that as life goes on I am so humbled by what I don’t know or never realized or was so caught up in me to stop and recognize.  That is a major understatement, but I’m trying really hard not over use adjectives and exclamation points.

My brother approaches entertaining with ease.  He makes sure to have the favored cocktail of every guest.  He prepares nibbles that are unassuming and seemingly effortless, yet mouthwateringly delicious.  He totally gets ‘less is more’ and that spending time with guests is what’s most important.  Having said that, he makes sure everyone is satisfied even if that means whipping up pasta primavera at midnight or homemade home fries, eggs & bacon at 8 am.  And my sister-in-law Suzanne opens her home and heart to everyone who steps through their doorway.  Wonderful hosts.

My sister may be the best cook in the family (sorry Scott, you’re excellent but Sarah is a complete visionary who can work with the most basic of ingredients and turn them into amazing).  Sarah brought Phyllo dough into our home in the late 70’s.  She read a recipe in a magazine and *womp* recreated it for us.  FE-FI-LO What? I remember our amazement as we savored this pastry, formerly reserved for upscale bakeries.  I need her to remind me of the details of that dish.  Broccoli?

Now let me tell you about the next generation of cooks in our family.  My brother’s girls have been raised foodies.  Every dinner was encouragement to at least ‘taste’ each dish.  No vacation was complete without experiencing the best of the best in that city.  Whether that was Washington DC or Paris. I love these two girls.  It was a treasure to be able visit with them as adults.  xoxo

I’ve come to learn that Jen (my Boston girl) takes after her Grammy and lives to entertain.  A-typical personalities that like to pre-plan….down to exactly how we want our pigs in blankets rolled ;)  I learned, from awesome pictures, that she throws some bad-ass Halloween parties, complete with themed food & theme rooms (anyone watch Dexter?).  Kate, lives in Manhattan, and has the city as her oyster (also like her Grammy, back in her 20s).  She, like me, loves to sample every dish on the menu.  She drinks Rye and makes homemade Tuna Noodle Casserole without canned goods.  You are invincible while sipping Rye.  She’s a foodie at heart and lights up when we reminisce about family.

My girl Shelby declared her 2012 New Year’s Resolution as this….”learn how to cook and enjoy doing it (and eating it).”  Imagine my joy to read this.  She approaches cooking the way she approaches life.   Shelby, a licensed massage therapist, understands anatomy and how processed foods and ‘chemical’ products negatively affect our being.  I admire her thirst for knowledge.  We don’t need crap food (unless we’re hung over) and recipes are meant to be challenged.  We choose to call this balance.  She’s my inspiration for getting up on Sunday mornings to set out on our adventures.  Food is a common denominator in our family, it’s a woven thread.  I’m glad she caught the foodie bug.

The youngest of cousins is Maya.  As another ‘baby’ in the family, I see where she strives to fit in with her older cousins.  She has matured from an inquisitive adolescent into a pre-teen who fits in completely with her older cousins. Rainbow Looms?!  Yes that was us, all hands on deck, we were students of Maya’s instruction.  Such a sweet and beautiful girl who is quite happy to be a ‘Nerd.’  Smart is IN you know :)  And did I mention her dad is a chef (and Thai)?  She is at complete ease in the kitchen as Dad puts out round after round of scrumptious which she delivers to the table like a pro.  She’s got extreme foodie genes.

As my sister and brother and I sat around a lunch table we began to talk about our youth.  I asked them…”what did Mom cook during the week?”  I remember the dishes served for holidays and events, but weeknight dinners escaped me completely.  They agreed that ground beef was a key ingredient in most week night dishes.  She was a single mom and full-time (and then some) newspaper editor.  Hamburger Helper couldn’t have arrived on the scene at a better time.  Back in the day ground beef was actually inexpensive.

Money Saving Tip (from my brother) ~ When doing your grocery shopping, compare the cost of ground beef to that of some other less expensive cuts of meat.  If ground beef is $2.99/lb. and London Broil or shoulder roast is $1.99/lb. ask the meat counter to grind it for you.  Brilliant.

So while she took all short cuts available to her during the week, Mom was a wonderful cook.  Being frugal led to creativity in the kitchen.  I can’t recall a Thanksgiving growing up that didn’t end with a giant pot on the stove boiling down the turkey carcass.  We knew Turkey Noodle Soup and/or Turkey Tetrazzini was but a day away.

One final note to my ramblings.  Shelby and I took a little excursion one afternoon.  We had a very special date with a very special lady lined up.  It was last December when I first ‘met’ Nicole, albeit virtually.  She won me over with her big kind heart.  I was a new blogger with 67 Facebook followers.  I was desperately trying to reach 100 by midnight on New Year’s Eve.  Nicole shared my page with her followers and they shared it with theirs.  Before you knew it I had passed my goal (in less than 2 hours) and the foodie love kept coming.  It wasn’t long before Nicole and I began to build our friendship, a sisterhood if you will.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that she lived in the same town as my sister, 1200 miles away.  It was destiny that we meet.

