Bless Your Spoon

By Stephanie Williams Dean

My favorite thing about the Thanksgiving meal is the day after. A simple sandwich assortment of crusty homemade bread and sliced turkey covered with artisan cheeses are the best – combinations that demand to be slathered with any sweet spread made from fresh fruits, jellies, and jams or my Mom’s sweet pickles. The turkey sandwich always rates on top as everyone’s favorite way to eat leftover turkey. Whether a sandwich, salad, or another dinner course, these recipes will reduce your time in the kitchen. Enjoy your holiday.

TURKEY WITH RICE

¾ cup honey

½ tsp. salt

6 Tbsp. prepared mustard

1 ½ tsp. curry powder

6 Tbsp. turkey drippings

6 cups cubed or diced cooked turkey

3 cups cooked rice

Freshly ground black pepper

In a saucepan, combine the honey, mustard, salt, curry powder, and drippings. Stir and mix thoroughly. Add turkey pieces and heat. Serve over hot cooked rice.

TURKEY SUPREME

½ cup butter

½ cup flour

2 cups hot chicken stock or canned broth

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

1 cup milk

1 cup light cream

Toasted almonds

In a skillet, melt butter and add flour. Stir until smooth. Pour hot chicken stock into the mixture. Stir until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Heat Milk in cream in a saucepan. Pour into thickened chicken stock and cook over low heat for 10 minutes while stirring. Serve sauce very hot over sliced cooked turkey. Top with toasted almonds.

TURKEY AND PEAR SALAD

8 oz. diced turkey

1 pear

1 cup red grapes, halved

1 stalk chopped celery

½ cup mayonnaise

In a mixer, combine all ingredients and gently mix well.

TURKEY AND CRANBERRY SALAD ROLLS

3 cups shredded turkey

¾ cup chopped pecans

2 diced celery stalks

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup diced apple chunks

12 cup plain Greek yogurt

12 cup mayonnaise

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

King’s Hawaiian dinner rolls

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except rolls. Salt and pepper to taste.  Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate. Serve salad on dinner rolls.

TURKEY PANINI

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Loaf of French bread cut into 4 equal pieces

½ cup store- bought pesto

8 oz. sliced mozzarella

2 cups cubed turkey

2 sliced tomatoes

1 peeled, sliced avocado

In a skillet, heat olive oil. Spread pesto over one side of French bread. Top with mozzarella, turkey, tomatoes, and avocado. Top with half of the bread. Grill sandwich for 3 minutes per side until cheese is melted and sandwich is toasted. You can use a panini press to grill.

SMOKED TURKEY SALAD

8 cups cubed or diced smoked turkey

1 ¼ cup dried cranberries

1 ¼ cups chopped celery

6 oz. salted chopped toasted pecans

¼ cup chopped shallots

2 cups mayonnaise

¼ cup chopped parsley

4 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

¼ tsp. salt

14 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a mixer bowl, combine turkey, cranberries, celery, nuts, and shallots and gently toss. In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, parsley, juice, zest, salt, and pepper and blend until smooth and a dressing consistency. Pour over turkey mixture. Mix together gently until evenly coated. Refrigerate.

TURKEY CHEDDAR SLIDERS

1 Tbsp. melted salted butter

12 Hawaiian sweet rolls

1 ½ cups cubed turkey

12 slices of Colby jack cheese

14 oz. can whole berry Cranberry sauce

3 Tbsp. salted butter

1 tsp. garlic salt

¼ tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp. poppy seeds

Slice the pkg. of rolls in half without separating the rolls. In a 9-inch square baking dish, melt 1 Tbsp. of butter and spread over the bottom of dish. Place the bottom half of the rolls in dish, bottom side down.  Top with 6 slices of the cheese, top with turkey and spread of cranberry sauce. Top with 6 additional slices of cheese. Top with half of the rolls. In bowl, melt 3 Tbsp. of butter, garlic salt, and poultry seasoning in the microwave. Whisk in poppy seeds. Pour over rolls. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350-degree oven until tops are browned and cheese is melted. Cut sliders into 12 portions.

BRIE AND TURKEY SANDWICH

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. salted butter

4 slices of sourdough bread

4 oz. sliced turkey

2 oz. thinly sliced brie cheese

1 tsp. thyme leaves

6 Tbsp. cranberry mustard

On two slices of bread, layer sliced brie, turkey, and cranberry mustard. Top with bread slices. In a skillet, heat oil and butter. Cook sandwich until toasted. Place in a 200-degree oven until brie is melted.

CRANBERRY MUSTARD

½ diced red onion

2 tsp. olive oil

2 cups fresh cranberries

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup water

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

1/3 cup sugar

4 Tbsp. whole mustard seeds

1 Tbsp. ground mustard

½ tsp ground allspice

In a deep skillet, saute onion 5 minutes until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Turn off and let stand covered for one hour.

CRANBERRY MAYONNAISE

½ cup mayonnaise

3 Tbsp. jellied or whole berry cranberry sauce

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a mixer, combine mayonnaise, cranberry sauce, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix gently until well blended. Refrigerate.

CRANBERRY HOT PEPPER SAUCE

12 oz. fresh cranberries, washed

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 5 oz. jar of jalapeno pepper jelly

Combine the berries, water, and sugar. Cook until the berries begin to burst open. Remove from heat and stir in the jar of jelly. Cool and refrigerate. Mix with cream cheese and use as a spread for sandwiches.

MOMS SWEET PICKLES

1 gallon sour pickles, sliced ¾ inches thick

4 pounds sugar

2 Tbsp. Alum

2 boxes pickling spice

1 cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup Tarragon vinegar

Soak pickles in ice water with alum for 2 hours. Keep adding ice. Layer in a large glass jar:

A 1-inch layer of sugar

A 1-inch layer of pickle

1-inch layer of pickling spice.

Repeat. Pour vinegar over the top. Let sit for 36 hours. Turn jar every day for 7 days.