Spinach and Walnut Pesto Crustini

Thanksgiving is over and now begins the season of cocktail parties, family gatherings and wine and cheese parties. I used to buy the boxes of pre-made appetizers because they are so easy to make, but then I realized what a rip off they really are. I could make such better tasting appetizers for 1/3 of the price. I make a little at a time, store them in the freezer and then pull it out the day of the party and heat. This way I don't have to spend the whole day cooking. 

Crostinis are an awesome appetizers. You can make the topping ahead of time, freeze it and then the morning of, thaw it out, and place on the toast. You can either make Bruschettini or buy it and just put it on a tray and serve. This crostini takes 5 minutes to make, literally. You throw everything in a food processor and then either serve or freeze.

This Pesto is made with baby spinach, but I have made it with frozen spinach in the past and it comes out fine. The key is if you’re going to use frozen spinach is that you defrost it and squeeze out the excess water, otherwise your pesto will come too watery. 

  

Spinach and Walnut Pesto Crostini

2 c packed baby spinach

1/2 c toasted walnuts

1/3 c Asiago cheese

1 clove of garlic

1/4 c olive oil

Put the spinach, walnuts, cheese, and garlic in the food processor. Pulse 3 times, then scrape down the sides, add about half the olive oil. Turn the food processor on and drizzle in the rest of the olive oil until a paste forms. I like mine slightly chunky, not so smooth, but blend until you get the consistency you want. Serve or freeze. Will last in the freezer for 4-6 months.

Freezing Thanksgiving Leftovers

If your family is anything like mine, there is always way more food than anyone could possibly eat in one meal. Remnants of stuffing, sweet potatoes,  turkey, and more remain for days in the refrigerator and ultimately end up getting thrown out. There's only so many things you can do with leftovers right?

Well, freezing your leftovers is a great option to waste less food, and gives you a longer period of time to re-invent them. Not all leftovers will freeze well, but many of them will. The key is to freeze things properly and in proper portion sizes. Since this food has already been served and then frozen, you don't want to have to heat a large amount and end up with leftovers that you have to throw out anyway.

Here is a list of what freezes well and helpful tips on how to store them properly.

Turkey- First thing you need to do is break it down. I don't like to freeze the meat on the bone, so I pull as much meat off the bone and set aside for stock for later. I break it down in a few different ways so that i can use it in a few different preparations  So i'll shred some of it and store in 1 cup portions so i can use it in soups or enchiladas. Then I'll roughly chop some into cubes for chilies, casseroles, and breakfast hash. Finally I'll slice some to serve as a turkey dinner for a quick go to meal any night of the week. Make sure that  you freeze the turkey in an air tight container, and not too much bigger than the amount of meat the you freeze. If i'm using a Ziploc bag i wrap it in aluminum foil and then place in the Ziploc, squeeze the air out and freeze. Basically the more air that circulates around the meat means that it's more likely to get freezer burn and dry out. portioned out the turkey should last in your freezer for 3 months.

Ham- Not your traditional Thanksgiving meal, but I know some families prefer ham to turkey. Ham freezes very well. You basically use the same break down and freezing steps as you would for the turkey. It is good to use later for soups, gumbos, ham croquettes, or even to through in your mac and cheese.  Portion it out and freeze.

Stuffing- Stuffing is tricky. It does freeze well in 90% of cases. However, if you made a dry stuffing it won't last long in the freezer. The stuffing needs to have some moisture to sustain itself in the freezer. The stuffing should also be portioned into single serve portions in an air tight container. You can use Ziplock bags but be sure to squeeze all the air out. Stuffing will last in the freezer for about a month, but not much longer than that so be sure to date it.

Sweet Potato Casserole- This freezes pretty well. I typically don't serve it again as mashed sweet potatoes again. I'll thaw it and make sweet potato pancakes or use it in a turkey hash. if you do plan on serving as is, it may be a little watery, but still very edible. This can last in an air tight container for 3 months.  Regular mashed potatoes do not freeze well. They become grainy and watery no matter what you do with them.

Cranberry Sauce: Cranberry sauce can be frozen using the ice cube tray method, or you can throw it in a blender make it smooth and freeze so you have a cranberry sorbet. It's awesome. Either way you freeze it will stay good in the freezer for 3 month.