Meet my love, Nicole from My Love for Cooking.  She and her husband Mike welcomed Shelby and I into their home.  We fell in love with them and their children.  By the time we left Blueberry Girl was wrapped around my leg and Little Mister was hugging onto Shelby.  It was like being with family.  This was our first date, but there will be many more in the future I’m certain.  Next time we’re cooking together!

Since I’m on such a rambling roll I must share these pics with you.  After leaving Nicole’s we stumbled upon this gem.  A great way to end a wonderful day.

Thank you to those that made it all the way to the end.  This was a really nice way for me share my family with you.  xo Libby

The post Turkey Tetrazzini {and a rambling on family} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

We’ll all be looking for ways to use up some leftover roast turkey (or chicken).  Why look further than classic Turkey Divan.  Creamy sauce poured over roasted turkey and steamed broccoli then baked to into amazing.  It’s a comfort food classic and when it’s time for another Eat Out of the Fridge/Pantry Week, you’ll be glad to have this recipe on hand.

Sauté onion in melted butter, once translucent dust with flour and continue cooking 1-2 minutes until flour begins to bubble.  Slowly whisk in the broth, a dollop of Dijon mustard and seasonings.  Continue stirring, allowing mixture to thicken and come to a gentle simmer, then add in cream and shredded Parmesan and Gruyere cheese.  This simple sauce brings a nice richness to the Turkey Divan.

I’m most often Cooking for Two, so my recipe is enough for two generous portions.  Simply double or triple the recipe according to the number of people you’ll be serving.

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Turkey Divan

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked turkey or chicken breast (not deli meat)
• 1 cup steamed broccoli
• 1/3 cup onion diced
• 1 1/2 Tbl. butter
• 1 1/2 Tbl. flour
• 1 cup turkey or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs toasted

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut turkey (or chicken) and broccoli into bite-sized pieces and place in buttered casserole dish. Reserve.
• In a skillet, sauté onion in melted butter. Once translucent dust with flour and continue cooking 1-2 minutes until mixture begins to bubble. Slowly whisk in the broth, Dijon mustard and seasonings. Continue stirring, allowing mixture to thicken and come to a gentle simmer, then add in cream and shredded Parmesan and Gruyere cheese. Remove from heat and continue stirring until cheeses have melted. Pour cheese sauce over turkey and broccoli. Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy.

The post Turkey Divan {Eat Out of the Fridge/Pantry Week} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

We had a good old fashioned Lunch Counter Style Chef’s Salad for dinner last night.  It had been years since I’ve had one.  Once the salad revolution transformed how we view salads, some of the old standards have been slowly forgotten.  I can say with certainty that there’s a reason the Chef’s Salad was on most menus for decades.  It’s delicious and a completely satisfying meal.

Here’s a fun link that outlines the timeline of the origin of this beloved salad.

I made a lovely Honey Ginger Vinaigrette {with Shallot & Cilantro}.  It was wonderful with our salad.  Our Catalina Salad Dressing is also a classic.

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Lunch Counter Style Chef’s Salad

Ingredients

• Salad greens
• hard boiled eggs
• tomatoes
• ham
• turkey
• cheese
• avocado
• favorite salad dressing

Instructions

• Put salad greens in a large bowl. Top with sliced hard boiled eggs, julienne cut ham, turkey, and cheese, tomatoes, and sliced avocado.
• Serve with favorite salad dressing.

You might also enjoy…

The Classic Cobb Salad

Grilled Caesar Salad

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

The post Lunch Counter Style Chef’s Salad appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The Monte Cristo Sandwich is a perfect Breakfast for Dinner dish.  In fact it could be considered a Dinner for Breakfast meal as well.  There’s nothing to it when it comes to making these ‘feel good’ sandwiches. 

Make yourself a basic deli sliced turkey, ham & cheese sandwich with a little Dijon mustard.  Now treat this sandwich like french toast and dip it in an egg/milk mixture.  Fry them in a little butter until browned on each side and the cheese has melted.  Serve them with a generous sprinkle of powdered sugar and a dollop of jam.  They are so good!!

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Monte Cristo Sandwich {Breakfast for Dinner}

Course Breakfast

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 slices bread
• 2 slices deli ham
• 2 slices deli turkey
• 2 slices cheese
• 1 Tbl. Dijon mustard
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbl. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of cinnamon
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 2 Tbl. powdered sugar
• 2 Tbl. jam

Instructions

• Prepare sandwiches.
• Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon and beat well.
• Dip each sandwich in egg mixture turning until well coated.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
• Add sandwiches cooking on each side until nicely browned and cheese has melted.
• Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and a dollop of jam.

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