Turkey day has come and gone and you just may have a few leftovers in your fridge. Now there is nothing better in my mind than a Thanksgiving sandwich; turkey, white bread, mayo, salt and pepper, some stuffing and a smear of cranberry sauce! We all have our favorites! Need some more tasty ideas? Don’t worry; I’m here to help!

A Turkey Feast!
Photo from Dishing with Kathy Casey.

Ever considered Thanksgiving for breakfast? Yes please – why not! Thanksgiving Benedict is my new favorite idea that Chef friend John Koch shared this with me. Form leftover stuffing into a patty then pan sear it. Top with some sliced turkey, a poached egg and a dollop of gravy – voila … a hearty breakfast that will have you saying YUM!

And there never seems to be enough gravy left over, right? Why not make some more? Pick that turkey clean (save the meat for soup and sandwiches) and make a Rich Turkey Stock with the carcass.

Get out the stock pot! Add in the bones, some chopped carrots, celery, onion, and cover with cold water (and sometimes I like to add in a carton of chicken broth to give it a flavor boost). Bring to a simmer for 2 hours then strain. Voilà – now you have a great stock for making more gravy or a tasty soup.

Take that extra turkey and stock and make a soup… or make gravy and add some veggies and turkey meat and serve over biscuits for a d’lish open face hot turkey sandwich.

Don’t forget about cocktails while things are cooking! Check out this post in the Chicagoist for my easy to make holiday party cocktails like my Snow Drift (flash blended Martin Miller’s Gin, fresh lemon juice, homemade cranberry ginger syrup, egg whites, and ice) and Holiday Manhattan with DIY Spiced Vermouth. And for more great cocktail ideas and recipes, check out www.LiquidKitchen.com.

Need a great gravy recipe for a crowd? Here’s my favorite – it incorporates homemade do ahead stock (recipe below) or you can make the stock from the tip above.  – Gobble Gobble!!

Old-Fashioned Turkey Mushroom Gravy – THAT MAKES A LOT!
Makes 10 cups, or about 20 generous 1/2-cup servings

(Feel free to cut this recipe in half for a smaller crowd!)

You can make this a few days ahead and then re-heat in your turkey roasting pan for extra turkey flavor goodness! Read through the entire recipe before starting.

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary – or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
8 ounces (4 cups) thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup flour
10 cups Rich Turkey Stock (recipe follows or make from tip above with leftover turkey carcuss)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the rosemary and mushrooms and sauté over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir vigorously until combined and smooth. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the stock all at once and whisk vigorously so as to eliminate any lumps. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the gravy is nicely thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Now you can serve it as is OR if you are pre making this and want to deglaze your turkey pan for the ultimate gravy use the following method to add your gravy to the pan method…

Then right before serving and while your turkey is set aside to rest – ready your turkey roasting pan full of turkey goodness: remove excess fat from your turkey roasting pan. Place the pan over a burner – add a big splash of white wine, champagne, potato cooking water, chicken broth or water. Using a metal spatula – scrape up all the goodies in the bottom of the pan… this is the turkey goodness. Then add your prepared Turkey Mushroom gravy – whisk well and heat till hot. Serve up and enjoy – you’ll have lots of gravy for all!

Rich Turkey Stock
Makes about 10 cups

2 large turkey legs or thighs, about 2 pounds total
1 yellow onion, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
1 large or 2 medium carrots, cut into large chunks
Up to 2 cups mushroom stems, optional
4 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine
12 cups water

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Roast the turkey pieces in a baking pan for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the skin is golden brown. Place them in an 8-quart pot and add the vegetables and seasonings. Deglaze the roasting pan with the wine, scraping the pan well to loosen browned bits, and add to the pot. Add the water.

Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a rapid simmer. Reduce the heat to low and lightly simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Strain the stock and skim off any fat. Discard the vegetables. (Most of the flavor will have cooked out of the turkey; however, the meat can be removed from the bones and saved for another use.)

Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios®.

For more great leftover ideas check out this fun post:
19 Reasons Leftovers Are The Best Part Of Thanksgiving

When you start to see eggnog everywhere, you know the holidays are here! This velvety, smooth and rich drink… warm with spices, is a festive drink for sure!

Hot Buttered Eggnog with Rum
(Photo from Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen®).

