Another holiday meal favorite that usually results in leftovers is ham. I am not a fan of having leftovers for days. So I usually try to get rid of it as soon as possible. That could mean having it for brunch and for dinner. My favorite brunch food with ham is "ham and cheese croissant". You can freeze the extras. You can make it the night before. It takes very little time to bake and with very good results. Here's the recipe that I used last night for an amazing croissant.
Ham and Cheese Croissant
Ingredients:
1 cup Butter (softened)
1/4 cup Flour
1 1/2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Sugar
3/4 cup Milk (warmed)
1/2 cup Water (warm to about 110 F)
4 1/2 tsp Active dry yeast (or 2 packages)
3 cups Flour
3 cups Leftover ham cut into strands
2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 large Egg yolk
1/4 cup Milk
3 tbsp Oregano (dried)
Directions:
1. Using a wooden spoon or a hand mixer (lowest setting), cream the butter with the salt, sugar and flour until evenly blended.
2. Spoon the mixture on to a large piece of wax paper, cover with another large piece of wax paper. Roll the butter into a thin, flat sheet (12 x 6 inches) with a rolling pin. (It is better to use a cold stainless steel or ceramic rolling pin if you have one.)
3. Place the thinned out butter on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hr.
4. Mix the warm water and yeast together until dissolved. Add warm milk. Slowly add the flour 1 cup and a time and mix until evenly blended using a wooden spoon.
5. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth (adding a little bit of flour if needed). About 10 minutes. Let the dough rise (covered) in a warm (80 F), draft free place until double (about 1 hr).
6. Roll the dough out into a large square (14 x 14 inches). Place the sheet butter on to one half of the dough, remove the wax papers. Fold the dough in half, covering the butter, and pinch the edges to seal.
7. Roll the dough into a 20 x 8 inches rectangle. Starting from the short side, fold the dough in thirds like a letter. Seal edges and wrap dough in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8. Repeat step 7 four more times.
9. Cut the dough into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, roll the dough out into a 20 x 8 rectangle.
10. With a sharp knife or a pastry knife, cut the dough into thirds. Place about 1/4 cup of ham and a small handful of cheese at the end of each thirds. Fold the corners closest to the ham over the ham mixture. Roll in the edges and fold in the corners of the other end. Roll the ham mixture in tightly.Repeat with the rest of the dough quarters.
11. Place the croissants on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Let rise for 1 hour in a warm, draft free place. Cover with a clean cloth.
12. Beat the egg yolk with the milk. Brush over croissants. Sprinkle oregano over the top.
13. Preheat oven to 425 F. Bake croissants for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden.
So right after finals, I went from cooking deprived to cooking overload. I woke up at 6 am the next morning after finals are over. When others were still sleeping, I was up cooking. I made 8 dozens gingerbread cookies, a 15 lb turkey, stuffing. gravy, and baked an apple pie (all from scratch, of course!) Needless to say, that was me taking on more than I could handle because I forgot I only have a half-size oven. However, 12 hours later, the cookies were done with none burned, the pie was beautiful, the stuffing and gravy were delicious, and the turkey was succulent. We had so much fun eating and caroling with friends! Then I was faced with what most people love and dread ... leftovers.
Leftovers are wonderful. You don't have to cook the next day. Your family is happy eating and remember the wonderful night from before....for about two meals. If you're like me, you always make too much food. I was left with enough turkey for 4 meals! First, we had turkey sandwiches, then turkey casserole... then we're out of ideas. I mean, you can always reincarnate the turkey, but what about the left over gravy and veggies?
So I decided to whip up something fun by putting a twist at the traditional way to recycle the leftover turkey. I made Turkey Hot Pockets. It's really easy and really fun! I used a home made crust. But if you are lazy, you can opt for a store bought crust as well.
