Leftover Turkey!

OK, I know it's the day before Thanksgiving and you haven't even cooked the turkey yet, but it's not too early to plan for what to do with your turkey leftovers.

This month I have a recipe appearing in Cook's Country that won the grand prize for their leftover turkey recipe contest. I actually look forward to leftover turkey more than turkey on Thanksgiving Day because there are just so many delicious things you can make with the leftovers. This recipe combines pecans, blue cheese, cranberries and pears in a rustic tart.

Super tips: make this tart any time of the year using leftover roasted chicken or store bought rotisserie chicken. For an extra rich flavor substitute creme fraiche for the sour cream and heavy cream. Add a few dried cranberries and crushed pecans to the top just before baking for a splash of color on top.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Rustic Turkey Tart

1 (9-inch) round prepared pie dough

1 1/2 cups leftover turkey meat, cut into bite-sized pieces

3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 firm pears, peeled, cored and diced

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

salt and pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Gently press pie crust into 9 inch tart pan and trim excess dough with a knife. Prick bottom of dough all over with tines of fork. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes; cool on wire rack.

2. Combine turkey, 1/2 cup cheese, pears, pecans, cranberries, sour cream, heavy cream and thyme in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Transfer turkey mixture to cooled pie crust, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.

3. Bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Tart can be refrigerated for 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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We have a winner!!! Some of you have a lot of my favorite appetizers as yours!!

Thank you to all those who participated in my 100th post giveaway....and the winner is....Andi!! That green bean appetizer that you wrote about sounds very interesting...I would love to try it-could you send me the recipe for that too?!!

Andi please email me at vcallag61@aol.com with your mailing address and I will get your package out right away!! Congratulations.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Beef, Chicken or Turkey?

No surprise here...it's taco night. Which kind do you prefer? Beef, chicken or turkey?

Tacos are something we will pretty much all eat in our house-beef, chicken or even turkey. Tonight, it's turkey. I sometimes get frustrated with the supermarkets in my town - they always have ground turkey, but not always ground turkey breast; and let me tell you my friends, big difference.

If I had to choose between a beef taco and a turkey taco with just regular ground turkey, I'm going with the beef-ordinary ground turkey has comparable fat and calorie counts to the ground beef so I might as well enjoy the beef. But with the ground turkey breast, there is a significant difference in fat and calories and there is no need to drain any fat-the meat just goes from pan to taco shell or tortilla.

I just love Shady Brook Farms ground turkey breast for tacos. It's 99 percent fat free and it really makes great tasting tacos-with no draining necessary. It can be a bit pricier compared with buying ground beef or even regular ground turkey-it's usually around $4.99 for 1.3 lbs.

Jennie-O makes the ground breast of turkey also and I will buy that when I can find it too. Leftovers make a really great taco salad for lunch the next day or sometimes I will toss it in some pasta with some cheese, peppers and onions to make "taco pasta".

The recipe for the spice seasoning comes from Devin Alexander's cookbook Fast Food Fix. It's a great little cookbook with recipes to make more healthful versions of fast food favorites. (My kids especially love the "Burger Chicken Tenders" from the book-they really do taste a lot like BK!

I cook the ground turkey with the spice seasoning mix and serve the tacos with an avocado pico de gallo. Muy delicioso!

Taco Bell Seasoning Mix by Devin Alexander

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon dried minced onion

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of cumin

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, chili powder, paprika, onion, garlic powder, salt and cumin. Stir to mix well. Transfer to a jar or other airtight container. Store in a cool dark spot for up to 1 month.

Makes 2 tablespoons

Soft Turkey Tacos with Avocado Pico de Gallo

1 pound ground turkey

2 tablespoons "Taco Bell Seasoning" (recipe above)

2/3 cup water

8 corn or flour tortillas

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce

1 cup small dice tomatoes

1/4 cup finely diced shallot

1 jalapeno, seeds removed, minced

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 avocado, small dice

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Cook the turkey breast in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink; stir frequently. Stir in the taco seasoning and the water. Cook until the water is almost completely absorbed, about 7-10 minutes.

Warm the tortillas on a microwave safe plate covered with a damp paper towel for 1 minute on high in the microwave.

To serve, divide the turkey between the tortillas, top with the cheese and the lettuce.

Stir together the tomatoes, shallot, jalapeno, lime juice, avocado, cilantro, salt and pepper. Spoon over the lettuce in each taco

I often serve these tacos with Margaritas for the grownups, lemonade for the kids and the Spicy Pepita Pilaf on the side, but any Mexican style rice would work well. Ole!