Leftover turkey nuggets

Oh, Thanksgiving. Time of gratitude, feasting, and lots of leftover turkey. Much to my food-blogger chagrin, my kid loves a nugget above most other foods.

Also, I always want to do something creative with Thanksgiving leftovers, but often lack the brain power after a huge meal and no sleep.

Have I mentioned that M refuses to sleep in houses other than ours? It happened gradually: At about 18 months he started waking up crazy early (like, 4:30 am, early) when we slept away from home and refused to go back to sleep. Then, he started refusing to sleep at all. The last time we stayed at my parents' house, he fought sleep until 4 am. And when we last slept at my in-laws', he slept from 9:30 pm to 1 am and that. was. it.

Maybe the turkey's tryptophan will knock him out? Fingers crossed.

Anyway, these nuggets solve a lot of our problems: They use up the leftover turkey, don't require a lot of thought, and are something my kid likes anyway.

I used a leftover rotisserie chicken for some of the recipe developing because for us, and I'd imagine for many of you, a leftover chicken is more common than leftover turkey, so this recipe can be used year-round. Also, I prefer to use bread over breadcrumbs in the actual meat mixture (save the panko or breadcrumbs for the nuggets' outside) because I think the slice soaks up the milk more efficiently and acts as a better binder and liquid adder. And while grating the onion might seem like an unnecessary step, I think it helps the nuggets hold together better than minced onions do, but if you want to chop, make sure they're done finely.

Leftover turkey nuggets

10 oz leftover turkey or chicken (combination of light and dark meat)
1 piece of stale(ish) bread
¼ cup whole milk
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 small or ½ large onion, grated
½ tsp sage
2 oz cheddar or gruyere, cut into small cubes
1 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup panko or whole wheat bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan
½ tsp salt

Soak the bread in milk while prepping the rest of your ingredients.

Combine the soaked bread with the leftover turkey and pulse in a food processor until the mixture is in coarse crumbs.

Turn the mixture out into a large bowl and add the Dijon mustard, grated onion, sage, and cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and mix a few more times.

In two separate bowls, lightly beat the egg with a fork. In the second bowl, combine the panko, parmesan cheese, and salt and mix with your fingers or another fork.

Using a large spoon, scoop about 2 Tbsp of the turkey mixture into your palms and roll them into balls. Flatten them into nuggets and dredge them first in the egg, then in the panko/cheese/salt mixture.

Heat olive oil over a medium-low flame. Cook the nuggets until the bottoms are golden brown and the cheese inside of the nugget begins to ooze. Flip and repeat on the other side.

Yield: About 12-14 large nuggets

Green bean galette

This green bean galette started life as a green bean casserole alternative and quickly earned a spot on my easy-yet-impressive list.

Give me that galette!

We've eaten this galette quite a few times since the calendar flipped to September and I decided it was time to eat "cozy food." It’s so easy and somehow makes everyone in my family happy. Maybe it’s all the cheese and butter?

This recipe is truly one of those crowd pleasers that feels so fancy and yet, couldn’t be simpler. Well, I suppose it could be simpler, but the difficulty-to-impressiveness ratio makes it well worth the effort.

A couple of notes:

• I sometimes buy the smaller, skinnier haricot vert over traditional green beans and skip the blanching step.

This galette is also delicious for breakfast with some ham (or leftover turkey) and an egg on top.

Green bean galette

Time: About 55 minutes, half of it active
Yield: about 6-8 portions

1 sheet puff pastry
3 oz gruyere, grated
6-8 oz thin green beans, trimmed
½ large onion or 3-4 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup panko
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry dough into a large rectangle on a piece of parchment and transfer to a sheet pan or baking sheet.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and set aside a large bowl. (Skip this step if using thin green beans.)

Meanwhile, grate gruyere and spread over the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides.

Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat and add the onions or shallots, cooking until they begin to soften and brown, about 15 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and salt and sauté until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes.

While cooking the onions or shallots, check your pot of water. When it’s boiling, add the green beans and cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add ice cubes and water to your large bowl. When the beans have boiled for a few minutes, remove them and submerge in the ice water. (Again, skip this step if using thin green beans.)

