Turkey Crepes

I was looking for ideas to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and remembered my son mentioning he wanted to try crepes. So I combined a couple of recipes and came up with this turkey crepes.

Crepe batter:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients alternately with milk and oil. Beat until smooth.

Heat a medium frying pan (I use a Teflon pan so I don't have to grease it) over medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup batter to hot pan, swirling to spread a thin layer over entire pan. Allow to cook until lightly browned (will be cooked through), then flip to brown other side for a few seconds. Layer with wax paper so they don't stick together while you are making the filling.

Turkey filling

1/4 cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
bit of red pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups leftover turkey (or chicken)
parsley, oregano and/or basil to taste
ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
spinach leaves

Fry onion, celery, red pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Stir flour into sour cream and add to vegetables. Stir in broth and cook until thickened and bubbly. Add turkey, cheese and seasonings.

Build the crepes: lay a crepe on a plate with the browned side down. Lay some spinach leaves in the middle in a line, then spoon some of the turkey/sauce mixture on top. Fold one side over, tuck in and roll so the seam is down. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.

You could use this filling with tortillas and save the effort of making crepes. And you can add other veggies (I used corn tonight as well), or omit or change the cheese for a different taste.

My kids took some of the leftover crepes and spread them with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, then fried an apple with some cinnamon and made dessert crepes.

Sugar Cookies

This is a recipe from a package of cookie cutters I bought a few years ago. It is from a famous woman who had a TV show, magazine, books and many other lines of business (she spent some time in jail for insider trading).

1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking soda and mix until combined. It will be quite stiff, use your hands if you have to. Roll on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then bake at 325F for 10-12 minutes.

The refrigeration step is very important. If you don't do it, the cookies will spread and not look at all like the shapes you cut. You can decorate these cookies with icing, or just serve them naked. I have a modest collection of cutters, so I can make cookies for various holidays.

Guacomole

I love this simple recipe for Guacamole. We serve it with tortilla chips as an appetizer, but will use it with the main course, if there is any left over. It's tasty on a burger or with pork.

1 ripe avocado
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/4 lime's juice
about 1/3 cup finely chopped red pepper, tomato and onion
about 2 tbsp sour cream

mash the avocado and mix with everything else.

To tell if the avocado is ripe, it should be dark green and yield just slightly when gently squeezed. If it is black or really soft, it probably is over ripe. When you cut it, the flesh should be green. The easiest way to cut it (I find), is to slice it to the pit vertically all the way around, then give it a twist and it separates. Then I get the pit out by pushing the edge of a sharp knife right into the pit (just a bit in), then twisting it. You have to be careful getting the pit off the knife. I use a spoon to scoop the flesh out of the skins, it usually comes out in one piece if it is ripe.

Blueberry Muffins

I love summer, when the fruit and berries are a reasonable price. I got a big container of blueberries the other day, but realized today I can't eat them fast enough, so I'm making muffins. This recipe is not overly sweet, nor cake-like as many bought muffins are. It makes a dozen regular size, or 2 dozen mini muffins.

1 3/4 cups flour (I use half whole wheat and half white)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil (canola or corn)
1 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients separately, then add all at once to dry. Mix just until combined (never over-mix quick bread batters, they get tough). Stir in blueberries. Fill muffin cups (greased or lined with paper baking cups) 2/3 full. Bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes for full size or 10-12 for mini.

This is easily doubled, which I did today, and they freeze well.

Veggie roll-ups

My mom made these for a get-together recently while I was visiting, and they disappeared pretty quickly. Fairly simple to make, they do take a bit of planning and chopping.

1 package of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp mayonnaise
3 cups finely chopped vegetables (she used red, green and yellow peppers, broccoli, green onions, olives and mushrooms, but you could use anything, really)
15 large tortillas

Mix cream cheese with mayonnaise. Cut sides off tortillas to make them more square, then spread with a medium-thin layer of cheese mixture. Spread a layer of vegetables on top, then roll up tightly. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Unwrap saran and slice into 3/4 inch pieces. Mom used whole wheat tortillas and tomato ones, and arranged them alternately on a plate. Make sure the veggies aren't too big, and I wouldn't use anything too juicy (like tomatoes).

Pancakes

This is almost as easy as buying pancake mix. It makes about 15 pancakes of about a 3 inch diameter.

1 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 1/4 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, add milk and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix just until combined. Cook in frying pan on medium high heat by dropping large tablespoonfuls, flipping when edges appear dry and there are bubbles on top.

Waffles

In honour of Father's Day, I made waffles for brunch today. This fairly simple recipe makes 5 Belgian waffles (the big round ones). Terrific with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and fruit.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cup milk

Stir dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, add oil, sour cream and milk and mix well. Pour into dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. I use about 3/4 cup batter in my waffle iron, but it depends on the size and type.