turkey, roasted red pepper, pepper jack panini

Have you enjoyed a gut-busting weekend of non-stop eating? I'm trying not to regret that piece of pecan pie I just ate for dinner, but it was calling my name. As was the vanilla ice cream. In my house, the sweet leftovers are always the first to disappear.

Tomorrow, I might tackle the turkey, and while a turkey/stuffing/cranberry sauce sandwich will be The Hubs' lunch of choice, I'll veer away from from the previous day's flavors and add a little heat and cheese.

The Daughter threw together the combo last month and I loved it. The pepper jack lends just enough chili heat, the roasted red peppers add a slight sweetness and char, and turkey, well, turkey is what's available, right?

Turkey, roasted red pepper, pepper jack panini

turkey, sliced thinly
roasted red pepper slices
pepper jack cheese
good-quality artisan bread (ShopRite sells La Brea breads, your local Whole Foods would have something good)
olive oil
panini press

Using a pastry brush, oil the outside of each slice of bread. Layer the meat, cheese and red pepper in between the bread. Place in panini press and press for about a minute or two, or until golden brown.

This post is linked to the following: show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, frugalicious fridays, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair, inspiration friday c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got

boozy cranberry sauce

How far in advance do you start cooking for your Thanksgiving dinner? Have you started yet? I'm sure you've made some sort of list, if you haven't already gotten all the shopping done.

 

So far, I've made one thing. And it's taken about 7 minutes. Ok, maybe 12. I love the ease, simplicity and do-it-ahead-check-it-off-your-list quality of recipe. If you haven't ever made cranberry sauce from scratch, you should give it a try- just boil cranberries with some sugar and water, hear it snap! crackle! and pop! and then turn super thick. Cranberries have natural pectin, which cause them to thicken beautifully while cooling down after being cooked.

turkey leg placecard

Kids love surprises. Put anything into a brown paper bag, tell them it's a goody bag, and watch their eyes get big with anticipation. Use it as a place card... or should I call it a place bag?... and you get double the pleasure.

ginger and molasses cupcake {msc}

"What was I thinking?" is what I asked myself as I looked at this recipe last week. A few months ago, I chose this cupcake for the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club (to which you can belong, too- just check it out here.)  I suppose that ginger could be an autumnal sort of flavor, particularly paired with pumpkin or pear, (try saying that five times fast!) but when you add molasses with it, it starts heading into the direction of gingerbread. I must have been in some sort of fog, or I was being extremely forward thinking in having an option for wintertime.  Let's just choose the latter reason.

thanksgiving oreo turkeys

Aren't these the most adorable Thanksgiving treats? Don't they bring a smile when you see it? Turkey on the right is checking out turkey on the left's cold feet. (We ran out of yellow...)

They make a wonderful addition to the Thanksgiving place setting, or as The Daughter plans, a goodie to hand out to her team's last practice. This is our first year to try it them, and I'm pretty sure they're going to become a tradition.

all-in-one holiday bundt cake {bwd}

What are your favorite flavors of autumn? Is it pumpkin? Cinnamon? Apple? Cranberries? Pecans? How about all of the above, wrapped up into one delectable bundt cake?

That is exactly what the bakers at Baking With Dorie Greenspan baked this past week.  I was very excited to tackle the recipe —then the storm came and potatoes and cookies upended my baking schedule, but here the cake is, a little late, but in all its seasonal glory.

It's wonderful for breakfast or with a mid-afternoon snack. The cake is moist and lightly spiced, the cranberries are tart, the pecans add a nice crunch to it. I didn't have the time, but I would suggest toasting the pecans before adding them to the batter.

thankful cookies aka momofuku milk bar cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookie

Thanksgiving came early for me, and not in the usual form of turkey dinner, family gathering, and celebration.

I gave thanks and had an incredibly grateful heart because...

We got our power back!  (You know how they say that you don't really appreciate what you have until you don't have it...)

baked mashed potatoes with parmesan and bread crumbs

It's Mashed Potato Time, and over a hundred food bloggers are participating in the Crazy Cooking Challenge, which exists to find the Ultimate Mashed Potato Recipe. I had recently bookmarked this recipe from Bookcase Foodie, so this challenge was a perfect fit.

I enjoyed these potatoes, particularly with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The Daughter wished the potatoes could have been creamier (use heavy cream then,) saltier (I've got high blood pressure and have salt issues- she can add what she wants) and more buttery (ditto to adding a pat of butter.) She managed to down three servings, so they couldn't have been that bad.