Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving Book Review: "Liberty B. Mouse Goes to a Party" (Reprint)





One of my favorite Thanksgiving picture books is a simple little paperback book called “Liberty B. Mouse Goes to a Party.” It is one of a few about Liberty B. Mouse. Young children love this re-telling of the first Thanksgiving—since it’s through the eyes of a mischievous mouse!

I have such fond memories of reading this story to all of my children—especially the part where Liberty sneezes a mouth full of corn and butter he is eating right into the campfire only to have some of the kernels “pop”—the first popcorn!

Can’t promise that either of the titles is available—but I found some used ones online, and many libraries have them.

“Liberty B. Mouse Goes to a Party” by Pauline C. Peck is available used at http://www.amazon.com/Liberty-B-Mouse-Goes-Party/dp/B001R96S0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290656094&sr=8-1-catcorr


The second one, which is also very cute, "Liberty B. Mouse Comes To America," is a classic retelling of the traditional Thanksgiving story through the eyes of a Mayflower Mouse. It tells the whole story of the Mayflower journey, the long winter, and the first Thanksgiving in simple terms that the young children can understand while still being interesting enough to the attention of older kids. It’s no longer in print, but is available at Amazon



http://www.amazon.com/Liberty-B-Mouse-comes-America/dp/B00071SV0S/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Using Holiday Leftovers--Reprint Combined


I have been collecting recipes and ideas through the years for using holiday leftovers. Unfortunately, the file is missing, so I am trying to duplicate some of it using some websites, old recipes, etc. Ideas below; our favorite recipe beneath that.


                                                              TURKEY LEFTOVERS

Tips for Turkey Leftovers:


1. Plan for leftovers by calculating one pound of turkey for every three cups of diced meat (which yields four to six servings of meat).

2. Keep turkey moist when reheating b covering it with broth.

3. Divide it up and freeze it with broth immediately for later use.

4. If freezing it, divide it into recipe-sized portions, so you only need to defrost what you need for a recipe (i.e. 3 cup portions if you will use it in three cup increments for turkey soup and turkey tetrazinni, for instance).

5. Quick leftover turkey ideas:

a. Turkey and cheese sandwiches

b. Turkey in salads

c. Turkey roll ups (wraps)

d. Turkey noodle or turkey rice soup

e. Turkey casseroles—white turkey lasagna, turkey enchiladas, turkey noodle casserole, etc.

f. Turkey taco salad










Hot Turkey Sandwiches



2 lbs shredded chicken or turkey meat, fully cooked

4 pieces of toast, broken into bite-sized pieces

2 eggs

1 ½ to 2 cups of concentrated broth (make it stronger by adding base)

2 tsp poultry seasoning

¾ tsp pepper

1 tsp parsley flakes



1. Whisk eggs until well whisked.

2. Stir all ingredients together.

3. Put in hot oven, uncovered, at 300’ for one hour or more, stirring every fifteen to thirty minutes until liquid is all evaporated and mixture is sandwich ready (flavorful, but not too wet and liquidy).

4. Use as sandwich filling.

5. Makes at least 15 large sandwiches.

6. Recipe may be reduced as needed or leftovers may be stored in fridge and reheated in micro.

 

 

                                                                  HAM LEFTOVERS


Tips for Ham Leftovers:

1. Plan for leftovers ahead of time. For example, if you know you will only use half the ham, consider cooking the two halves separately, one with ham glaze and one without for other recipes later.

2. Freeze ham in freezer bags in whole pieces to decide later what you will do with them. Be sure to use freezer bags, not regular storage bags.

3. Quick leftover ham ideas:

a. Ham omelettes

b. Bean soups

c. Chicken cordon bleu

d. Hot ham and cheese sandwiches

e. Cheesy scalloped potatoes w/ ham

f. Fried rice w/ ham

g. Ham and mashed potatoes croquettes

h. Cheese toasties with ham

i. Scrambled eggs w/ ham





Meals and Snacks for Leftover Ham:

1. Breakfast: fry slices with fried eggs; put in scrambled eggs; add to breakfast burrito

2. Lunch: put chunks in vegetable soup; hot ham and cheese sandwiches; ham salad; ham in chef’s salads

3. Dinner: pan fry large, thick pieces for “ham steak”; put in scalloped potatoes; add to home made macaroni and cheese

4. Ham Nearly Gone: Use carcass for base for soup beans; navy beans; split pea soup, etc.

 

