It’s time to re-think your turkey dinner leftovers and pass over the usual soup and pasta recipes for this spectacular Leftover Turkey Dinner Strata. It doesn’t just gobble up your leftover turkey, but also dressing, gravy and cranberry sauce. It’s quick and easy to put together because everything is already cooked. So a little chopping and assembly are all you need to do. Like most Stratas, this one can be made up to a day ahead and baked at your convenience the next day. It makes a great brunch, lunch or dinner dish, and it makes a 9×13 pan to feed your hungry family and guests. This Strata gets a huge thumbs up for practicality and tastiness.
Chunks of bread, cubed turkey, and herby dressing get speckled with cranberry sauce and soaked in an eggy bath for a great twist on leftovers. I like to serve it with leftover gravy and additional cranberry sauce on the side. It’s a great casserole to feed a crowd and rewarms nicely in the microwave the next day, however, it is recommended to eat within two days of baking. So go ahead and cook that big ol’ bird and cook up a litre of cranberry sauce because this yummy Strata has your back and won’t let your money or efforts go to waste.
Add oil to a medium skillet and heat to medium. Add diced onion and cook, stirring often until soft 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl toss together bread, dressing, turkey, cooked onions and half of the Gruyere cheese.
In a medium bowl whisk together milk, egg, and seasonings.
Lightly grease a 9"x13" casserole dish. Spread evenly with half of the bread mixture. Dot with half of the cranberry sauce. Repeat with remaining bread mixture and cranberry.
Pour egg mixture evenly over bread, whisking occasionally as you go to distribute seasoning. Sprinkle with remaining Gruyere cheese.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F and bake uncovered on middle rack for about an hour until Strata is puffed and golden. Remove from oven and allow to rest uncovered for 15-20 minutes before cutting into 12 pieces (3x4). Serve with leftover gravy and additional cranberry sauce.
Notes
-The Strata will last for up to 2 days in the fridge and rewarms nicely on medium power in the microwave.-The dressing I used would be considered a traditional dressing.-Want to make this recipe but don't have quite enough leftovers? Half the recipe and bake in an 8x8 casserole dish.
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It is crazy how cheese can be made into something so bread-like!! Low Carb Almond Bread has a spongy texture and a chewy bread-like feel. It’s sturdy enough for your favourite sandwich and warms nicely in the toaster for your fried egg. This low carb, Keto-friendly bread also tastes great!!
You can use regular cream cheese, but I like to use flavoured for this recipe for something a little different. I like the garden vegetable for regular sandwiches and the herb and garlic for bread to serve with soup or stew. This great recipe is also super quick, being ready in about half an hour. Serve slightly warm right out of the pan, room temperature or lightly toasted in the toaster. You can use Low Carb Almond Bread for sandwiches, croutons, as a dipping bread, or a base for fried eggs and tuna melts. It’s a great way to keep your Keto diet on track with only 2.4 net carbs per slice. Enjoy!
Here’s the breakdown per slice when cutting into 12 slices per recipe.
Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly spray a 10"x15" baking tray with non-stick spray and line with parchment if desired.
Stir together almond flour and baking powder.
To a large bowl add the cream cheese and mozzarella. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and return to microwave for another minute. Stir until smoothed out. Add eggs one at a time whisking with a fork to incorporate each fully. Stir in parmesan cheese and dry ingredients. Spread evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 17-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool cut into 12 squares.
Recipe Notes
-I like to use garden vegetable or herb and garlic cream cheese. They add a nice twist to the taste.
-The cut squares will last up to a month in the freezer in an airtight container or Ziplock bag.
-Room temperature squares can be warmed in the toaster.
-This bread holds up well when used for sandwiches, but also great topped with a fried egg or as a tuna melt.
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Do you have flour, yeast, oil and salt? It is all you need to make golden, slightly crisp and chewy Skillet Flatbread. The recipe is super easy without a lot of fuss, and the flatbread is delicious with just about anything. I like mine sprinkled with a zahtar spice mix but you can eat it plain, or with your favourite herb or spice mix. So get ready to dunk, dip and scoop all your tastiest soups, stews and tagines because you’ll be making this time and time again.
Any non-stick skillet will work for this recipe even though I’ve suggested using a cast-iron skillet. The dough is uncomplicated and can be pressed or rolled into any shape, however, I opted for 9” circles which cook evenly and quickly, and it fits nicely in my 10” skillet. This Skillet Flatbread will keep for several days in a sealed container but can also be frozen for use later. When thawed, give it a gentle warming in the microwave or low oven. Eating it at room temperature is perfectly tasty but I prefer it slightly warm. Enjoy!
Combine yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Allow fermenting for 10 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup of flour, I tbsp olive oil and salt. Add another half a cup of flour and begin kneading. Knead until the flour is absorbed and continue adding flour by the tablespoon until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and is no longer sticky. I used 2 1/4 cups of flour in total. Knead until dough is smooth, about 7 minutes.
Coat a large bowl with 1 tsp of olive oil. Form dough into a ball and place in the bowl, turn to coat in oil. Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour.
Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Roll or press one dough portion into a 9" round. Drizzle 1 tsp of canola oil into the hot skillet. When the oil is hot add the prepared rolled dough. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as needed.
While the flatbread is cooking roll the remaining dough portions into 9" rounds.
Remove flatbread from skillet and drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with Zaatar if desired.
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Cheesy Pesto BLT is grilled cheese and BLT sandwiches married together with vibrant pesto. It’s the indulgent, adult sandwich for the kid in all of us.