Pat the green beans dry and place them on top of the puff pastry and cheese, leaving the 1-inch border. Spread the breadcrumb mixture over the green beans.

Fold the pastry border over the edges of the green beans and breadcrumbs.

Bake for 18-23 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Boneyard bark

Boneyard bark | Me & the Moose. This boneyard bark is easy and cute for classroom parties, playdates, or just a Halloween treat. #meandthemoose #halloween #bark #boneyardbark #chocolate #marshmallows #pretzels

This last minute, easy, Halloween treat is sure to delight even the smallest ghouls and goblins.

Take me to the recipe!

Boneyard bark | Me & the Moose. This boneyard bark is easy and cute for classroom parties, playdates, or just a Halloween treat. #meandthemoose #halloween #bark #boneyardbark #chocolate #marshmallows #pretzels

Boneyard bark | Me & the Moose. This boneyard bark is easy and cute for classroom parties, playdates, or just a Halloween treat. #meandthemoose #halloween #bark #boneyardbark #chocolate #marshmallows #pretzels

For the pretzel bones:
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 tsp coconut oil
Thin pretzel sticks
Mini marshmallows

Melt the white chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds and then 10 seconds at a time, stopping and mixing after each 10-second burst, until melted.

Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper and clean out space in your fridge to chill the bones.

Cut the pretzel sticks and mini marshmallows in half.

Dip one end of the 1/2 pretzel stick into the melted chocolate and carefully stick two of the 1/2 marshmallows onto the chocolate and hold for a few seconds to set. Repeat on the other side of the pretzel stick.

Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Reheat your chocolate slightly (for about 5 seconds) and stir.

Dip the whole pretzel and marshmallow bone into the white chocolate with a fork and gently tap on the side of your bowl to let the extra chocolate drip off. Place back on the parchment sheet and return to the fridge and chill for 10-15 minutes.

Boneyard bark | Me & the Moose. This boneyard bark is easy and cute for classroom parties, playdates, or just a Halloween treat. #meandthemoose #halloween #bark #boneyardbark #chocolate #marshmallows #pretzels

Boneyard bark | Me & the Moose. This boneyard bark is easy and cute for classroom parties, playdates, or just a Halloween treat. #meandthemoose #halloween #bark #boneyardbark #chocolate #marshmallows #pretzels

Boneyard bark | Me & the Moose. This boneyard bark is easy and cute for classroom parties, playdates, or just a Halloween treat. #meandthemoose #halloween #bark #boneyardbark #chocolate #marshmallows #pretzels

Boneyard bark | Me & the Moose. This boneyard bark is easy and cute for classroom parties, playdates, or just a Halloween treat. #meandthemoose #halloween #bark #boneyardbark #chocolate #marshmallows #pretzels

For the ribs and skeleton bones: 
Yogurt covered pretzels (whatever you think you'll need and then extras because they break in the cutting)

Saw the yogurt pretzels in half with a sharp knife and take off a little bit of the middle nubbin that's left between the pretzel's two arches. These arches will be the ribs. The bottom half of the pretzel can be the pelvis and any pieces that break off (and lots will, don't worry about it) can be used to make the arms or legs.

Set aside the cut pretzels.

For the bark:
2 cups chocolate chips (any combination of semi-sweet, milk, and dark chocolate)
1 tsp coconut oil
Candy eyes (optional)
Candy bones (optional)

Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave, stirring after each 10-second burst until everything is melted.

Gather your toppings.

Pour the melted chocolate onto a fresh piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread into a thin layer (but not too thin). Place your pretzel bones, pretzel ribs, candy eyes, and candy bones onto the warm chocolate. Once you’re satisfied with your arrangement, chill for at least an hour in the fridge.

Malted chocolate pavlova

Pavlova failures abounded this week. Ugh. Half of these photos are from when I gave up trying to make a meringue that didn't fall and just accepted that I'd wasted, like, 20 eggs making these stupid desserts.

But I'll back up: Pavlova! I love meringues and a pavlova is akin to a large meringue that has a softer, more marshmallow-y center. It's a decadent finish to a holiday dinner, but strangely light, which seems appropriate after ham or whatever other heavy things make up your Easter meal. It's also going to be almost 80 degrees here in NYC on Easter Sunday, so a light dessert might be nice. Good planning on my part.

