Chocolate banana reindeer pops

The treats train has not slowed down since Halloween and we still have a month to go until we all resolve to stop eating like there's a food shortage coming. But thankfully, we can feel full of holiday spirit, and not junk with these chocolate-covered banana reindeer. I tried this with a few different types of fruit, and bananas worked better than apples, strawberries, or grapes.

These treats are also easy to make allergen friendly. Melted carob worked just as well as regular milk, dark, and white chocolates. I used spelt pretzels because this ancient grain is easier to digest than regular wheat and the Happy Herbert brand's ingredient list is blissfully straightforward. However, there are many types of gluten-free pretzels out there that would make a good substitution. The coconut oil that thins out the chocolate also makes these frozen pops a little tropical, which reminds me that there are warmer days ahead. Eventually.

Chocolate banana reindeer pops

2 large bananas      
12-14 thin wooden popsicle sticks
Mini pretzels
Chocolate chips (milk, dark, white, carob, or dairy-free chips https://enjoylifefoods.com/our-food/baking-chocolate/chocolate-for-baking-mini-chips/) 

Cut each banana into thick slices (you should get about 6-7 slices from each large banana). Snap 12-14 pretzels in half and remove the middle nubbin.

Stick the ends of each pretzel into the sides of the banana pieces to make antlers. Stick a wooden popsicle stick into the bottom of the banana slice. Place all bananas with antlers and sticks onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for at least one hour, but up to one day.

Once the bananas are frozen, combine ½ bag of your preferred chocolate with 2 Tbsp unmelted coconut oil in a large bowl and melt in the microwave. Cook for 30 seconds on high and then in 10 second bursts until liquid, stirring between each burst. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the bananas from the freezer one by one and dip in the melted chocolate. Tap off the excess and, using a small plate, transfer back to the baking sheet in the freezer and repeat with the other frozen bananas.

Let the covered bananas freeze for at least one hour, but up to five days before serving.

Yield: 12-14 banana reindeer

Thanksgiving grilled cheese

I love Thanksgiving leftovers almost as much as I love Thanksgiving dinner. I thought about making pocket pies or a Shepard's Pie out of the leftovers, both of which would have been great for a toddler, but those required more work than my still full, tryptophan-muddied brain could handle. Oh, and M wakes up at 5 am when we're away from home. Without fail.

So, this year, we made Thanksgiving grilled cheeses and they were AMAZING. I really wanted everything to stick together because my pet peeve with next-day sandwiches is how crumbly they can be. And for M that would mean a full sandwich on the kitchen floor. These employ turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and, most importantly, cold gravy to keep everything from drying out (thank you, Ross Geller).

Thanksgiving grilled cheese

For each sandwich:
1 oz turkey, shredded
1/4 cup stuffing
1/4 cup mashed potatoes
2 Tbsp cold gravy, divided
2 thick slices of bread
2-3 tsp mayonnaise
1-1.5 oz cheese (I used cheddar and Jarlsburg, which was what we had leftover from appetizers)
1/8 cup cranberry sauce

In a small bowl, combine the shredded turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and 1 Tbsp gravy. Mash together. You want this to be wet, almost like a paste. If you have leftover creamed spinach, creamed kale, or green bean casserole, feel free to throw these in at this step. If you do, hold off on adding any gravy until after adding the wet veggies because you may not need it. 

Heat your frying pan over a medium-low flame. Spread mayo on one side of each bread slice. If you haven't started using mayo in place of butter for grilled cheeses, prepare to be converted. When the pan is hot, add the bread slices, mayo side down. Split the other 1 Tbsp of gravy and spread on BOTH slices of the bread. Add cranberry sauce to one slice and place the cheese on top of the fruit. You want a thick layer of grated or very thinly shaved cheese. On the other bread slice, place dollops of the turkey, potato, stuffing, and gravy mixture and spread out. Cover the pan with a lid and let the cheese melt, checking periodically to make sure that the bread isn't burning. When the cheese is melted, carefully place the turkey, potato, stuffing, and gravy coated slice on top of the melted cheese and press down slightly.