Gravy: Ice cube tray method is definitely the way to go. You can pull out a cube or two when ever your ready to serve. If your gravy it too oily, it may remain somewhat soft when you freeze it. This is ok,  it's still safe. Gravy stays good frozen for 3 months.

Soup: As long as it is not a cream based soup, like a clam chowder or cream of potato, it should freeze fine. Cream based soups separate and I don't have much luck freezing them. But other soups freeze beautifully. Pumpkin soup, chicken soup, leek soup and so on are perfect candidates for freezing. Turkey stock also freezes well and portion it out so you can grab it quickly for lunch during the week. Most soups last for about 3-4 months.

Vegetables: This depends upon their preparation  I find roasted vegetables do not freeze well at all. Blanched vegetables freeze beautifully. Mashed vegetables freeze pretty well, but they can become a little bit watery. If you're using a Ziploc bag, be sure to squeeze as much air as you can out because thy will get freezer burn. You can also pack them in an airtight container; they won't expand so you don't need to leave that much space at the top. Something like a green bean casserole or honey glazed carrots will freeze well.  They may be a bit softer when you reheat them, but they will taste good.

Pies and Desserts: I often freeze pies, cakes and cookies. the key proper packaging and proper defrosting. You have to slice it into individual pieces, wrap them in aluminum foil, and place in a Ziploc bag. Squeeze out the air and freeze. When you are defrosting. be sure to remove from the bag, and unwrap and place on a cooling rack to defrost. If you don't do this, as it thaws, the water will pool in the aluminum foil and make the dessert soggy. If you do this your desserts can freeze for 3 months. Any cakes with frosting on them do not freeze well, refrigerate them and use with in a week.

Hope this helps to safe you Thanksgiving leftovers. you worked way too hard to prepare a beautiful meal to see it thrown in the garbage. Upcylce your foods by turning them into new dishes.

Butternut Squash Bisque

Soup is a staple at family gathering and it is so easy to make ahead of time and freeze for when you need it. Now is the perfect time of year for squash of all varieties  Stock up now and enjoy for the entire winter season. This soup can be made with acorn squash or pumpkin instead. Which ever looks the best when you do your shopping. Its so easy and freezes so well. The perfect addition to any thanksgiving feast. You can either freeze this soup ahead of time, or freeze the leftovers and enjoy later.

Typically I say don't freeze anything that has cream in it because it has a tendency to separate when you reheat it. However this is not a cream soup; its a soup that happens to have a little bit of cream in it. I have not had a problem with this soup separating on me. I either heat a small portion in the microwave for myself, or if I'm heating a big batch, heat it slowly in a sauce pan with a 1/4 cup warm chicken stock or water, whisk occasionally and it shouldn't separate on you.

Butternut Squash Bisque
3 tbsp olive oil
1 leek thinly sliced,  white and light green section
2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 large butternut squash  peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and zest

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add in the leeks and garlic until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cayenne, cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken stock and half and half. Once combined, add in the squash. Bring to a boil. When its boiling, cover with a lid, reduce to a simmer, and cook until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.Working in batches, puree in a blender until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and zest. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. When you are about to serve add a dollop of sour cream and a few chives or toasted pumpkin seeds.

To Freeze: Portion the soup out either into single servings or serve into a batch for your family gathering. Be sure to leave a 1/2 in space because this soup will expand and pop the lid off. 

3 ingredient Pumpkin Butterfingers Cookies

What is this about? I know they sound crazy, but they are awesome. First off, i'm still trying to get rid of all of this Halloween candy and trying to come up with some creative ways to use it so I stop eating it. Secondly, pastries and desserts in general freeze pretty well . They are a great make ahead for any occasion and especially when your oven is going to be tied up most of the day with a big ol' turkey.

This is the easiest cookie you can make. It is 3 ingredients and there are no eggs in it. There are so many people with allergies now that you have to try and accommodate their needs, with good food that everyone would like. With that being said i made these with butterfingers, but if you have someone that is allergic to nuts, you could totally use Heathbars or whoppers instead. you want something that has a crunch to it. Sometimes when i'm feeling crazy, I'll melt some chocolate in the microwave and half dip them in it for some extra chocolate-iness.