I was recently asked by a friend and co-worker what he and his work crew could cook up with limited kitchen gear. Available was a frying pan, electric grill press and a toaster oven. One of my first thoughts was a grilled cheese sandwich. But on second thought, who wants just a grilled cheese, other than a 5-year-old of course?
I sent him a recipe for a pesto grilled cheese because I knew the combo would be amazing and it got me thinking that it could be the start of something great. I knew I wanted to add some kind of meat, and plenty of chewy bacon was the answer for a heartier sandwich. And how can you not have bacon without fresh tomato slices and cool, crisp lettuce? They bring balance to the melty cheese and salty bacon which are wonderfully paired with the pesto. So remember, grilled cheese doesn’t have to be “JUST” a grilled cheese.
Truthfully, the kid in me loves that simple and traditional grilled cheese made with processed cheese slices, but I also love pesto and BLT’s, so it only made sense to put them all together into one delicious sandwich. So don’t just think grilled cheese when graving crispy fried bread and oozy cheese. Think Cheesy Pesto BLT!!
Heat a non-stick stick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot.
Butter the outside of each bread slice.
Place the bread buttered side down in skillet and layer provolone evenly over two slices. Adjust heat to medium-low.
Spread 1 tbsp of pesto evenly over the cheese and top with 3 slices of bacon each.
Cook on medium-low to medium until bottoms are golden and cheese is melty. (I find medium-low best to melt cheese while not overcooking the bread)
Remove grilled bread from pan and top the cheese side slices with tomato slices. Season tomatoes with freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste. Top with lettuce and remaining grilled bread.
Cut as desired and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- You can use fresh or purchased pesto in this recipe. I do recommend using fresh if possible like my Classic Pesto
-Prep time is based on using pre-made pesto and pre-cooked bacon.
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Glorious, chewy, crusty bread is at your fingertips with these Easy Homemade Baguettes. The recipe is credited to Dan Leader’s 4-hour Baguette and I’ve done little to alter the recipe other than reducing the amount of salt and put it in my own words. Many types of bread can be made within 4 hours, so you may be wondering why this recipe is anything special. A traditional French Baguette starts with some kind of “starter” usually consisting of a partial amount of the flour, water and yeast. This starter is left to ferment for many hours and often overnight, making it a lengthy process. The benefit of using a starter is to promote more flavour and a better texture. Dan Leader’s 4-hour Baguette is a wonderful recipe because it creates a similar result in much less time.
Dan Leader does this in a couple of ways. The first being the delayed addition of the salt. The salt is added after the dough has rested and hydrated. Salt inhibits yeast growth, so by adding it at a later stage allows the yeast to develop better, creating more flavour. The second is an additional rise after folding the dough. The folding helps to stretch out the gluten strands and therefore helps to create a nice texture. The additional rise also helps with yeast development and better flavour.
Adding ice to a hot pan placed below the baking rack will ensure a lovely crust on your baguettes by allowing the dough to rise fully before a crust forms.
Food 52 calls this a genius recipe and I can see why. A few deliberate actions in the recipe saves a whole lot of time and produces wonderful results. If you love homemade bread, this recipe is a must try. Enjoy!
Are you new to baking, wanting to improve your baking, or maybe you just want to make baking more convenient and fun? Have you ever thought of creating a baking station? The rather handy and informative Porch website has a great article on how to do just that. It provides unique and inspiring ideas of how to create, organize and have fun with a baking station. It’s a great idea and a good read How to Create the Ultimate Home Baking Station
In a large bowl stir together water and yeast and allow to ferment for about 10 minutes until foamy.
Add 2 3/4 cups of flour and stir until moisture is absorbed. Cover with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate.
Flour your work surface with a sprinkle of the remaining flour. Dump out dough onto your work surface and sprinkle with salt and a tablespoon of flour to knead the dough without it being too sticky. Continue kneading the dough and adding flour by the tablespoon until dough is smooth but still a little tacky, about 8 minutes. Using a bench scraper to lift the dough off the counter helps until it becomes less sticky. The exact amount of flour is dependant on your working conditions and existing moisture in the flour you are using.
Place dough in a large lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free area for 60 minutes until double in size.
Remove dough to your work surface and using your fingers push and spread dough to remove air pockets and to shape into an approximate 8"x 6" rectangle. Fold the long sides of the dough into the centre and then fold the top and bottom into the centre. Place the folded dough back into the bowl, seam side down. Cover and allow to rise for 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 475℉ and place a heatproof pan or cast iron skillet on the rack below your centre baking rack. If using a baking stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well.
Divide dough into 3 equal portions and roll each into an approximate 14" log. Allowing the dough to rest for 60-second pauses between rolling will help the dough relax and hold its shape when rolled. Place shaped logs onto a baguette pan. Alternatively, you can lay logs onto lightly floured parchment that sits on a rimless baking tray. Leave enough space between the logs to pinch the parchment and lift up, creating pleats between the logs. Place rolled kitchen towels on both ends of the parchment to provide support. Cover and allow to rise for 50 minutes.
Using a sharp knife or bread lame, make at least four 4" slashes across each loaf. Add ice cubes to the hot pan in the oven and place baguettes on centre rack above. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden and baguettes sound hollow when tapped. If using parchment, remove towels and pull parchment by the corners to flatten. Place pan in the oven as indicated above onto your preheated baking stone or simply on the middle rack if not using a stone.
Recipe Notes
-The exact amount of flour needed is dependent on many factors such as humidity and type of flour. Keep a small portion of flour aside and add by the tablespoon until the dough is smooth yet still tacky. By all means, use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to knead the dough if desired.
-Use an upside-down baking tray if you do not have a rimless one.
-A baguette pan is an inexpensive investment that allows the loaves to brown evenly on all sides.
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