Thanksgiving grilled cheese
I love Thanksgiving leftovers almost as much as I love Thanksgiving dinner. I thought about making pocket pies or a Shepard's Pie out of the leftovers, both of which would have been great for a toddler, but those required more work than my still full, tryptophan-muddied brain could handle. Oh, and M wakes up at 5 am when we're away from home. Without fail.
So, this year, we made Thanksgiving grilled cheeses and they were AMAZING. I really wanted everything to stick together because my pet peeve with next-day sandwiches is how crumbly they can be. And for M that would mean a full sandwich on the kitchen floor. These employ turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and, most importantly, cold gravy to keep everything from drying out (thank you, Ross Geller).
Thanksgiving grilled cheese
For each sandwich:
1 oz turkey, shredded
1/4 cup stuffing
1/4 cup mashed potatoes
2 Tbsp cold gravy, divided
2 thick slices of bread
2-3 tsp mayonnaise
1-1.5 oz cheese (I used cheddar and Jarlsburg, which was what we had leftover from appetizers)
1/8 cup cranberry sauce
In a small bowl, combine the shredded turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and 1 Tbsp gravy. Mash together. You want this to be wet, almost like a paste. If you have leftover creamed spinach, creamed kale, or green bean casserole, feel free to throw these in at this step. If you do, hold off on adding any gravy until after adding the wet veggies because you may not need it.
Heat your frying pan over a medium-low flame. Spread mayo on one side of each bread slice. If you haven't started using mayo in place of butter for grilled cheeses, prepare to be converted. When the pan is hot, add the bread slices, mayo side down. Split the other 1 Tbsp of gravy and spread on BOTH slices of the bread. Add cranberry sauce to one slice and place the cheese on top of the fruit. You want a thick layer of grated or very thinly shaved cheese. On the other bread slice, place dollops of the turkey, potato, stuffing, and gravy mixture and spread out. Cover the pan with a lid and let the cheese melt, checking periodically to make sure that the bread isn't burning. When the cheese is melted, carefully place the turkey, potato, stuffing, and gravy coated slice on top of the melted cheese and press down slightly.
Potato patties with garam masala
These potato patties are quick to make and full of flavor. I love making them as a side for fish sticks as a play on fish and chips, or with a Trader Joe’s Tikka Masala. I can feel like I “made” an easy part of dinner while also relying on some tried and true shortcuts. Wins all around!
My children are potato enthusiasts. Really, who isn’t? But if you’re feeling stuck in a rut and want to deviate from your usual French fry, tater tot, hash brown, mashed potato rotation, give these a whirl.
They’re very quick to make, especially if you use tiny potatoes and cook them in the microwave to start (or boil them on the stove for 15-20 minutes while you do something else). They’re also better when you make them ahead and chill them in the fridge before frying, so they’re a set-it-and-forget-it kind of dish.
Potato patties with garam masala
Time: around 40- 45 minutes, largely active
Yield: 9 small patties
Adapted from this recipe and this recipe:
1 lb small potatoes (any combo of small purple, red, and white potatoes)
1 cup chopped spinach
½ medium red onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp garam masala
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 egg
½ cup panko
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Olive oil (for sautéing)
Lemon Sauce:
1/2 cup mayo
6 Tbsp lemon juice (more, if needed)
2 very large pinches of salt
Wash the potatoes. Place in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 6-8 minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave. Be mindful of the steam and undo the plastic wrap carefully and away from your face. Mash potatoes with a fork or potato masher. Let cool for 10 minutes.
—OR— In a medium pot, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil over a high flame. Keep boiling until the potatoes are fork tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain and put the potatoes in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher. Let cool for 10 minutes.
While the potatoes cook, chop the spinach, onion, and garlic and prep the lemon sauce.
Add the other ingredients (except oil) to the mashed potatoes and mix until combined. When cool enough, use your hands to work the mixture until it feels a bit sticky. Form into 9, small palm-sized, thin patties.