These cookies are so easy to make you'll find any excuse to make them, but they are perfect at the Thanksgiving table and freeze beautifully. Enjoy.

3 Ingredient Pumpkin Butterfingers Cookies

1 box Golden Cake Mix
1 small can pumpkin puree
8-10 fun size Butterfingers chopped up into chunks


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the cake mix, pumpkin puree, and butterfingers chunks until your dough forms. Spoon the dough onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the bottoms turn golden brown. Allow to cool.

To freeze:  Place in a freezer safe contain, will last up to 3 months. Defrost on a baking rack before serving.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

A friend of mine told me about these vegan cookie dough truffles. I looked up the recipe from Chef Chloe, a vegan blogger and they looked fabulous. But I’m far from vegan so I made these with regular chocolate chips, butter and rice flour. Why rice flour? I found it added a nutty, earthy flavor that I didn’t get with all-purpose flour. Plus this is now a gluten free recipe.

This is perfect dessert for any get together and especially for holiday dinners. There no cooking involved and you can serve them right from the freezer. One of the great things about this recipe is because its egg free, you can eat all the dough you want without feeling guilty.  Be honest how many times have you made a batch of cookie dough and only half of the dough ever made it to the oven. Yeah I know we've all done it. If you've done that then this recipe is perfect for you. 

Here is the link to the original recipe, and below is my version. Once you’ve had one, you won’t be able to stop popping them. http://chefchloe.com/sweets/vegan-cookie-dough-truffles.html

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles 

½ c room temp unsalted butter

¾ c packed light brown sugar

¼ tsp. salt

2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp. water

1 ¼ c rice flour
1 c chopped walnuts (optional)

1/3 c semisweet mini chocolate chips

12 oz. semisweet chocolate 

In your stand mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and water until combined.  Slowly add flour a 1/3 at a time to prevent it from going everywhere. Mix until incorporated. Remove bowl from the mixer and fold in the mini chocolate chips. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 hour**.

Get 2 cookie sheets and line them with parchment paper. Take a small spoonful of chilled dough and roll into 1-inch balls with the palms of your hands. Place the balls onto the baking sheets. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Place the remaining 12 oz. chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for approximately 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds.  Let the chocolate cool to room temperature. Remove one tray of cookie dough balls from the freezer. Dip each ball into the melted chocolate and remove using two forks. Place the coated balls back onto the baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator. Repeat with the second tray of cookie dough balls. Chill until the chocolate is set, about 20 minutes. Either store in refrigerator until serving or gather and place in a freezer safe container. Place in the freezer and keep for a dessert any night of the week.

**A fun alternative for this recipe is put it on a stick like a cake pop. If you do this, place the stick in the ball before refrigerating and then follow the rest of the recipe. You won’t need the forks when dipping in the chocolate because you will have the stick to work with.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce in under 15 minutes

It just wouldn't be thanks giving without cranberry sauce, especially to put on my Thanksgiving leftover sandwich. But for some reason, many people still buy the canned stuff. Fresh cranberry sauce is so easy to make its crazy. Best part, you can either make it ahead, freeze it until Thanksgiving, or if you make it fresh and freeze the leftovers. It’s a win-win recipe. Best part it takes only takes 15 minutes to make and 30 minutes to cool. Done and done. It takes longer than that to find it in the grocery store.

One of the nice things about this recipe is that it’s very customize-able to your family’s pallet. In this version I've use honey, orange juice and crystallized ginger. But I have made it in the past with a sweet white wine and apples, which is also delicious.  By using fresh cranberries, the sauce still gets a jelly like consistency because when  the cranberries pop open during cooking, they release pectin, which is a natural way to make jelly or jams. 

Once you try this recipe, you'll never go back.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

 

2 oranges Juiced and zest

1/2 cup honey

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp. salt

2 or 3 pieces of whole crystallized ginger, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 12 oz. bag fresh cranberries or roughly 4 cups if you pick your own

In a sauce pot, combine the juice and zest from the orange, honey, cinnamon stick, salt and ginger and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the mixture is simmering, add in the cranberries and bring it to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, cover with a tight fitting lid and lower heat to a simmer. Stirring the mixture occasionally. You’ll  start to hear the cranberries begin popping. Cook for about 15 minutes or until you think all the berries have popped open. Remove from heat, take out the cinnamon stick, and stir the mixture. Taste; if it is too tart, you can add in some more honey (or sugar) 1 Tbsp. at a time. You can serve this dish warm, at room temp, or refrigerate and serve cold. It’s delicious anyway you serve it.

