When Thanksgiving gives you leftovers... Make enchiladas!

A wonderful holiday supper is what we strive for... But the day after, do we really need to rinse, repeat? 

One great thing about turkey is that it is relatively neutral, so it can be easily reworked into something else. Even better is using other elements of the original meal to fill out future meals... Like using both the turkey meat and stuffing as the enchilada filling...

Worked out well with Dona Maria mole sauce, and leftover potatoes, and steaming another head of broccoli for veg. 

Spice up the meat so you don't realize that it is reworked... And you won't be thinking "roast turkey supper"! 

Thanksgiving Roast Duck

Thanksgiving with my mom offered a great opportunity to revisit a family fave holiday meal - roast duck with orange sauce. Turkey or ham were more common choices, but every once in a while we would have duck, and I would be pressed into service making the orange sauce - since I was the only one who had the patience to grate the orange zest, juice the oranges, and prepare the sauce without any lumps. 

Last Christmas I had a similar opportunity, and it worked really well. So... Thanksgiving day supper was duck with orange sauce, wild rice, roasted root veggies, candied sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

The sweet potatoes and roasted veg were prepared in the morning and brought ready-to-reheat. I prepped the wild rice and steamed veg as the duck roasted. I cheated this year and only had time to prep the package of orange sauce that was provided in the bird's cavity - it was acceptable, not too sweet...

I stuffed the cavity of the duck with a couple orange wedges and thyme and rosemary from the garden. It was a really small cavity, despite the bird being almost 6 lbs. I pricked the skin to help drain the subcutaneous fat, a sprinkle of salt, and into a 375F oven for about 2 hours.

The wild rice was flavoured with sauteed garlics, shallots, and thyme, and took a good hour to simmer on the stovetop. The steamed veg only took a few minutes to prep, and started cooking just before the bird was removed from the oven to rest before carving. The sweet potatoes and roasted veg took a spin in the oven to reheat. 

All came out really well, the duck was moist and tender, even if the skin wasn't quite as crispy as I usually like. My mom really enjoyed the holiday meal, and provided a bottle of wine to share over dinner too! 

Quesadilla Lunch from La Chapparita Food Truck

A new food truck can really brighten a gloomy day - today was no exception. My first time for trying La Chapparita, it was the only truck around today!

I chose an asada quesadilla, and it was served with two salsas - a medium-heat green one, and a spicy red one. Both were very tasty, but the red is quite a bit hotter than I expected. 

The quesadilla was generously stuffed with steak and cheese, freshly griddled, very hot and tasty! And only $8 - a bargain in the food truck world. 

Look for them, try a quesadilla, taco, or torta! 

Saturday Turkish Tepsi Kebab

It had been a while since I had made tepsi kebab, and a free Saturday was a good opportunity to cook a family favourite! I substitute ground turkey for the traditional beef, and restrain myself on the spice level (to keep it a familiar favourite)...

I finely mince red and orange bell peppers, red onion, garlics, and parsley (I cheat, using a mini food processor), then let it drain in a paper towel-lined colander to get rid of excess moisture. I mix in the meat, salt, black pepper, Penzey's Turkish spice, and a shake of cinnamon, then mix by hand.

I oil a deep-dish pizza pan, then dump in half the meat mixture, and pat it out to cover the bottom. 

Cover the meat with slices of cheese (I used mozzarella). 

Then cover the cheese with the remaining meat and pat it out to cover evenly. Cover with leftover peppers and onions, and I added mushrooms sauteed with garden-fresh thyme:

Slap it in a hot (375F) oven until it is hotter than 180F, about an hour:

Yum! Veg and meat cooked together, you really don't need another vegetable unless you want one. Tasty, easy (if you use a food chopper or processor) and reasonably healthy too! 

Autumn Saturday Chicken Tagine

A cold autumn day is great for hearty foods that may cook for a while, perfuming the house with herbs and spices. I thought this weekend was an opportunity to break out the tagine and stew something within. 

Chicken legs were on-sale, and I had some veg on hand, so we didn't need too much at the market to complete the meal - onion, couscous, and a delicata squash. Also, we found a great Wild Garden Persian Sumac marinade and decided that would be the predominant seasoning. I marinated the chicken legs in the marinade overnight. 

This afternoon, I prepped garlic, thyme, rosemary, and green onions for the couscous, prepped the veg for roasting - Brussels sprouts, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and the delicata squash, tossing in a little olive oil before spreading on two foil-covered baking sheets. 

Once they were safely in the oven, I turned my attention to the large-pearl Israeli couscous, cooking with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. 

I grated a red onion into the cast iron base of the tagine, then arranged the chicken legs on top, and poured over the remaining marinade. I put the lid on, and placed the tagine on a low burner... 

A few minutes later, the aroma of herbs and spices started to permeate the house, enhancing the cozy atmosphere. I opened a bottle of chardonnay to enjoy with supper, and had a glass (unbreakable Coleman insulated mug) to help bring the supper together. 

I kept checking the chicken for doneness, and when done I left the lid off the tagine for fifteen minutes so the liquid could cook down into a luscious gravy. 

Wow - absolutely delicious! Warms your tummy and your heart without hot chile peppers! 

Tagines can be found at Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, and Amazon, but you can use a regular pot on your stove too. Wild Garden marinades can be found at Marianos and Butera grocery stores. 

Try it - you might really enjoy!