Turkey Hot Pockets (6 servings)
Ingredients:
1 package Pillsbury® Rolled Refrigerated Pie Crusts(2 per package)
4 cups Leftover turkey meat (cut into small chunks) 2 cups Leftover gravy 1 cup Frozen mixed vegetables (or left over vegetables that you like, cut into small chunks) 1/2 Yellow onion (diced) 2 tbsp Heavy cream 1/4 tsp Black pepper 1/4 tsp Salt (more to taste) 1/4 tsp Sugar 1/4 tsp Thyme (dried) 1/4 tsp Sage (ground) 1 tbsp Flour (optional; see directions)
1 large Egg white, beaten
Directions: 1. Thaw the pie crusts. Cut each crust into thirds. Reshaped to form 6 small disks and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
3. Mix the turkey, veggies, onion, heavy cream, gravy, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme, and sage in a large bowl. Add some flour if the gravy is thin. You should get a thick mixture that is thick enough to hold its shape when you spoon it on to a surface.
4. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.
5. Grease a large cookie sheet.
6. Take out the pie crust, one at a time. Spoon the turkey mixture on the one half of the pie crust, leaving at least a 1/2 inch edge on that half.
It's been way too long since I've had a few minutes to post anything. This is finals week. As much as I would love to be able to bake all day to relieve stress, it has been proven impossible this semester. I somehow find myself living in the library (practically there from 7 am to midnight when they throw me out kicking and screaming....) I think there's a permanent butt print in the chair that I sit in every day. The place is gloomy with no decorations, concrete staircase that squeaks every time someone walks on it, and not to mention endless piles of dusty law books that are in desperate need of updating. You get the idea. Therefore, my having to be there from sunrise to way past sun-down is making me highly irritable.
The good news is that it is at time like this when my strange child-like side comes out. First, I decided to buy a blanket-like shawl so I feel like I'm snuggling in my chair at home (kind-of). Then, I bought a table top Christmas tree. Yes....a Christmas tree. It's about 2 feet tall. I got it at Big Lots for $4. I also got the lights and the garland with the decorations for $1 each at Dollar Tree. It's wonderful. About $7 later, there is a tree in the library on the desk that I study. Every time someone walks by, they smile. Love spreading the joy around! Not to mention I suddenly find myself with many new friends attracted to the tree, including those that I've seen around the school but never spoken to and those who I simply did not know existed. I love it! Here's a picture of my tree:
After about a week and half of studying, I finally got a one day break. At the end of the second final exam, I threw my arms in the air, waved them around a little, and said "I'm going home, taking a nap, and watching TV!" So I went home .... bought lunch .... watched TV ... and (you guessed it!) no nap. Why would I ever want to nap now that I have a few hours to play in the kitchen!! (BTW, it got fixed. No more giant hole in my ceiling and choking, toxic particles floating in the air. Woohoo!) I was recently at a buffet where they served this wonderful puff pastry pinwheel with curried veggies in it. (Loved the puff pastry but wished they were less stingy on the veggies...) So with only a few hours to get this done, I decided to make my own spin on this. Alas! The Pinwheel Biscuit with Curried Fillings was born! Here's a picture of it (sorry for the quality):
It took me about 2 hours to make it while dancing to Christmas music and enjoying my new Gingerbread Cookie scented candle. But, nonetheless, here's the recipe....enjoy!
Pinwheel Biscuit with Curried Fillings
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (more as needed - see directions)
1 stick (8 tbsp) very cold unsalted butter (cut into very small pieces)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup very cold milk (2% or whole)
1/4 cup very cold (not frozen) sour cream
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed veggies (or any fresh veggies you want to use - diced to small pieces)
1/2 piece boneless, skinless chicken breast (diced into very small pieces)
3/4 lb extra large shrimp (de-veined and de-shelled) - cut into 3-4 pieces per shrimp
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and butter together. Blend evenly into course crumbs using two knives or a pastry blender. (I find that a metal-wired potato masher works well too!) If butter begins to soften, put the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes, then resume.
2. Add the sour cream and 1/3 of the milk to the dry ingredients and blend with a spoon. Continue adding the milk in small batches until the flour all stick together and slightly moist. (But not sticky and wet). If you need to, add more milk or more flour to get the right consistency.
3. On a lightly floured surface, rolled the dough out into a large rectangle. Dust the top lightly with flour.
4. Fold the dough in third like you would a letter.
5. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour and turn it over. Dust lightly with flour on the new "top-side" again.