 

 

                                                           WHITE POTATOES

 

Mashed Potato Patties



Leftover mashed potatoes

1 egg

little milk

Optional: onion, grated cheese, and a little chopped green pepper



1. Form into patties and roll into crushed crackers or corn flake crumbs.

2. Put on cookie sheet and bake in 350 degree oven until heated through

3. Remove from oven and place on a broiler rack for a few minutes to brown the outside.

4. Optional: Instead of baking, “fry” the patties in a skillet with a small amount of oil.









Mashed Herb Potato Soup



1/2 teaspoon crumbled, dried rosemary

1 teaspoon crumbled, dried thyme

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup minced onion

1 small rib of celery including the leaves, minced

1 carrot, grated coarsely

2 cups unsalted chicken broth or stock (fresh or canned)

2 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced

1. In a small dry skillet toast the rosemary and thyme until fragrant, do not burn. Shake the skillet and heat for about 3 minutes. Set aside.

2. In a large saucepan sauté the onion, celery and carrots in olive oil over moderately low heat for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

3. Stir in the broth or stock and bring to a boil.

4. Break potatoes up with a fork. Using a wire whisk, add potatoes a half cup at a time.

5. Continue whisking until smooth, reduce to a simmer and add toasted herbs, lemon juice and fresh parsley.

6. Taste soup and add salt and black pepper if desired. Makes 4 servings.





                                                  SWEET POTATOES

Sweet Potato Ravioli: Place a spoonful of mashed sweet potatoes on a wonton wrapper, fold and simmer in chicken broth until cooked through.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup: Puree sweet potatoes with chicken broth, onions, leeks and curry powder; season to taste.

Asian Potato Salad: Combine cubed sweet potatoes with shredded red cabbage, sesame oil and a touch of cilantro; top with chopped peanuts.

Sweet Potato Dip: Puree potatoes with any or all of the following: low-fat sour cream, bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice and salt.







                                                                  OTHER



Garlicky Croutons or Cheese Toasties

Leftover dinner rolls are excellent cut into cubes and toasted into croutons for potato soup or to make Garlicky Cheese Toast.

6 to 8 leftover dinner rolls (any kind)

1/2 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped finely

2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese

1. Using a serrated knife cut the dinner rolls in half lengthwise. Set aside.

2. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. While the skillet is heating.

3. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine garlic and olive oil. Microwave on high for one minute or until garlic begins to sizzle in the oil. This step can also be done in a skillet.

4. Brush cut side of each dinner roll with oil and place oil-side-down on the hot skillet.

5. Using a spatula or pancake turner, press each piece flat as it cooks. When golden brown, turn and continue pressing. Remove from heat and sprinkle each with a little Parmesan cheese. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve warm with soup.





Stuffing (Homemade or Boxed)

• Dumplings: Make golf-ball size rounds of stuffing with a small ice cream or melon ball scooper. Simmer, covered, in turkey or chicken soup for 10 minutes.

• Croutons: Cut stuffing into squares and bake for 8 minutes at 400ºF. Toss into a salad or use as a garnish for stews.





                                                 Cranberry Sauce (Canned or Fresh)

• Cranberry-Citrus Sauce
: Combine diced cranberry sauce (if using canned) with frozen and thawed or canned corn, diced red onion, and mandarin oranges or seedless clementine segments.

• Cranberry Salsa: Mix together cranberry sauce, freshly minced cilantro, salt and pepper.

• Chutney: Simmer cranberry sauce, diced onion, a pinch of ground ginger and about 1 tablespoon each of vinegar and brown sugar, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until thick. Consider adding a jalapeno for a kick!

 

 



                                          Pumpkin Pie (Store-Bought or Homemade)

Pumpkin Smoothie: Scrape the filling out of one piece of pie and blend it with low-fat vanilla yogurt. Put in a parfait glass and top with a small amount of crumbled piecrust and a dash of cinnamon.

• Crisp Crusted Pie: If your crust gets soggy, place the pie in a 350ºF oven for 10 minutes to crisp it up.