Turkey Cranberry Melt

There are endless ways to use the leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey and trimmings. I love soup and enchiladas but sometimes I just want to whip up something quick for lunch, enter the beloved melt. This melt is super easy and can be customized. If I had any stuffing left, I probably would have added that too!

Turkey Cranberry Melt

2 pieces of good quality sourdough bread

Butter

Shredded turkey, to taste

Shredded mozzarella cheese, to taste

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese, to taste

Homemade cranberry sauce (recipe to follow)

Directions: 

Pre-heat skillet. Butter one side of each piece of bread. Place one slice of bread on the skillet, pile on a handfuls of cheese, then turkey, cranberry, then more cheese, top with the other slice of bread. Cover skillet with a lid to help cheese melt faster. Toast until golden brown, or a tinge of burnt butter (that's how I like it, at least). Flip, place lid back on, toast until browned. Slice and serve! 

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz. fresh cranberries

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup orange juice, fresh preferable

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools. 

Lemon Ball Drop Martini - New Years Eve Cocktail

(get it? Lemon Drop Cocktail + NYE Ball Drop = Lemon Ball Drop)

 What better way to ring in the New Year than with a lemony, sweet, refreshing cocktail? The Lemon Drop martini is one of my favorites, actually anything lemon and I'm on it! So much so that a good friend of mine actually nicknamed me "Lemony" because I love lemons so much (feel free to call me Lemony anytime)! To me, lemons are good luck. Yes, I just made that up, but how else do you think those traditions and superstitions get started? This cocktail is easy to make and customize.

I had a blast creating this post as it was a family affair! My lovely sister in law has a beautiful blog: illistyle which she has so graciously allowed me to guest post with this cocktail. Please take a peek at her blog as she is uber talented and it is chock full of wonderful crafts, recipes, and other handmade ideas. 

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You will need:

1 1/2 oz vodka

1/2 oz triple sec or grand marnier, 

1 1/2 oz lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)

1 lemon head

Sugar for rim of glass 

Cocktail Shaker 

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Mix the following in the Cocktail Shaker:

1 1/2 oz vodka

1/2 oz triple sec or grand marnier, 

1 1/2 oz lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)

Ice

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Rim glass with sugar, and add cocktail to glass

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Add a lemon garnish and a lemon head - fun!

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Enjoy!

Happy New Year's my friends!

Remember to please drink responsibly and always designate a driver.

And if you are still deciding on your attire: check out illistyle for picks of NYE fashion for every event.

Palmiers

I love me a good cookie! I really don't have a favorite cookie because I can't choose which I like best, but if I were going to have a top 10 (yes, 10) I would have to include the Palmier.

The Palmier is a sweet, flaky, biscuit made from puff pastry and shaped like a palm leaf. With only three ingredients, these cookies are super easy to make and your friends will think you are a baking genius. Don't try to be an overachiever and make your own puff pastry dough, trust me. 

This recipe is a slight variation of Barefoot Contessa's recipe. Barefoot Contessa

The most difficult part of this recipe is the folding of the dough. I use the word difficult loosely as you will find it is very simple: 

After rolling dough to a 13x13 square, fold it in half so it meets in the middle: 

Then, fold the dough, again, so it meets in the middle: 

Now, fold your dough in half like you are closing a book: 

Trim the edges and cut the dough into 3/8" slices: 

Place them on the cookie sheet cut side up and you are ready to bake!

Serve these little jewels with a cup of tea or do as I did...pair them with a decent Pinot Noir. Note that I said decent, doesn't even have to be your good stuff.

Palmiers

Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon of cinnamon (optional)

2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon and kosher salt. Pour 1 cup of the sugar/salt mixture on a flat surface such as wooden board. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar and pour 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it's about an even covering of sugar. With a rolling pin, roll the dough until it's 13 by 13-inches square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square towards the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold 1 half over the other half. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.

Bake the cookies for 6 minutes until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Homemade Granola Bars!

I started running about a year ago and have played with many fueling methods. I've used the standard gels (I prefer Hammer or Honey Stinger), Cliff Shot Bloks, etc but it occurred to me that I really want a natural, homemade, fuel. There are so many healthy, natural foods out there, why not use those options! 

My next, obvious, solution was to make a granola bar. The granola bar is a great invention; packing wholesome ingredients in a cute little package. The perfect thing on a long run.

This recipe was originally from one of my favorite chefs: Barefoot Contessa:  Barefoot Contessa Granola Bars. 
My husband and I have tweaked it to make it more runner friendly. These bars are packed with energy boosting goodies and the carbs you'll need! The beauty is that you can customize this recipe to fit your taste. If you aren't a fan of honey (shame on you), substitute Agave. If you hate almonds (again, shame on you), substitute walnuts. As far as dried fruit, your options are limitless. 

Granola (Crack) Bars

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

1 tablespoon Flax seed meal

1/2 to 2/3 cup honey (depending on how sweet or "sticky" you want it, I normally use 2/3)

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup chopped fruit (pitted dates, dried apricots, dried cranberries, raisins, figs, etc.)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9 inch loaf pans with parchment paper (I'll tell you why I use these bread pans in a bit)

Toss the oatmeal, nuts, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the flax seed. At this point you can put this all through the food processor to make the granola a little finer and denser. If you do, I recommend putting the fruit through it also (separate from the dry stuff).

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for two minutes, after it comes to a full boil, and then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pans, evenly. Wet your fingers and firmly press the mixture evenly into the pan OR do what I do: cover top of granola with a second sheet of parchment paper and press down hard using the other bread pan. (This is why I use bread pans, they are tapered and fit nicely into each other which make for easy pressing). Press down as hard as you can. Remove top parchment paper.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours (preferably overnight) before cutting into squares or bars. Serve at room temperature.