Holiday Cookie #1: Buckeye Bark

Tonight I found a recipe for Buckeyes but in bark form. Given that my mom's from Ohio (Lima, setting of Glee!), and my husband LOVES peanut butter and chocolate, I gave it a shot with my own twist.

Buckeye Bark

Ingredients:

10 oz. Ghiradelli 60% Chocolate Baking Chips

2 teas coconut oil

5 oz smooth peanut butter

2 Tbs butter, melted

1/2 c + 2 Tbs powdered sugar

1/4 teas vanilla extract 

Sprinkle of sea salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Prep an 8" square pan by lining with parchment paper

2. Chocolate Layer #1: Melt 1/2 the chocolate with 1 teas coconut oil in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds, stir and add time in short intervals until almost melted. Once at that point, take the chocolate out and stir until melted. Add in 1 Tbs of powdered sugar. Pour into the pan and put into the freezer. 

3. Peanut Butter Layer: In a mixing bowl, beat together the peanut butter, melted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Once the chocolate is hardened, spread the peanut butter mixture on top of the first chocolate layer. Refeeze. 

4. Chocolate Layer #2: Melt the rest of the chocolate with 1 teas coconut oil in the microwave, using the same process as before. Once melted, add the last Tbs of powdered sugar. Pour over the peanut butter layer. If you choose, lightly sprinkle a bit of sea salt over the top. Refeeze. 

5. Once solid, take out and cut into 16 pieces. Store in the refrigerator until consumed. 

Notes: 

• The coconut oil helps the chocolate harden in the freezer, and keeps it more hardened as you store in the fridge.

• You can choose to use milk chocolate chips, but if you do, eliminate the Tbs of powdered sugar that goes in the chocolate. 

Recipe Reinvention: Turkey Tetrazzini

After Thanksgiving, everyone always has tons of leftovers. My favorite after-Thanksgiving meal is a Thanksgiving sandwich, where you pile all the various leftovers onto a yummy roll (ciabatta or French bread), add some mayo and cranberry sauce, and this year some horshradish, and the sandwich is amazing!

However, we had just a bit of turkey leftover after the sandwiches; not enough to actually have another meal for both my husband and me. I had heard about Turkey Tetrazzini, but it wasn't something I had ever made or tried.

I found a recipe from Rachael Ray here, and thought I'd give it a shot, but with a few twists of my own of course...partially because we didn't have all the ingredients she used!

Turkey Tetrazzini
Modified version of Rachael Ray's
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• Salt
• 1/3-1/2 pound pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 oz mushrooms, diced
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 teas poultry seasoning (or a mix of Thyme, Rosemary, Sage)
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 1/2 Tbs flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken or turkey stock
• 1/2 c plain yogurt (greek or regular)
• 1/2 lb leftover turkey, diced
• 1/4 c grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (a generous handful)
• 1/4 c flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Boil water and cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is boiling, in a large sauté pan with oil, heat the onions until translucent over medium to medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add in mushrooms and sauté until they're browned.
4. Add seasonings (salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, sage, nutmeg).
5. Add in butter until melted, and then flour to make a roux. Cook for at least 1 minute.
6. Add in wine and cook down for at least 1 minute so that it thickens. Then add in stock and yogurt.
7. Once you stir the sauce together, add in turkey and drained pasta.
8. Serve with cheese and parsley.

I actually made this for dinner and then ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. Turns out that it tasted better as leftovers because the pasta absorbed more flavor and the sauce thickened. I also added about 1 oz of cream cheese to add creamy-ness since we used fat-free yogurt instead of sour cream as called for in Rachael Ray's recipe.

What do you do with your Thanksgiving leftovers?