KITCHEN MAVEN: Thrifty Delicious Holiday Leftovers

EDITOR’S NOTE: Happy Thanksgiving! Leftovers from that wonderful Thanksgiving meal? Here you go …. we hope you are enjoying the Kitchen Maven’s thirfty tasty holiday recipes. There are lots more holidays in the coming weeks, so we’ve included the links to the series below. We’ve also included links to purchase “Thrifty Comfort Cooking in Challenging Times” by Judiy Yamada, the Kitchen Maven and it’s the perfect gift! Delicious and nutritious recipes and the proceeds of the book sales benefit the Oregon Food Bank Tillamook County Services. Truly a gift for the season. We are grateful and thankful for Judi sharing her recipes. Watch from more from the Kitchen Maven, and order Thrifty Cooking today!

By Judi Yamada/Kitchen Maven

As promised, this is post #5 in my holiday recipe series. If you’re looking for ways to use up leftovers, these recipes might just come in handy. Enjoy!

Cajun Sweet Potato Biscuits

These tender, low fat biscuits are a perfect way to use up extra sweet potatoes (or yams). I sometimes bake an extra sweet potato for dinner and use it to prepare these slightly sweet and spicy biscuits within a couple of days. They come together quickly and contain more fiber and vitamins than traditional biscuits. Serve hot from the oven or warm with butter, jam, honey, cream cheese or sharp cheese or serve on the side with a bowl of soup, beans or stew.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a metal baking pan with parchment or foil.

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour or white whole-wheat flour (all-purpose flour works too)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/8 – ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger OR nutmeg

¾ cup cooked, peeled, mashed sweet potato or yam (canned works too)

2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine OR refined coconut oil

½ cup milk (any kind, unsweetened and unflavored)

Combine dry ingredients in medium large bowl. Whisk well.

In a smaller bowl, combine the mashed sweet potato, melted butter and milk, stirring well.

Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture.

Knead the dough 5 or 6 times, turning the dough over itself to create layers.

Flatten dough to ¾ inch thickness.

Cut with a 2-½ inch biscuit cutter.

If you want biscuits with lightly crisp browned outsides, evenly space biscuits in prepared pan so they aren’t touching. If you want them all over soft, place them closer together.

Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until bottoms are golden.

Yields about 12 biscuits.

Original: Kitchen Maven

Seasonal Strata Supper

Seasonal vegetarian strata was especially created to use up all the stuffing, veggies, and cheese in your fridge from the holiday feast, but would also be delicious with a layer of cooked diced turkey or ham added.

Pan spray or butter for 9” x 13” baking dish

6-8 large eggs, beaten

1 Tablespoon Dijon (or other) mustard

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon dry dillweed, thyme or oregano

½ teaspoon onion powder or garlic powder, optional

5-6 cups prepared bread stuffing

1-2 cups milk of any kind (unsweetened/unflavored)

2-3 cups leftover cooked vegetables

2 cups hard cheese, shredded (Cheddar, Swiss, Gruyere, Gouda)

Butter or spray a 9” x 13” casserole baking dish. Set it aside. In a large bowl combine eggs, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, dillweed and onion powder. Whisk well. Add prepared stuffing, stirring to distribute egg mixture. Stir in enough milk to make the mixture very evenly moist with no extra liquid. Allow mixture to sit 5-10 minutes for liquid to soak in. Add more milk if needed. Layer the stuffing egg mixture with the prepared vegetables and cheese, alternating layers and ending with the cheese.

With a spatula or large spoon, press the strata down to moisten evenly. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Remove the strata from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Remove foil.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake, uncovered, on middle rack of oven for 50 to 60 minutes. When done, remove from oven and allow strata to settle for 5-10 minutes prior to cutting. Serves 8

Turkey Devonshire – The Classic Pittsburgh Post Thanksgiving Meal

Little did I know when growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and repeatedly consuming my mum’s delicious Turkey Devonshire, that this hot sandwich is the quintessential Pittsburgh sandwich. Before writing a Thanksgiving article some years ago, I finally researched Turkey Devonshire and learned its origin. The owner of the famous Park Schenley Restaurant, in Pittsburgh, came up with this perfect use of leftover turkey and it became a hit both at his restaurant and in many local homes. We love it and I prepare it whenever there is an excess of turkey in my vicinity. If you don’t eat meat or don’t like tomatoes, either of them may be left out.

Butter a 9” x 13” baking pan
Toast enough slices of sourdough or Italian bread (regular or gluten free) to fit the bottom of the pan.
Cook 1 package of bacon (about 10 slices) until crispy. Blot to remove fat.
Butter the toast slices and place them buttered side down into the pan.
Slice enough leftover turkey (dark or white meat any size pieces you have on hand to cover the toast with a layer of turkey. Cover with cooked crisp bacon.
Pour half the cheese sauce over the bacon and turkey.
Slice 3 or 4 fresh juicy tomatoes. Top bacon with the sliced tomatoes.
Cover all with remaining cheese sauce.
Sprinkle top with paprika or fresh parsley, if desired.
Bake in 350-degree F oven for about 25-30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Prepare a DOUBLE recipe of the following Basic White Sauce/Cheese Sauce. Or use your own favorite cheese sauce recipe.

4 Tablespoons butter

4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 cups milk, lukewarm

In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter. When it’s melted, whisk in the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, stirring until it’s a smooth mixture and well combined.
Slowly add the milk, whisking all the while. Whie adding the lukewarm milk, the flour mixture will expand and thin, but be cohesive.
Bring mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly. Lower heat and simmer for two minutes, while continuing to whisk. It will gradually thicken and become smooth and creamy. Remove from heat. Give it a good stir. It’s ready for your recipe. Add more lukewarm milk if sauce is too thick

For cheese sauce: turn off the heat when white sauce is ready. Add 1/8 – ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper and 1-2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese to white sauce in pan, while it’s hot. Stir or whisk until cheese is melted. If sauce is too thick, stir in a little more lukewarm milk.

Kitchen Maven original

Mashed Potato Biscuits

These quick little biscuits are a perfect way to use up that last bit of mashed potatoes, so everyone gets a share.

2 ½ cups flour (all-purpose, whole-wheat pastry or half of each)

2 Tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ cup cold butter (or plant butter), cut into small chunks

1 ½ cups leftover prepared mashed potatoes

1 large egg, beaten

1/3 cup cold water

1/3 cup milk

2 Tablespoons melted butter or milk, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line baking pan with parchment or foil.

Combine flour(s), baking powder, salt and sugar. Whisk well. Cut the cold butter chunks into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or clean hands until the mixture has the texture about the size of small peas. Combine water and milk with flour mixture. Using a fork, incorporate dry with wet into a loose dough.

Turn dough out to a floured surface and, with floured hands, knead the dough over itself about 8 times until it holds together well. Press the dough down to a ¾ inch thickness. Cut into disks with a floured biscuit cutter (about 3-inch size). Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet. If using, brush with melted butter or milk.

Bake 15-20 minutes. Bottoms of biscuits will be golden when ready. Makes about 16 biscuits. Serve with butter, jam, honey, gravy.

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Many recipes in my posts are found in my cookbook, “Thrifty Comfort Cooking for Challenging Times”. The book is available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. All (100%) of author royalties from retail sales of my cookbook go directly to the Oregon Food Bank, Tillamook Services, to assist families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. Purchasing the cookbook will benefit not only the recipient of the cookbook, but people in need, as well. Living near Tillamook County or even in Portland, you can purchase the book through Food Roots Farm to Table Marketplace for a sale price and all proceeds will go directly to that non-profit organization.