Turkey Cranberry Monte Cristo

*Taken from www.pauladeen.com* 

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 8 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

8 slices bread (potato bread, challah, or any other soft bread)
1 cup fontina cheese, grated
8 slices cooked turkey breast
1/2 cup whole cranberry sauce
1 cup baby arugula leaves
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk
pinch nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Lay the 4 slices of the bread out on a cutting board.
On each slice, place 2 tablespoons of the fontina, followed by 2 slices of the turkey, and 2 tablespoons of the cranberry sauce.
Equally divide the arugula leaves and place on next layer.
Top with the remaining fontina and remaining bread slices.
Press down firmly on sandwiches to seal in the filling.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and nutmeg.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter.
Dip each sandwich into the egg mixture coating both sides.
When butter is melted in skillet, add the sandwiches and cook until golden brown.
Flip sandwich and repeat with other side, adding more butter if necessary.
Remove from pan, drain on paper towels, and let sit for a few minutes.
Cut in halves and serve. 

Beer in the Rear Chicken and BBQ Sauce

*Taken from http://www.pauladeen.com*

Servings: 4 to 5 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 min
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients Add to grocery list

1   (12-ounce) can light beer
2 - 3   tablespoons dry rub, recipe follows
5 lb whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
barbecue sauce, recipe follows
Dry Rub:
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
Cayenne pepper, pinch


Barbeque Sauce:
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup water
Dash Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
Set up your indoor/oven beer can chicken roaster according to manufacturer’s instructions. Rub the chicken all over with the dry rub making sure to get some around the cavity opening as well. Put the rubbed chicken in place over the beer can, on top of a roasting pan. Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. 
Lower the oven to 325 degrees F and roast for 90 minutes basting with the chicken drippings and Barbecue Sauce until very, very tender. Carefully remove the chicken from the roaster and let rest 10 minutes before carving. Remove beer can from chicken.  Serve with more Barbecue Sauce on the side.
Dry Rub:
Combine all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container. 
Barbeque Sauce:
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the onion and garlic in vegetable oil until soft. Add salt and pepper. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 10 minutes. 

Sweet Potato + Jalapeño Mash

*Recipe found at www.simplyscratch.com* 

Baked sweet potatoes are blended with butter, cream, smoky, charred jalapeños and a touch of maple syrup.

Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 medium Sweet Potatoes, scrubbed
1 large Jalapeño Pepper
3 tablespoons (salted) Butter
1 tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and bake the sweet potatoes until they can be easily pierced by a knife. Let them cool slightly so they're safe to handle and peel the skins off and discard.
While the sweet potatoes bake. Char the jalapeño on the grill or open flame of a gas stove until blistered and charred. Pop the pepper into a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap for 10 or so minutes. Peel the skin off of the jalapeño, remove the ribs and seeds and dice small.
In a large bowl add in the peeled sweet potatoes and mash. Add in the three tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and the 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Mash until desired texture is achieved. Add in the cream and using a rubber spatula, slowly blend until incorporated. Add in the diced jalapeño, stir.
Add to a saucepan to heat until piping hot and serve.

Eggs Benedict Over Savory Waffles

Ingredients:

For the Waffles

• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup raw cashew butter (I love Artisana)
• 3 tablespoons almond milk
• 2 teaspoons bacon fat, melted
• ¾ teaspoon minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 piece of bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
• 2 chives, chopped

For the Benedict

• 4 Savory Waffles
• 4 slices cooked ham
• 4 eggs, poached
• ¼ cup Hollandaise Sauce (recipe to follow)
• Chives for garnish

Hollandaise Sauce

• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ cup melted grassfed butter or Ghee, unsalted (for dairy-free, follow my recipe for Coconut Oil Hollandaise)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon paprika, or cayenne if you like a little heat

Instructions:

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. In a stand mixer, or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs with the cashew butter, almond milk, bacon fat, and garlic.
3. Mix the salt, baking soda and coconut flour in a small bowl, then pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
4. Beat for 30 seconds until the batter is fully incorporated, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure you get all of the sticky cashew butter.
5. Fold the chopped bacon and chives into the batter by hand.
6. Cook your waffles according to the instructions on your waffle iron, then keep them in a warm oven until you’re ready to assemble the benedict.
7. Layer each waffle with a slice of ham, poached egg, drizzle of hollandaise, and a few chives.
8. *Every machine is different, so watch the waffles really carefully to ensure they don’t burn. This batter will not take as long to cook as a regular waffles and will probably be done before your indicator light turns green. Once the steam stops, they are likely done. Mine takes about 30-45 seconds for each batch.

