Thanksgiving Leftovers - Leek, Turkey and Horseradish Mac n Cheese with Cripy Speck and Potato Chips

Leftovers are hands down the best thing about a giant Thanksgiving feast. It's important to be creative so boredom between two slices of bread doesn't take away your eating enjoyment.


This macaroni and cheese recipe is the perfect place for leftover turkey. But don't stop there- use up onions, celery, peppers, even cranberries... have fun with it! The horseradish gives it a peppy zing.

Keep your holiday eating fest going with this yummy fat and happy horseradish macaroni and cheese. Just be sure to get in your workout, this one is worth it.

Dry Brined Ancho Pepper Glazed Turkey with Chickpea Stuffing

Thanksgiving is lapping at the patio doors. It seems to be approaching earlier than ever before and there is so much to do. The silver needs polishing, the napkins need ironing and the turkey needs brining. Brining- it's a funny thing. Similar to the marinating process, it's meant to help keep meat moist and flavorful through the cooking process by soaking the meat in a salt solution. Many swear by the wet brine.

Dry brine, on the other hand, is more akin to rubbing seasoning on meat. Those who know it will argue that dry brining produces a better texture to the meat over a wet brine; it's definitely easier and less sloppy!
 
Does it really make the turkey better? The meat juicier? The skin crispier? We enjoyed our super flavorful and moist turkey, though the pepper glaze may have had something to do with that. Dry brine your turkey, without our without the fat and happy pepper glaze, and then you be the judge. Then let us all know what you think.

Autumn Maple Ice Cream with Sugared Pancetta

Contrary to popular belief, beer and ice cream do mix. Last year, The Bruery released their version of a pumpkin beer called Autumn Maple and I couldn't wait to cook with it.


Rather than pumpkins, this beer is brewed with 17 pounds of yams along with spices and maple syrup. Consider it a bold sipping beer with a big nod to the booze. The warm fall flavors made me think of a holiday ice cream, a holiday beer ice cream. Genius.

Reducing the beer concentrated the spice while the maple syrup adds that remembrance of home. The crispy, candied pancetta adds a smoky, earthy layer along with a little crunch.

Because this beer has the full Autumn feel, I added a couple of coffee beans to help achieve that fantastic part of dinner where dessert-meets-after-dinner-drink-meets-coffee time. Enjoy Autumn through a bowl of creamy Fat and Happy ice cream.

Raw Carrot and Avocado Salad with Lemon, Garlic and Sunflower Seed Dressing

The beginning of November means it's time for another Recipe Swap. A group of intrepid food bloggers gather monthly (electronically) to recreate a recipe, chosen from a quaint recipe book, in our own versions.

Carrot pie, our chosen recipe, is a dish of carrot quiche. The carrot is so simple and inexpensive, I was more than excited to work with this bunny-inspired ingredient so I ordered a few pounds of carrots from my local farmer.

With the cold weather seeping into the midwest, my mind is turning to warm and hearty dishes. I set to work on a pasta carrot sauce, which turned out great. Then I used that sauce in a vegetarian lasagna. The photos are done, the recipe is written. All that was left to do was write up the post.

Extra carrots remained in my fridge though, and after all the heavy dishes I had just created I longed for lighter, summer fare. Plus I had a pile of shaved carrots leftover from the lasagna. So I tossed them into nutty, garlicky dressing and didn't look back.

I'm not entirely ready for heavy fall food and that's okay because we have a number of winter months ahead of us. This incredibly simple salad fills me up without weighing me down. It's another fat and happy recipe swap success!

Cheesy Squash Breakfast Sandwich

Fall is is just another name for squash. And while I love a good roasted squash, I can only eat so much of it at one sitting. The outstanding questions is what to do with the leftover squash.

Sear it, add garlicky carrots, goat cheese, sprouts and a runny egg, then smash it between two pieces of toast. Done.

An egg sandwich is the bomb and only gets better with the addition of squash. Sauteing the carrots with garlic while searing the squash adds a little crunch to the sandwich while the sprouts add a fresh flavor.

This breakfast sandwich came out better than expected- even Dave gave it two thumbs up. I happened to have left over roasted squash, but you can roast a fresh one. Do slice and sear it to get that nice, golden brown crust as noted below.

Whip up a new option for squash with this delicious fat and happy squash sandwich. It's perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.