Twisting up Thanksgiving

Ohhhh Thanksgiving. Let me tell you how much I love Thanksgiving (insert sarcasm). I am going to throw this out there, there is not a lot I like about Thanksgiving. Growing up, we hosted Thanksgiving and there was always anywhere from 15-30 people there. My parents would start preparing for the holiday a week ahead, they would get up in the middle of the night to start cooking the turkey and we all barely spoke to each other by the actual day because everyone was stressed out. I also have never been a fan of traditional Thanksgiving fare. I made a pumpkin cheesecake one year to mix things up, which was absolutely delicious, and everyone hated it.  However,  I do like the leftovers so I can put my own little twist on the components of the feast. Commence:  Cranberry Salsa Turkey Quesadillas.

This is a fun recipe because I really have not met anyone who loves cranberry sauce but it does pair well with melty cheese and sliced turkey.  Let's start with the cranberries. If you have leftover cranberry sauce, place into a sauce pan on low heat and add 1 finely diced jalapeño . If you like a little more heat from the jalapeño, throw in a few of the seeds that you remove before chopping. If you like it a little more mild, just slice the jalapeño lengthwise and remove the seeds. 

Let the mixture simmer on low for 20-30 minutes.  For a more salsa type cranberries, take a 12 ounce package of fresh cranberries and chop them in a food processor (I used my smoothie maker, worked perfectly!) 

Next add 2 jalapeños (add seeds if your a spicy person) and 3 tablespoons of lime juice, 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro and 1/4 cup of chopped green onion (I cheated here and bought the ones already cut because all onions make me cry...that's a whole other blog post). 

Add 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and salt to taste.

To get the juices going in your salsa, add 3 teaspoons of sugar.

Let mixture sit for about 30 minutes for the flavors to mesh. If you used leftover cranberry sauce, let cool before using. Now for the quesadilla...

Yes, I was having a glass of wine. No, it is not an ingredient in the recipe but yes I feel it does help bring out my inner chef and makes my food taste delicious!  Quick sip..............and now back to the recipe. Take your leftover turkey and slice to about 1/4 inch thick pieces. 

For the cheese, I used a mild queso fresco. It is easy to crumble, melts really well and compliments the salsa.

You can really use any kind of cheese that you like. Blue cheese is delicious with this and so is guyrere cheese. You might have leftovers from your appetizers so use whatever your Auntie's didn't eat (my Auntie's haven't met a cheese they didn't like).  

Warm a skillet over low-medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place tortilla into pan and sprinkle about 1/4 cup of cheese on the entire tortilla. 

Let the cheese melt and add as many slices of your turkey that you like.

I like low heat so it doesn't cook too quickly and warms the cheese and turkey at the same time. Now place some of your salsa or jalapeño cranberry sauce. 

Let warm for about a minute open faced and the exterior of your quesdadilla should browning perfectly. 

Place a lid on the pan for an additional minute so everything in the inside become warm and gooey. Serve warm with extra cranberry jalapeño salsa. 

Here's to another Thanksgiving!  Smirk and sip!!!!

~Crazy

Cranberry Salsa Turkey Quesadillas

~serves 4 

All You Need:

1-12 ounce package fresh cranberries

2 jalapenos, de-seeded and roughly chopped

2 green onions, roughly chopped

1/2 fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

3 teaspoons sugar

Salt to taste 

2 cups sliced turkey meat

2 cups crumbled queso fresco, divided 

4 tortillas 

All You Do:

1.Combine cranberries, jalapeño, onions, lime juice, cilantro, cumin and salt into a food processor, pulse until chunky. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Heat skillet over low-medium heat, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil in pan and place 1 tortilla in the pan.

3. Top tortilla with 1/2 cup cheese, 4-5 pieces of turkey and 1/4 cup cranberry salsa.

4. Fold over tortilla, place lid on pan for 1 minute.

5. Serve warm with a side of the cranberry salsa. 

Making It Monday: Snazzy Appetizer for Thanksgiving

Every year, I am in charge of bringing an appetizer to Thanksgiving (probably because my family is too frightened by anything else that may come out of my kitchen).  Since I am being more adventurous with my cooking abilities (thanks to Cool and her constant inspiration), I decided to branch out and try something a little more creative than my usual Greek yogurt dip with vegetables. 

I am not going to take full credit for this Squash and Cranberry Crostini recipe, it is inspired by something I saw on Pinterest and I just tweaked it a bit to my liking. And we start with real bacon (Nope it's not turkey!)

But, I recommend using center cut bacon. Center cut bacon has more protein than other bacon and is leaner. I tripled this recipe, so I crisped up 6 slices. This took about 15 minutes on medium high heat. You are going to crumble this into the squash mixture so make sure it is crispy. Place on a paper towel and let cool to crumble. Reduce the heat of your pan to medium and keep the bacon fat in the pan. 

Finely dice 2 shallots and place into the pan with the bacon fat. Sauté for about 5 minutes.

Now that you are getting delicious smells of bacon and shallots, you are going to add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of dried cranberries. Let simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. 

While that is simmering, prepare your spread and bread for the crostini. Mix 1 package of 1/3 fat cream cheese with a 4 ounce container of crumbled goat cheese. Mix until blended. For the bread, set oven to low broil. Slice 2-12 ounce french baguettes, place on a cookie sheet and low broil for about 3 minutes on each side.  Now back to the good stuff...

I love butternut squash but man is it a pain to cut, so I use this handy pre-cut frozen product. You add the whole bag to the simmering pan.

Season with salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons of dried thyme. Simmer for another 5 minutes until the squash is warm.

I recommend keeping the mixture warm. Top the toasted bread with the goat cheese spread and place the warm squash mixture on top. Place a fresh sage leaf on top and serve. Sooo yummy!  

I am planning on "wowing" my family!  Well I guess if nothing else, I hope they at least eat it. If not, I will. Who needs turkey anyway?

 

~Crazy

Squash and Dried Cranberry Bruschetta Serves 8 to 10  (I tripled it in this blog, so if you are serving a bigger crowd, I suggest it).

All You Need: 
1 (12”) French baguette, thinly sliced (1/4” pieces)

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 ounces goat cheese, softened

4 ounces of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
3 slices of center cut bacon
1 shallot, minced
1 10 ounce package of frozen and cubed butternut squash
1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dried thyme

12-14 pieces of fresh sage leaves
salt and pepper to taste

All You Do: 
1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. Brush each side of sliced baguette pieces with oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 5 minutes, flip each slice, and continue to bake for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
4. For topping: Cook slices of bacon in a heavy bottom skillet and place over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove bacon to cool and shallots.  Sauté for 2 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to medium, add apple cider vinegar, cranberries, and thyme, stirring together. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cook mixture for 5 minutes, add squash and continue to sauté for 4 minutes.
7. Continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until squash is fork tender.
8. To assemble: Spread a small amount of goat cheese/cream cheese mixture onto each slice of bread and top with a spoonful or two of the squash mixture. Serve warm.

Adapted from:  Spoon, Fork, Bacon