And variations abound from traditional to pumpkin and low-fat. Serve it cold, “straight up”, over ice, or with a splash of spirit…like rum, whisky or brandy. That will always adds some holiday cheer to any gathering!

But there are lots of other ways to enjoy eggnog other than drinking it. How about a light and fluffy Eggnog Chiffon Pie – a festive sweet ending to a holiday feast.

If bread pudding sounds more your style, then try Eggnog Bread Pudding with Rum Caramel. This dish is great made the day before. Just reheat and serve with a spirited rum caramel sauce. Super easy and delicious!

And of course, I just can’t blog about eggnog without giving you a good sippin’ recipe! My Hot Buttered Eggnog is a great winter warmer and a combo of two beloved sipping favorites. The base is made with rich vanilla ice cream and easily freezes so you can have it on hand for unexpected guests!

Watch how to make it on my Liquid Kitchen cocktail show and for more great holiday cocktail ideas, check out www.liquidkitchen.com.

Cheers to some great holiday sipping! – Kathy

Eggnog Chiffon Pie
Makes 1 9-inch pie

1 9-inch, baked, Spiced Graham Crust (recipe follows)

Eggnog Filling
1 envelope (1 tablespoon) Knox unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
4 eggs, separated *
1 cup sugar
1 cup half & half
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Rum Nutmeg Cream
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/4 teaspoon rum extract

Pre-bake the Spiced Crust and cool.

To make the Eggnog Filling: In a small bowl soften gelatin in the water for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl whisk together the 4 egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar (reserve the egg whites and remaining 1/2 cup sugar), and set aside.

Place half & half in a heavy-bottomed large bowl set over a pan of simmering water (a bain marie), and whisk in softened gelatin, filling spices and the 1/2 teaspoon rum extract. Heat until hot but not simmering.

Whisk half of the hot half & half mixture into the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Add the tempered egg mixture into the remaining hot half & half mixture, whisking constantly. Cook slowly until the mixture becomes thickened, stirring all the while. This should take about 3 minutes.

When mixture is thickened, remove from heat and cool to room temperature, stirring often to release the heat.

When mixture is cooled, place the egg whites in a mixer bowl and whip on high until soft peaks form, then gradually add the reserved 1/2 cup of sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/4 of the whipped egg whites into the cooled mixture to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites until combined. Mound evenly into the cooled, baked pie crust and refrigerate until set, about 1 – 2 hours.

To make the Rum Nutmeg Cream: In a large bowl whip the cream, sugars and nutmeg until soft-peaked, then whisk in the rum and rum extract. Top chilled pie with the cream.

* Note: This pie contains uncooked egg whites. Raw eggs are not recommended for pregnant women, children, the elderly or anyone with immune deficiencies.

Spiced Graham Crust
Makes a single 9-inch crust

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons ice water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, graham cracker crumbs and butter with a pastry blender until mixture looks like peas. Gradually sprinkle in the ice water and mix gently with a fork until dough comes together in a ball. Do not overhandle dough. If dough is too soft to handle, press gently into a disk and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a bit bigger than your pan. Brush excess flour off crust, then gently roll up crust onto rolling pin. Unroll into pie pan and press/fit crust into pan. Roll crust over at edges, trimming off any excess dough, then crimp with fingers to make a pretty crust edge. With a fork poke the pie crust all over so crust doesn’t bubble up when baking. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until pastry is golden and cooked through.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios®.

Eggnog Bread Pudding with Rum Caramel
If you won’t be serving it immediately, the pudding can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Remove 2 hours before reheating. Preheat an oven to 300°F. Heat the bread pudding, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until just warm.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

8 cups packed 1/2-inch to 1-inch cubed, rustic baguette or French bread
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup currants
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
4 large eggs
2 3/4 cups high-quality eggnog (not fat-free)
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup dark rum

Rum Caramel
1 cup high-quality caramel sauce
2 tablespoons dark rum

Whipped cream for garnish

Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and drizzle with melted butter. Toss in the currants and dried cranberries.

In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, whole eggs, eggnog, nutmeg, and rum until well combined. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and stir gently. Let the mixture sit at least 30 minutes, poking the bread down into the egg mixture often and stirring it up every 10 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place the bread pudding mixture in a 7- x 11-inch or 9-inch square glass baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the center is just barely set and a knife comes out clean.