Freezing - If you’re making ahead of time, you can either keep in the fridge or freeze. If you are going to freeze, place in a freezer safe container, place plastic wrap on the sauce then place the lid on to prevent freezer burn. This mixture will expand so be sure to leave enough head room about 1/2 inch. Or you can freeze using the ice cube method. But be sure to remove from the Ice cube trays when frozen and place in a labeled freezer bag with all the air squeezed out to prevent freezer burn. The cranberry sauce will remain slightly soft even when frozen. This is because of the pectin. It’s normal, you didn't do anything wrong. 

Thawing- You can just take out and thaw on the counter until you are ready to serve, or in the refrigerator if you prefer it cold. If you want to serve it warm, place in a sauce pot, add 1/4 cup orange juice bring to a simmer. Stir together and serve warm. 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Pecans and Cranberries

Picture from ceramiccanvas.com  

Thanksgiving is almost here and that means lots and lots of delicious food, but that also means lots of time cooking that food. So why not cook as much head of time as you can.  Throughout the week I’ll be posting delicious awesome tasting make ahead food. Spend less time in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day and more time with your family, because that is really what this holiday is really about. First on the list, Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Pecans and Cranberries.

My sister last year made these awesome sweet potato gnocchi, so I have put my own spin on it. They freeze really well. The sauce is the only thing that you need to make the day of and this is an awesome alternative to your typical sweet potato casserole.  The sweetness from the dried cranberries and the crunch from the toasted pecans, make this dish an unexpected hit.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Pecans and Cranberries

2 lbs. red-skinned sweet potatoes

1 12-ounce container fresh ricotta cheese

1 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg (1/2 if using dried nutmeg)

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you may need it all)

Brown Butter Sage Sauce

1 cup unsalted butter (room temp)

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. cinnamon

6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c dried cranberries

1/4 c toasted chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash the sweet potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise and roast in the oven until the sweet potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. Remove from the oven and cool,

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, get a fine mesh sieve, place it over a bowl, and put the container of ricotta cheese to drain. Once the sweet potatoes have cooled scrape the flesh out and place in a bowl. Add in the drained ricotta, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Mash together, using a fork, to blend. Mix in the flour 1/2 a cup at a time until a soft dough forms. If your dough is too sticky after you've added the 1 1/2 cups, you can additional flour a 1/4 cup at a time.

Place the dough on your floured work surface. Cut into 6 equal pieces. Take 1 piece and roll out into a long snake about an inch or so in diameter.  Cut into 1 inch piece. Each snake should give you about 20 or so pieces. Repeat with remaining 5 pieces of dough.  When done, gently place the back of the fork on each piece of gnocchi to give the classic indent.  At this point, put them on a baking sheet and place in the freezer. Once completely frozen gather them up and put in a Ziploc bag. Make sure you get all the air out before you freeze.

When ready to use, bring a large pot of water to boil. Graciously salt the water. Working in batches, boil the gnocchi until al dente, approximately 5-6 minutes. Drain, but do not rinse and place on a lined baking sheet loosely cover with foil so they stay warm while you cook the remaining gnocchi.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add in the sage and brown sugar. Continue to cook, stirring the butter occasionally until the foam subsides and it begins to brown.  Shut the heat off and whisk in the cinnamon, salt and pepper. Toss in the gnocchi, cranberries, pecans, and serve.

How to get the smell out the fridge and freezer?

After a power outage of more than 2-3 days, you basically have to toss everything that you've been stock piling all season long. The rotting food can leave an odor in the fridge and freezer, which is not only unappetizing, but the smell can seep into new food that you purchase and ice that you make.

How do you get rid of this. First, when you empty out the fridge and freezer, you warm a bleach and soap solution.I use 1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water, and 2 hefty squirts of dish soap. Using a scouring sponge I scrub every surface, removing drawers and scrubbing underneath them. Then I use a Q-tip to get the corners and edges, to make sure mold doesn't grow there in the future.  This is good and its disinfected, but now you have a bleachy smell, which is not very appetizing to me.