Pavlovas should be easy: They require very few ingredients and very little active cooking time. But, I've learned the hard way (read: after 4 fallen pavlovas), that the technique can be tricky. I've put some lengthy notes below to explain what I did to achieve pavlova success on my 5th try. Victory in our time.

I've done A LOT of research on pavlova techniques in the past 14 days. Unfortunately, some of the advice is contradictory (why does that always happen?). In 20 years, when I've made 400 pavlovas, I'll update this post with a foolproof method for cooking them. Until then, here's what worked:

1) Cold egg whites are fine. Using cold eggs are not the secret because I also used cold egg whites in one of my fallen meringues. But I used them in my successful one, so don't worry about bringing them to room temperature before you get started.

2) Whip egg whites at a slower speed for a longer amount of time. I whipped the egg whites on a 4 with my stand mixer and had the best results when aerating the eggs a little more slowly. Using a lower speed also makes it easier to ensure that you whip enough, but not too much.

3) Whip the eggs almost to stiff peaks before adding the sugar. I read this advice on a random Australian listserv (I did a DEEP dive into pavlova-land) and it really helped. All of the other recipes I read told me to add the sugar when the eggs were at soft peaks, but that inevitably led to fallen pavlova. I tried to get some good photos of the soft peak stage, but was scared to stop the mixer, lest my 5th attempt fall too. Basically, you'll know you're at soft peaks when the bubbles that started earlier as froth become really really tiny, the eggs' volume increases, and you can see the tracks from the whisk going through the mixture. Once you get here, keep mixing for a few more minutes before adding the sugar. 

4) Don't overbeat the eggs. Once you've added the sugar, stop whipping as soon as the egg whites start looking glossy and shiny and check to see if you've achieved stiff peaks.

5) Sift the malt powder, chocolate, and cornstarch over the whipped meringue. I worked pretty hard to ensure that nothing deflated those eggs and the only time it worked was when I actually sifted the dry add-ins at the end. I also folded the ingredients together excruciatingly gently and JUST until things are mixed together enough. I left the batter a little streaky because I really didn't want them to deflate.

But fear not. If you're still reading, then you're already committed to making this and good on you. Regardless of what happens with the texture of your pavlova, it'll taste great. This recipe uses a lot less sugar than most because I find most pavlovas awfully sweet. I also love the flavor of malt. While the pavlova itself isn't overwhelmingly malt-y, it has a mild sweetness and chocolate-y flavor that melds perfectly with some lightly sweetened cream and the malted and chocolate candies on top. If I was doing this again, I would also dust the top with malt powder. But if I make another pavlova, my husband might divorce me.

Malted pavlova

Adapted from Nigella and Martha

6 egg whites
large pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vinegar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp malt powder
1 Tbsp cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Separate the egg whites and yolks and set the yolks aside. (Be careful! Seriously, no yolks allowed in pavlova.) In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-low speed ("4" on my stand mixer) until they start to get frothy. Add the salt and continue whipping. Look for soft peaks: (in case you didn't read this above) The bubbles that started forming when the eggs got frothy become really tiny, the eggs’ volume increases, and you can see clear tracks where the whisk cuts through the mixture. Continue whisking past this stage (still on speed 4) for about 3-4 more minutes.

Add the sugar in 2-3 Tbsp increments while continuing to whip. After each sugar addition, let your mixer go for about 1 minute to incorporate the sugar. Once your sugar is mixed in, continue whisking until the eggs look glossy and shiny. Stop the mixer and check that you’re at “stiff peaks.” To check: turn the whisk right side up and see if the egg whites stay in a peak or lop over—they should stay in a peak. Add the vinegar and then sift the cornstarch, malt powder, and cocoa over the eggs. Very gently, fold the ingredients together until JUST mixed.

Mound this mixture onto your parchment and smooth down the top a bit, leaving a slight divot in the center. Put in the oven and immediately reduce heat to 300. Cook for 60-70 minutes and then turn off the heat and let cool completely in the oven with the door closed.