6. Rolled the dough into a large rectangle again.
7. Repeat steps 4 - 6 about three more times. (if the dough ever begin to get too soft and sticky, then put it in the fridge (wrapped in wax paper) for 15 minutes.)
8. Line a large cookie sheet with wax paper.
9. Put a piece of wax paper on top of the dough (make sure the paper is large enough to cover the dough).
10. Fold the dough with the wax paper into thirds like you would a letter. This way the layers are separate by the wax paper. Put the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate overnight if you want.
11. In a pan or a small pot, put in the water, olive oil, veggies and curry powder. Heat until simmering under medium heat. Stir occasionally.
12. Add the chicken. Cook under medium heat until the chicken is all white. (about 5 - 6 minutes) Add some water if needed to keep the ingredients from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
13. Add the shrimp. Cook under medium heat until the shrimp is white but slightly translucent. Stirring constantly. (about 3 - 4 minutes) Add some water if needed to keep the ingredients from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
14. Add salt and pepper to taste.
15. Drain the liquid from the fillings and spread into a thin layer on a large plate. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until the mixture is cool to the touch.
16. Preheat the oven to 500 F. Placed the cold dough on a lightly floured surface with the short edge facing you.
17. Spread the fillings evenly over the entire dough, leaving about a 1/2 inch room at the edge.
18. Rolled tightly like a jelly roll. Pinch the two ends as you roll so the fillings won't come out.
19. Wet the top edge with a little water and seal it on to the side of the roll when you're done.
20. Cut the roll into 3-inch pieces with a very sharp and thin knife. (You can also try using the unscented dental floss method. I have not tried that.)
21. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or grease the pan well). Refrigerate for 10 minutes. (You can also refrigerate for up to a few hours if you want to make it later.)
22. Lower the oven temperature to 450 F. Bake the pinwheels for 10 minutes. Turn the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.
23. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve as is. Or you can serve it with buerre blanc sauce (see below).
Beurre Blanc Sauce:
This is a French white butter sauce that goes well with most seafood and poultry. Here's a basic recipe for it: http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/buttersauces/r/beurreblanc.htm
I took out the wine (don't have any in the house), and added a little bit of black pepper. I also did not strain the shallot.
There are times when I'm stressed so I cook. But then, there are times when I'm so stressed, that even cooking isn't an option. That is especially true right now because I cannot cook in my own kitchen. To put it simply:
The ceiling of the apartment next to us fell down two nights ago because the water main broke. We had no water that next morning. The idiot from upstairs, after realizing the water was turned off, left the faucet on with his drain clogged and flooded his apartment and into ours. We have now moved our bed, clothes, sofa and TV next door. I go in the other apt to wash up and cook, but the mold is starting to getting to me. My husband couldn't be in there for more than five min before he start to cough like mad. The hole in our ceiling is the size of a small table-top. They told us they won't get around to it for another week, possibly two.
So now, I have to cook in a kitchen that is filthy. It took me 15 minutes just to cleaned of the counter top (not including the rest of the place). I have to keep running outside because I had to hold my breath half the time.
For a day, I was exhausted, stressed to the max (finals time), and ready to order take out (gasp!!). Luckily, we went to a friend's house last night and watched Ratatouille. Not that the move is about cooking in a horrible place. But the motto "Anyone can cook" and the description of how different flavors can come together to create a symphony reignite my fire. Needless to say, I held my breath, ran into my house, grabbed the stuff I needed and brought it next door. Waiting for me, happily bubbling at home, is a large pot of elk.
Yes, elk. Some people are afraid of elk. Not because it is a huge animal that might kill you before you manage to shoot it. More that it is an acquired taste. When you get one, you get a LOT of it. It takes up your entire ice-box and sits there with no one to take it away from you. After the 3rd meal, you run out of ideas of what to do with it. Stew usually comes to mind, but the usual style of tomatoes, potatoes, celery and carrots simply gets boring. So, in my rushed attempt to raid my kitchen before I die of suffocation, I came up with following recipe....enjoy!!
