Ingredients:

For the Cranberry Compote

For the Coffee Caramel

For Assembly

Directions:

For the Cranberry Compote

For the Coffee Caramel

For Assembly

Easy Potato Soup

Easy because I already had left over mashed potatoes!

Melt in a soup pot over low heat:

- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter

Add and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned, about 20 minutes:

- 6 medium leeks, chopped (I used green onions; I’m not sure what the difference is, but they worked great)

Stir in:

- 11/2 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced,

- 6 cups stock or broth – poultry, chicken, or vegetable, or water, or a combination to make 6 cups

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes. Puree until smooth. For a finer texture, push through a sieve. Season with:

- salt and white or black pepper to taste

Thin, if necessary with water or additional stock or broth.

OR you can do like me and use already mashed potatoes, about 2 cups, and then only add about 1/2 cup stock. Mix, heat, done. (I actually used wasabi mashed potatoes, a recipe from the Rachel Ray cookbook I’ve been using a lot lately, and it was delicious!  All you do is add 1-2 Tbsp of wasabi paste to your mashed potatoes when they are all mashed! Deeee-licious!)

Pumpkin Soup

Reminiscent of pumpkin pie, this is a yummy, flavourful soup!

Heat in a soup pot over medium heat:

- 1 Tbsp butter or olive oil

Add and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes:

- 1 cup minced onions

- 1/2 cup minced celery

- 3 cups canned pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pumpkin, cooked

- 3 cups scalded milk, or chicken stock or broth

- if you use stock or broth, add 3/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

- if you like, 1/2 cup finely julienned ham (I did, and it was great)

- 1 Tbsp sugar or 2 Tbsp brown sugar

- if you like, 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- if you like, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

- salt and black pepper to taste

Heat through, but do not boil.  Puree (a whizzer that you can put right into the pot is easiest) and reheat.

Turkey Stew in Oven Bowls

Straightforward use of turkey leftovers… but so delicious! I used French Onion Soup bowls and warmed the stew in the oven!

- Leftover turkey, cut into cubes or small pieces

- 5-7 cranberries per bowl, frozen or fresh if you have ‘em

- frozen corn, spoonful per bowl

Combine the above ingredients into a bowl. Make sure there’s more turkey than corn or cranberries.

- croutons or bread cut to fit the top of the bowl

- turkey or beef gravy, drizzled on top

Put the lid on the bowls and warm in the oven at about 300 F until warmed through, 20-30 minutes. Add cheese to the top and broil for a few minutes if you like! (This recipe was my own creation.)

First 2 recipes come from the Joy of Cooking.