The pavlova can be kept, well covered, for 2-3 days before being decorated with the cream and candy.

Whipped cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 Tbsp sugar
½ Tbsp vanilla extract

Combination of Cadbury chocolate mini eggs and Whoppers malted mini eggs

To assemble: Remove the parchment paper and place the pavlova on your serving dish. Some people like to invert the pavlova and put cream on the underside. I have no preference about this step. Mound the whipped cream on whatever side you like and top with the candy. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Cardamom and pistachio meltaways

Cardamom and pistachio meltaways | Me & The Moose. This unusual spin on the classic Christmas cookie is both unique and familiar at the same time. #meandthemoose #cardamomandpistachiomeltaways #christmasbaking #christmascookies #cookierecipes #meltaways #Russianteacakes #Mexicanweddingcookies

A few ingredients and a quick whizz in the food processor leads to quick, easy, and delicious cookies for your holiday cookie tray.

Take me to the cookies!

Cardamom and pistachio meltaways | Me & The Moose. This unusual spin on the classic Christmas cookie is both unique and familiar at the same time. #meandthemoose #cardamomandpistachiomeltaways #christmasbaking #christmascookies #cookierecipes #meltaways #Russianteacakes #Mexicanweddingcookies

These cookies are GOOD, y'all. Sorry, I've been watching a marathon of Fixer Upper while writing, which is really the only logical reason for this Yankee to use the word "y'all." Anyway, I've called these cookies "meltaways," but they're the treat of 1000 names: Snowballs, Butterballs, Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, meltaways, you name it. At their core, these are egg-free, simple cookies that are a little crumbly, very buttery, and subtly sweet. Adding in cardamom and pistachio just makes them a tiny bit more interesting.

Cardamom and pistachio meltaways | Me & The Moose. This unusual spin on the classic Christmas cookie is both unique and familiar at the same time. #meandthemoose #cardamomandpistachiomeltaways #christmasbaking #christmascookies #cookierecipes #meltaways #Russianteacakes #Mexicanweddingcookies

I tested this recipe more than was technically necessary (not sorry). But it felt like there were many possible variations that would radically change the final product, so here are a few lessons:

1) Buy already roasted and shelled pistachios, if you can. Trader Joe's calls them "nutmeats" which is just awful. But your fingertips will thank you.
2) Use unsalted nuts even though you're adding salt to the batter.
3) The amount of cardamom in the recipe is for a new or newish bottle. If you can smell the cardamom when you open the bottle, use less. If you have to really stick your nose close to the spice to smell it, increase the amount. I used the dregs of a VERY old bottle of cardamom in my initial recipe and I had to more than double the amount used to get the taste I wanted. Then I tried with a brand new bottle and 1/2 tsp was more than enough. So, get friendly with your spices to judge for yourself.

Cardamom and pistachio meltaways | Me & The Moose. This unusual spin on the classic Christmas cookie is both unique and familiar at the same time. #meandthemoose #cardamomandpistachiomeltaways #christmasbaking #christmascookies #cookierecipes #meltaways #Russianteacakes #Mexicanweddingcookies

Cardamom and pistachio meltaways

Time: about 30 minutes, mostly active
Yield: 14 cookies

Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 cup roasted, shelled pistachios
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 Tbsp powdered sugar, plus 1/2 cup more for rolling   
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½-1 tsp cardamom
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ tsp lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350. If they aren’t already roasted, place the pistachios on a sheet pan and roast them until the nuts become fragrant, about 4 minutes.

In the bowl of the food processor, whizz the butter and 2 Tbsp of sugar until the butter has broken down, formed a ball, and then spread itself out again, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla, flour, cardamom, salt, lemon zest, and pistachios. Whizz again until the nuts are broken down and the ingredients are combined.

Scoop a scant 1 Tbsp of dough at a time, roll into a ball, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with all of the batter. Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for 4-7 more minutes, until the cookies start browning on the bottom and form tiny cracks on top (but too much cracking means dry cookies, so be careful not to overbake).

Let cool completely. Place about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a bowl and roll the cooled cookies in the sugar, one at a time. Leave out for a few hours before storing: This helped keep the sugar from dissolving into the cookies, I found.