Tropical Elk Stew
Equipment:
1 regular size crock pot.
1 large non-stick frying pan
Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb Elk roast (cut into large chunks)
1/4 cup Candied ginger (available in Asian markets) ... don't mistaken them with ginger candy.
1/2 Fresh pineapple with juice (or you can substitute with one 16 oz can of pineapple slices with juice)
3 to 4 Roma tomatoes (do NOT use the canned ones)
1 White or yellow onion (medium size) - cut into squares
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp Salt (more to taste)
1/2 tbsp Pepper (more to taste)
1 tsp Dried thyme
1 tsp Dried basil
1/4 tsp Ginger powder
1 tbsp Garlic (minced)
2 tbsp Light brown sugar
5 tbsp Butter (unsalted)
5 tbsp Flour
1 to 2 cups water
1 tsp Lemon juice.
Directions:
1) Turn the crock pot to "HI", add olive oil, Worchestershire sauce, salt, pepper, thyme, basil, ginger powder, garlic and brown sugar. Stirred to make sure they are mixed and dispersed.
2) Cut the candied ginger in to small pieces and add to the pot.
3) Cut the pineapples and tomatoes into large chunks, set aside.
4) Coat the elk pieces with flour and tossed until there's a thin layer of flour covering each piece.
5) Melt butter in medium heat in a non-stick pan, turn heat up to "MED-HI" until butter starts to brown.
6) Add elk and cook until it starts to turn brown on the outside, turning the pieces to make sure all sides are cooked evenly, about 3 -4 minutes.
7) Drain the elk on a piece of paper towel, then add to the crock pot.
8) Add the pineapple (with juice), tomatoes, and onions to the crock pot. Stir to make sure everything is well-mixed. Make sure the spices at the bottom gets evenly mixed with the other ingredients.
9) Add 1 to 2 cups of water (enough that the water covers up about 3/4 of the ingredients). Do not add water till it is covering all the ingredients because it will be too soupy. Some of the ingredients will produce water as they cook.
10) Add lemon juice.
11) Cover and let cook for at least 4 hours on "HI" in the crock pot. If you make this overnight, then turn the crock pot to "LOW" and let it cook for up to 9 hours.
12) At the end, make sure you taste it to see if it needs more sugar, salt, pepper to your liking.
13) You can also make a roux by melting 3 tbsp of butter and adding 4 tbsp of flour under medium heat in a non-stick pan. Then slowly add some of the broth from the stew (a little at a time), to thin out the roux until it is thick, but creamy. Add the roux to the stew and mix immediately.
**I would serve it with rice or fresh bread. Absolute with some steamed veggies on the side too.
As I said before, I always have trouble writing exact recipe. I don't cook with exact measurements. But I hope that this is a good estimate. You can tweak it to your liking. Happy Cooking!!
My husband always gets very excited when finals time rolls around. He knows that I will be stressed out. I will get tired. Then, I will cook.
To me, cooking is like meditation. It is the only activity in which I can full drown myself. When I cook, all the worries in the world melt away into sweet smell of apple pie and smooth, creamy roasted garlic Alfredo sauce. When I cook, I think of nothing but the task at hand. The feeling of soft, pillow-y dough simply makes me giggle with joy. I know that even if everything I do fail, this is something I have more control over. Now, that is not to say that I don't ever fail at making something. But I know I can always throw it away (hoping no one was looking), dispose of the evidence into a trash can, and start over. I wish life is as lovely as cooking...
So, why start this blog? Mostly, it is for me to finally record all my improv recipes. I know that one day future kids will ask me to compile it and I will be overwhelmed.
But the other reason is to share my joy with my friends. Anyone who knows me well, or has carried on a decent length conversation with me, will know that all conversations with Joedy inevitably end up around food. Whether it's how to cook something, or what we ate at the latest restaurant outing, or even reminiscing the old days....it's always about food.
So that's what this blog is about: Food, cooking, eating, and more food.
I can't guarantee that my recipes are reproducible in others' hands. I tend to measure by the eye. I don't do well writing recipe. Still, I will do my best to share with you what I love.