For the Hollandaise Sauce

1. Pour boiling water into a blender, then cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Dump out the water and dry the container thoroughly.
2. Blend the egg yolks with the lemon juice, salt, and paprika.
3. With the blender running on low, slowly pour in the hot melted butter. Blend for about 30 seconds until the sauce has thickened and the butter is well incorporated. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. *If it gets too thick, warm it over very low heat until it becomes runny again (about 10 seconds in a microwave and a minute on a low burner). Be careful not to use too high of heat or your eggs will scramble and your butter will curdle.

Mushroom Pierogi

*Found at www.marthstewart.com*

These Polish dumplings are traditionally served with soft, browned onions or sour cream.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds assorted mushrooms, such as white, shiitake, or cremini
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots, (about 2 large)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
• Pierogi Dough

Directions

1. Step 1

   Remove stems from shiitake mushrooms, and trim stems of white and cremini mushrooms. Place mushrooms in a food processor, and pulse about eight times, until finely chopped. Set aside.

2. Step 2

   In a medium saute pan, melt butter and oil over low heat; add shallots. Cook, covered, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is nearly dry, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add cream, thyme, and parsley, and cook about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl.

3. Step 3

   To form dumplings, place a heaping teaspoon of the filling toward the front of a circle of pierogi dough. Moisten the edges of the dough with water, and fold in half around filling to form a semicircle, firmly pinching the edges closed. Set aside on a lightly floured baking sheet. Continue to fill and form pierogi, keeping them covered with plastic wrap, until all the dough has been used.

4. Step 4

   Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add half the pierogi. Boil gently until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes, and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, and repeat with remaining pierogi. Serve immediately.

Oven-Baked Frito Pie

What I love about this Oven-Baked Frito Pie is the layer of Frito’s on the bottom of the chili as well as on the top.  I pretty much love Frito’s…they are the most addicting little chips ever….so get a big bag! The chips on top get nice and toasted and the cheese throughout it gets nice and melted as well.
The chili comes together in a cinch, and although it seems there are a lot of steps, it all really comes together pretty quickly. 

Ingredients

1. 1 lb. lean ground beef
2. 1 can (16 oz) chili beans
3. 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
4. 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
5. 1 envelope low sodium taco seasoning
6. 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2% fat kind)
7. 3 1/2 cups corn chips (Frito's)
8. 1 1/4 cup fat free sour cream

Instructions

1. Cook ground beef until meat is browned; drain. Stir in beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, taco seasoning mix and 1/4 c. of cheese. Sprinkle 1 cup corn chips in bottom of 8x8 baking dish or 9x13 dish. Cover with chili. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Spread sour cream over chili. Top with remaining corn chips and cheese. Bake 4-5 minutes longer.

Notes

1. **I froze half of the chili so essentially halved everything else (half the chips, half the cheese, half the sour cream. You get it) and put it together in a small round casserole dish (smaller than an 8x8). Serves 6.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients: Makes 2 servings

•1 level tablespoon pumpkin puree (canned)


•1 cup milk (whole if you dare!)

•1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar (packed and leveled)

•1/4 tsp cinnamon

•1/8 tsp nutmeg (+ a pinch for dusting later)

•1/8 tsp ground cloves

•1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

•2 cups strong coffee (brewed using 2 tbs per 1 cup of water)

You can also use a shot or two of espresso instead of coffee.

•4 tablespoons half-and-half

•Sugar to taste

•Whipped cream


Directions:

Begin brewing coffee.

In a blender puree the milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour into a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the milk is warm and begins to froth slightly. (About 4-5 minutes.) Remove from heat.


For each serving: Pour 1/2 cup of the pumpkin mixture into your coffee mug. Add 2 generous tablespoons of half-and-half. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, then add 1 cup of brewed coffee. Top it off with a touch more ‘pumpkin milk,’ add sugar to taste, then cover with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg.


TIP: You can also make a bigger batch of the pumpkin mixture in the blender and store it in the fridge for a couple days. Easy pumpkin spice latte in the mornings!