To make the Rum Caramel: In a small bowl, whisk together the caramel sauce and rum.

Serve the pudding warm, drizzled with some of the Rum Caramel. Garnish with a pouf of whipped cream. Serve additional Rum Caramel on the side.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios®.

Hot Buttered Egg Nog with Rum
Combining two holiday favorites! Add more or less to taste; rum and Spiced Eggnog Mix. For a demo on how to make this drink, check out my cocktail video on Liquid Kitchen.

Makes 1 drink

3 – 4 Tbsp. Buttered Eggnog Mix (recipe follows)
1 – 1 1/2 oz rum (or substitute brandy or bourbon)
4 – 5 oz boiling water
Garnish: fresh grated nutmeg, long piece of orange zest

Place Buttered Eggnog Mix and rum in coffee glass or mug. Stir in boiling water until batter is dissolved. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top. Garnish with orange zest.

Buttered Eggnog Mix
Makes about 7 cups (about 30 – 36 servings)

1/2 pound salted butter (2 sticks), softened
1 Tbsp. finely minced or grated orange zest
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 pint very high-quality vanilla ice cream
1 cup high-quality eggnog
1 Tbsp. real vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon rum extract

Be sure butter is softened. With an electric mixer; cream butter, orange zest and sugars together in a mixing bowl until totally smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Store refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 1 month.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen®.

That’s right, blending. Now, I am not talking about loads of ice and slushy sweet concoctions. I’m talking about the way they do it in Peru for Pisco Sours… heavy on the spirit, fresh citrus, a dash of simple syrup, egg white and a touch of ice. Then flash blended until thoroughly frothy.

Photo by Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen®.

Flash blending was the inspiration for my Snow Drift cocktail – a beautiful (and delicious) example made with botanical Martin Miller’s Gin, fresh lemon juice and housemade Cranberry Ginger Syrup… and of course egg white.
To continue reading and for the Snow Drift cocktail recipe, check out www.LiquidKitchen.com.

When I think of comfort foods, one of the first things that come to mind is mac & cheese. Gooey, warm, and of course, cheesy – this d’lish dish is always a winner!

One of my favorite recipes is a 4 Cheese Penne Bake – penne pasta, garlic and parmesan white sauce – tossed with loads of shredded cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, jack and parmesan. Cover the whole thing with some fresh, herby bread crumbs for a nice crunch.

Gooey, melted cheese bake – yum!
Photo from Dishing with Kathy Casey.

Mac & Cheese is perfect to customize, you can add your favorite ingredients like bacon for a cheddar bacon mac. Or try adding in things like chopped roasted red peppers, green onions, artichokes, smoked chicken, sautéed mushrooms, sausage, green chilies….. the list is endless!

Or how about changing up the sauce by mixing in some salsa or chipotle for a kick of heat? Nothing is off limits!

So get creative and bake up some cheesy goodness! -Kathy

4 Cheese Penne Bake With Herb Bread Crumbs
Generously serves 6 – 8.

Herb Bread Crumbs (recipe follows)
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp minced garlic
4 1/2 Tbsp flour
4 cups milk*
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated high-quality Parmesan cheese
1 pound dry penne pasta
2 cups (8 oz. wt.) grated four-cheese blend**
2 cups (8 oz. wt.) grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Make the Herb Bread Crumbs and set aside.

In a large heavy-bottom sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir around for about 20 seconds — do not let garlic brown. Stir in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

While stirring vigorously with a whisk, add the milk. Whisk well. Bring to a simmer and whisk occasionally until sauce is thickened, about 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, sour cream and Parmesan cheese, and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook penne pasta per package directions until done. Drain well.

In a very large bowl mix together the pasta and sauce, then fold in the grated cheeses until well combined. Place mixture into a lightly buttered, 13-inch x 9-inch baking pan.

Sprinkle with Herb Bread Crumbs and bake in a 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until pasta is heated through, sides are slightly bubbling and top is golden brown.

Chef’s Notes:
*For an even richer macaroni and cheese substitute half & half for the milk.

