Cooking with Holiday Leftovers

Leftover Cranberry Sauce and Pink Peppercorn Cheater Ice Cream – E.A.T. # 35

~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 8 Comments

I hope you have had a good and peaceful holiday. I hope you enjoyed doing whatever you did to celebrate. Maybe the festivities are still going on? It’s pretty quiet here at Food on Fifth this late Christmas Day afternoon. We have had our family dinner party and are going to enjoy some leftovers for dinner. Leftovers…I hate to toss food out so I am forever turning one thing into another. Such is this little recipe for turning that leftover cranberry sauce, whether homemade or store-bought, into one yummy ice cream. It’s got the sweet, the tart and the spicy in every bite.

 3 ingredients. 15 minutes active time. A bit of stirring and swirling and sprinkling. It really is as easy as this.

Soften good quality store-bought ice cream. Add in whole cranberry sauce and pink peppercorns. Swirl around. Cover and refreeze. Scoop. Eat.

The creamy sweetness of the ice cream along with the tart cranberry sauce and spicy pink peppercorn bits are a pretty dreamy Holiday dessert. Maybe for that New Years Eve celebration?

Leftover Cranberry Sauce and Pink Peppercorn Cheater Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1 quart of good quality vanilla ice cream or gelato softened to where it will swirl
  • 1/2 cup leftover whole cranberry sauce, homemade or store-bought
  • 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns

Directions:

  1. Scrape softened ice cream into a metal loaf pan.
  2. Top with cranberry sauce and pink peppercorns.
  3. Using a knife, swirl the cranberry sauce and peppercorns into the softened ice cream. Smooth out the top. Cover with a plastic wrap directly on top of the ice cream mixture then cover pan with aluminum foil.
  4. Place in the freezer for a few hours or overnight. Scoop and enjoy. Top with additional peppercorn if you like. Sweet,  Tart,  Spicy!

Teresa Blackburn. http://www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com

 

E.A.T. # 25 Soup Lovers Leftover-Turkey Noodle Soup

~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 2 Comments

I love soup…cold soup in the summer, chili at the first sign of fall and hearty hot soups all winter long. Soups make me feel cozy and safe. Healthy and homey.

It’s as easy as this to make a “soup” lunch or dinner in under an hour. Leftover holiday turkey meat, some vegetables, noodles, broth and herbs are all you need. Gruyere cheese melted on slices of bread round out the meal.

Any noodles you like will work fine. Long spaghetti noodles, or macaroni or you can even break up a few lasagna noodles to toss into the pot. I used some Strozzapreti I picked up at Eataly the last time I was in Chicago. These noodles, somewhat like Cavatelli,  are short, sturdy, rolled and are good for holding juices and sauce.

A leftover over roasted turkey breast from Thanksgiving, a few cans of tomatoes, carrots and onions, broth and herbs are the other basic ingredients.

One of my favorite winter lunches is enjoying a good bowl of hot soup while catching up on my reading or looking at art books or magazines. We all need some time to be quiet and alone,  letting our thoughts wander and weave about randomly. I find this is when I work things out in my head or absorb and develop new ideas for projects. Try it.

This is more of an “idea of soup” than an actual “must follow” recipe. Use what you like and what you have on hand. No rules, just tasty ingredients. It really is as Easy as This….Stay warm.

Soup Lovers Leftover-Turkey Noodle Soup

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: very easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 2-4 cups chopped or shredded turkey or chicken meat
  • a splash of olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 4 carrots, peeled and chopped or sliced
  • 3 cans fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
  • 4 cups low sodium/fat chicken broth
  • fresh thyme leaves or any herbs you prefer
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 cups short pasta noodles such as cavatelli, macaroni or strozzapretti

Directions:

  1. Cook the pasta noodles very al dente in a pot of salted water, drain and set aside.
  2. Add a splash of olive oil to a soup pot and heat over medium high heat. Toss into the pot the chopped  onion and carrots. Cook until onions are transparent.
  3. To the pot add the tomatoes and chicken broth, turkey or chicken meat, fresh thyme leaves and other herbs, salt and black pepper. Bring to a low boil. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
  4. Right before serving add the al dente pasta noodles to the hot soup. Serve with slices of good bread toasted with Gruyere cheese on top.

Stay cozy and warm.

teresablackburnfoodstyling.com    foodonfifth.com