In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over a medium flame until a little bit of the mixture added to the pan, begins to bubble immediately. Cook the patties until brown on one side. Carefully flip. Brown on the other side. When evenly browned, add 2-3 Tbsp of water to the hot pan and cover. Let cook until water is evaporated. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with a bit more salt.
Note: The lemon sauce really takes these patties over the top, so PLEASE don't skip it. TRUST.
Spooky seed butter graveyards!
Speaking of scary: I count myself so incredibly lucky that M doesn't have any food allergies. He's outgrown the tomato sensitivity he had early on, but that was an annoyance, not a life-threatening emergency. I can't even imagine worrying that a farmer, factory-worker, chef, teacher, babysitter, or other parent somehow mislabeled something or included an ingredient that could really hurt my kid. Especially from mid-October to January, there are treats everywhere!
In that vein, these Halloween goodies are nut-free and egg-free and can easily be made gluten- and dairy-free as well. The chocolate is all store-bought, so use your go-to brands to be safe. ALSO- and most importantly- these treats are SOOOOOOOO GGGGOOOOOOODDDDD and relatively healthy!
Spooky seed butter graveyards
Chocolate skeletons
1 oz milk or dark chocolate
Wilton skull and bones sprinkles
Heat the chocolate in the microwave, 10 seconds at a time, until melted. On a plastic wrap covered plate, make nickle-sized circles or ovals of melted chocolate. Carefully place the skull and bone sprinkles into the chocolate. Refrigerate until set.
Chocolate mug cakes
Adapted from this recipe
6 Tbsp whole wheat flour (or gluten-free flour mix)
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
4 tsp olive oil
6 Tbsp milk (I used dairy milk, but almond, cashew, or soy would also work)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to remove lumps. Add the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Pour equal amounts into two ungreased mugs. With one mug at a time, microwave on high for 1 minute, check for doneness, and cook for 30 more seconds. (Note: we have a very weak microwave, so if you have a stronger one, check after 30 seconds. I usually tip the cup around to see if anything is moving.) When cakes are cooked, use a fork to remove them from the mugs and let them cool on a plate. Don’t worry about removing them cleanly, as they’ll be broken up for the “dirt” in the graveyards. Let cool.
Sunflower-seed butter chocolate avocado pudding
Adapted from this recipe
¾ large ripe avocado (mine was about 7.5 oz with pit and peel)
½ large ripe banana (mine was 7 oz with peel)
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup Spiced seed butter
2 Tbsp milk (I used dairy, but almond, cashew, or soy would also work)
Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. If making the Spiced Seed Butter specifically for these graveyards, be sure to read the directions and follow them exactly. You won't be sorry; this seed butter is GREAT. Makes about 1.25 cups of pudding.
Assembling the graveyards
Remove the chocolate skeletons from the fridge to warm up. Pour a few chocolate rocks on the bottom of your graveyard container(s). (Possible substitutions include chocolate-covered raisins, chocolate chips, carob chips, or you could skip this part entirely.) Nestle your chocolate skeleton(s) on the side of the glass container, pressing gently to try and mold the chocolate to your container (or skip this step too for allergen sensitivity, if needed).
Crumble the chocolate cake completely and gently add a layer of cake crumbles, pressing down lightly. Be sure to keep the cake crumbles behind your chocolate skeletons, if using.
Add a pudding layer and press gently to remove air bubbles. Clean up the sides of the glass container. Cover with more cake crumbles.
For the graves: Roll out a small amount of gray or white fondant using powdered sugar to prevent sticking. (I bought a tiny container of Wilton gray fondant at Michael's and threw away the box before checking the ingredients and can't find the information online. If fondant isn't an option, gluten-, dairy-, and/or egg-free cookies or marshmallows also make good "graves.") Cut out a very small square and tap with your fingers to round the corners. With an edible pen, melted chocolate, or gel frosting, write RIP on the grave and nestle into the cake crumbs. Place a crumb or two behind the grave to prop it up.
Yield: 4 medium graveyards or 6 small graveyards