**Four-, five- and six-cheese blends are available in most grocers’ dairy sections. If you wish to make your own grated cheese blend, try using a mixture of any of the following: Jack, mozzarella, Gouda, Swiss, Havarti.

Herb Bread Crumbs
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

3 cups packed, 1-inch French bread chunks
4 Tbsp butter
pinch salt and pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp dry basil leaves
1/2 tsp dry thyme leaves

Place bread crumb ingredients in a food processor, and pulse processor on and off until the bread becomes chopped into a fine crumb and is well mixed with the other ingredients.

Bread crumbs should be refrigerated until used and can be kept frozen for up to 1 month.

Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios®.

It’s almost here! My Holiday Extravaganza & Open House is back this year and all set for Saturday, December 14^th from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm! There’ll be goodies to buy and samples to try!

We’re opening the doors to my Food Studios once again for all your holiday foodie gift needs. We’ll have all sorts of things to nibble and sip on from tasty bites from my latest book D’Lish Deviled Eggs to samples of hot buttered rum and other delectable items.

There’ll be plenty of goods to grab to stuff your favorite foodies stocking from our own 5130 Honey to Dish D’Lish specialty products: seasoning salts, cocktail mixers and limited-edition preserves. For the bar enthusiast we’ll have our Liquid Kitchen Golden Era Bitters, and cocktail kits. As well as our house-made Jingle Bell “Cheese Balls” spiked with Hennessy Cognac.

The Holiday Extravaganza isn’t complete without our “Over 21” Real Fruit Cake made with Maker’s Mark. So get there early as these fly out the door faster than Santa’s reindeer!

1 lb loaf of holiday goodness!

So make sure to mark your calendars:

Kathy Casey Food Studios Holiday Open House
Saturday December 14^th 11:00 am – 7:00 pm

5130 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
206-784-7840

I hope to see you soon for some holiday cheer! – Kathy

National Deviled Egg Day is this weekend! I love deviled eggs so much I wrote a whole book about them, “D’lish Deviled Eggs”, where I feature over 50 creative and classic recipes for this American appetizer icon.

Steak and Eggs? Yes, there’s an egg for that! Just mix up the yolks with a little A1 steak sauce and a touch of mayo, fill and top it all off with a small slice of grilled steak. Perfect for your next Sunday football get together.

For those who like it spicy, you’ll love my Wasabi Deviled Eggs. Wasabi paste (often served at sushi restaurants), green onion and cucumber get mixed with the yolk and I finish the whole thing off with a wasabi pea for some crunch – yum!

Or get über fancy with your next dinner party appetizer. My Lobster Deviled Eggs (oh la la!) are mixed up with wine-poached lobster and then topped with MORE lobster, and a small pouf of chives.

So think outside the box and get creative with your deviled eggs! And don’t forget to check out www.DLishDeviledEggs.com for more of my tips and tricks for this classic appetizer! – Kathy

Who’s ready to nibble on d’lish deviled eggs?
Photos from D’Lish Deviled Eggs.

Wasabi Deviled Eggs
Wasabi adds a creative kick of heat, and crisp, fresh cucumber adds textural crunch to these bold eggs. Top these little green devils with a wasabi pea for a fun finish.

Makes 24

1 dozen hard-cooked eggs (recipe follows)

Filling
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon purchased wasabi paste (or 1 tablespoon wasabi powder mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
2 tablespoons finely minced English cucumber

Topping
24 wasabi peas

Halve the eggs lengthwise and transfer the yolks to a mixing bowl. Set the egg white halves on a platter, cover, and refrigerate.

With a fork, mash the yolks to a smooth consistency. Add the mayonnaise and wasabi paste, and mix until smooth. (You can also do this in a mixing bowl with a whip attachment.) Stir in the green onion and cucumber.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain or large star tip, then pipe the mixture evenly into the egg white halves. Or fill the eggs with a spoon, dividing the filling evenly.

Top each egg half with a wasabi pea, whole or cracked.

Hard-Cooked Eggs
1 dozen large chicken eggs

Place the eggs in a large nonreactive saucepan and add cold water to 1 inch above the eggs. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes. Remove from the stove and run cool water over the eggs in the pan until they are cooled. When cool, carefully peel them under running water.

Recipe from D’Lish Deviled Eggs by Kathy Casey, Andrews McMeel Publishing