My Site » I love food, travel, and being creative in the kitchen. I keep my recipes simple and fresh so you can make them around your table too.

Turkey sandwich with Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ sauce

I have the answer to all leftover turkey!! Sriracha & Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce from Trader Joes. I had this for lunch AND dinner yesterday. Here’s what you do: Baguette, sliced Top sliced turkey with Swiss cheese and broil until melted Add avocado, tomato, and turkey/cheese to the sandwich. Heat Sriracha sauce until hot and dip away! For low carb (it’s even better then the sandwich): mix dressing of lemon juice, EVOO, garlic, and S&P. Use romaine lettuce and add parmesan and slivered almonds. Top salad with broiled turkey and cheese and pour Sriracha sauce on top!

Pecan and Marshmallow Stuffed Sweet Potato

My favorite way to make sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving. In my opinion sometimes there can be one too many casseroles! Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Pecan and Marshmallow Streusel (amazing on the Traeger) 12 large sweet potatoes 3/4 C butter, at room temperature 3/4 C brown sugar 3/4 C flour 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup toasted pecan pieces 1 cup miniature marshmallows Bake sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes at 400. Once cooled slice potatoes in half. Combine streusel ingredients and fill potatoes with filling. Bake for additional 15 minutes. #thanksgiving #sweetpotatoes #sides #yum #foodie #holidays #kristinandrus #lifeatmytable

Trader Joes Appetizer taste test

Our Book Club 2015 party went off last night and I had 20 taste testers helping me find the best (and worst) Trader Joes appetizers for you and your holiday events. Here you go! Shrimp & Grits Bites : B- Pretty bland, top with sharp cheese for extra flavor. Vegetable Birds Nests: A So good, and that sauce! Scallion pancakes: A Everyone’s favorite. Serve with sweet chili sauce and soy sauce, cut into quarters Steamed Mussels : A- Surprisingly good though not a huge portion. Another downside is you have to eat them right away. Not very good after sitting out. I would eat this for dinner with a big piece of crusty bread to dip in the sauce! Scallops wrapped in Bacon: A Very good though I would broil them at the end to crisp and maybe add cayenne or brown sugar. Shrimp Toast: C very average Crab and Longostino Rangoon: D Fishy tasting and not great at all Southwest Style Chicken Poppers: A Everyone loved these! Spinach and Artichoke Dip: C Very average to not great. Lack of…

Shabby Apple and Kodiak Cake Giveaway

Egg, Ham, and Spinach En Croute

I’ve been chowing on this En Croute I made for @studio5ksl today. It’s my mom’s recipe and my favorite holiday brunch item. 2 eggs 1 TB Mustard 2 tsp lemon juice 1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped 1 cup chopped ham 1 C shredded Swiss cheese 1 sheet puff pastry In large bowl, beat 2 eggs well. Set aside 2 t. Blend in mustard and lemon juice. Stir in remaining ingredients until well combined. On lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 15 x 9 inch rectangle. Brush lightly with some of the reserved beaten eggs. Spoon egg/spinach mixture down center of pastry. Fold both sides over to cover. Pinch to seal edges and ends of pastry. Place seam side down on lightly greased baking sheet. Brush top and sides with remaining beaten eggs. Cut 5 diagonal slashes in top. Bake at 425 until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Green Beans with Honey and Cashews

My favorite weeknight vegetable is green beans (always make enough for 2 nights). Add a little butter, honey, and cashews and you’ll have one happy family! If you’re looking for an out of this world Green Bean Casserole with Buttermilk Fried Onions for Thanksgiving, search green bean casserole on my website and you’ll find it! It’ll be your favorite dish of the whole meal!

Cider and cheese Fondue

Fondue this time of year is just what the doctor ordered. This can be a hearty appetizer or dinner! Gruyere cheese, shredded Sharp cheddar cheese, grated Swiss cheese, grated Cinnamon cheddar, shredded (TJ) (Use any cheese you have on hand) 1 C Apple cider 1 bottle Hard ale/cider Garlic Worcestershire sauce, 1-2 TB Corn starch, 3 TB Pepper Grilled asparagus Small roasted potatoes Cranberry walnut bread Asiago bread Pears Apple Grilled mushrooms Spicy Sausage Chicken sausage Heat the cider, beer, Worcestershire , and garlic in a medium pot over medium heat and simmer until reduced by 1/2 or more. Toss the cheeses together and sift the corn starch over the cheese. Add cheese to cider mixture until slowly combined. If you need more liquid add additional apple cider. Grill, Traeger, or roast your food and dip away!! ETC. Whole Foods helped me pick out some good cheeses for this fondue. You can use any you have on hand. But sharp more unusual cheeses are the best. Ask your cheese person at the grocery store about what they would recommend for…

Thanksgiving Benedict

My Thanksgiving Benedict has been nominated for the TODAY SHOW Food Club contest. I will be forever in your debt if you vote for me!! http://community.today.com/foodclub/recipe/thanksgiving-eggs-benedict 😘 This Thanksgiving Benedict is even better than the real day! 2 1/2 C Stuffing or Stovetop stuffing 2 eggs, beaten Turkey breast, sliced 4 Eggs, poached or fried Gravy Cranberry sauce Add an egg or two to your stuffing and mix it all together to form a patty. Sauté the stuffing cake in EVOO until brown and cooked through on both sides. Top with turkey and a poached egg. Drizzle gravy and a dollop of cranberry sauce on top. (Heinz Homestyle Gravy wins all the awards for best jarred gravy.)

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal. How can you say no to cornbread, sausage, pecans and more! Ingredients: Pre-prepared cornbread 1 lb Ground sausage Mirepoix mix (chopped onion, carrot, celery) Garlic, minced Parsley, chopped 3 eggs Chicken broth Pecans, toasted Dried cranberries Cut cornbread into bite size squares. Cover in EVOO and S&P. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 or until golden brown. Method: Cook sausage and set aside. Cook mirepoix mix and garlic in same pan as sausage with EVOO (and butter if desired). Add sausage, vegetables, pecans, parsley, and cranberries to cornbread chunks. Add eggs to chicken stock and mix into cornbread to moisten mixture but not so its dripping wet. (I used 1/2-2/3 of a carton for this amount). Bake at 400 degrees covered for 30 minutes then uncovered for 20.

Freshly Picked Thanksgiving Article

http://freshlypicked.com/blogs/newsletter/55769537-5-ways-to-keep-thanksgiving-dinner-easy-and-gourmet