Traditionally, people use baking soda to remove smells, however I have found that if you leave it in the box it doesn't work very well and you need to replace it frequently to actually get it to absorb strong odors. I prefer to use Activated Carbon/ Charcoal. What is activated charcoal? Wikipedia defines it as a form of carbon processed to be riddled with small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for absorption or chemical reactions. Basically, its a very porous form of carbon that is perfect for absorption.  Its used in water filters. People also take carbon tablets for holistic treatments for nausea, gas, poisoning, etc. Its also used in fish tanks to keep the water from smelling.

Where can you get it? I actually go to my local pet store and buy it right in the fish section. its sold in pellets and powder. I prefer the pellets. I use a pie tin and pour a layer of the charcoal in. just enough to cover the bottom and put one in the fridge and one in the freezer. The pet store sells it loose and in mesh bags. I prefer the loos, but you can try either one.

You can buy it other places, online and in natural food stores (ie-whole foods), but I find it so expensive at those places and you are not ingesting it so the activated carbon at the pet store works for me. You can find it for under $10. Activated charcoal works great on a regular basis too, just make sure to put it high enough up that your kids don't try to eat it.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/activated-carbon#ixzz2BjvSAcSv

Brownie Ice Cream Pizza

 After Hurricane Sandy, I know many of us are just trying to put the pieces back together. Everyone is trying to get back to normal, which is why I waited a little while to post. I hope speedy recovery to everyone who was affected by the storm.

So here is a dish that takes only a few minutes to make and brings smiles to everyone's faces. One of my friends described it as a Disney dessert. I made it after Halloween was cancelled because i cannot be trusted with all that candy. This dish is perfect for kids,parties, pizza, parties, or an excuse to break into your kids trick goodie bags. Get them involved and have them pick out the flavors they want on the pizza.

I was walking in the grocery store and saw a brownie pizza in the freezer section for $20. Seriously. I made two for around $7. This can be made with any combination of candies, any flavor of ice cream, and you can add or subtract any ingredients to suit your families tastes. Since I was making two anyway, I made 2 different kinds. One with all nut candies Snickers, peanut M&M, Twix, and one with out any nut products Junior Mints, Crunch Bars, and plain M&Ms. My cousin has a nut allergy so i try to make a nut free version of things for him, but my husband is a slight nut-ohalic  so i put nuts in for him. make the nut free one completely first. Then make the one with nuts to avoid any cross contamination.

 Brownie Ice Cream Pizza 
1 box brownie mix. (Family Size if you want more crust)
1/2 c oil
1/4 c water
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c chopped walnuts (opitional)
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
1/2 c milk
1/2 c rainbow sprinkles
assorted candy ( 3-4 fun size of 3 or 4 different candies)
Chocolate syrup

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease the sides and bottom of 2 cake pans*. Mix together the brownie mix, oil, eggs vanilla, and chopped walnuts. Divide in half between the two cake pans. It is going to be a thin layer of brownie, this is what you want. It will only take 15-20 minutes to cook because it's so thin. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

While this is cooling, in a stand mixer, whisk together the 1/2 gallon of ice cream** with the 1/2 cup of milk. Whisk until it has the consistency of a butter cream frosting. it will be fluffy and form little peaks when you pick it up with a spoon. use a rubber spatula and divide the ice cream among the 2 completely cooled brownies. Spread the ice cream and pour sprinkles on top. Next spread the rest of the candy on top, chopping any bars (snickers, twix, etc.) up into bite size chunks. Drizzle the top with chocolate syrup. Cover the top with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil. Be sure to freeze completely flat. if you don'e everything will drift to one side and you'll ahve a very lopsided pizza. When your ready to serve, remove from the freezer 5 minutes before so that the brownie has a few minutes to thaw out so you can cut through it.

*i use spring form pans so that its easier to serve when frozen, but if you don't have a spring form pan, cover the bottom and sides of your cake pan with parchment paper.

**take your ice cream out of the freezer 5 minutes before you want to whisk it so that is softens slightly but isn't melting. This will make sure you don't break your stand mixer by trying to whisk hard ice cream.