FROMONLINE | 2012-11-21

By Daphne Ross
November 21, 2012
334

The holiday road; turkey to ham Column Summary We all want the perfect holiday dinner, a breath-taking Christmas tree, and on time dinner guests, but sometimes our holiday road can take an unexpected turn. Embrace that turn and share holiday spirit where ever the road takes you. The road to the holiday season has now passed through Thanksgiving (though some may argue Thanksgiving was passed by), and we are now well on our way to Christmas. Of course we do have a layover on New Years Eve when the celebrating begins for New Years Day, seems both are equally important. If you were one of the fortunate employees to have an employer continuing tradition by handing out frozen turkeys in November you and your family only needed the trimmings. If you were invited to Thanksgiving dinner in anothers home and your offering of turkey was not needed, hopefully that extra turkey will find a nice warm home, in a needy familys oven; turkeys cook up fine for Christmas dinner, too. Traditionally the holiday season refers to the calendar holidays that occur during the cold, winter months; November, December, and January. The monthly calendar is our holiday road map, not only does it officially place these holidays on the printed calendar, we are also given space to write in the countless other related celebratory events. The December calendar should have much larger squares to pencil in all the appearances, invites, and holiday obligations you, your children, or your entire family must attend. You need the date, you need the location, you write in the time, you chicken scratch in the leftover space the requirements to that event; take cookies, grab skates, wear costume, bring hymnal, play flute, ring, bells, etc. Perhaps a dry erase board on the fridge can handle all the daily details. As with any road map, the calendar map from Thanksgiving to Christmas will have its unexpected speed traps and bumps in the road, along with those fine stretches of smooth sailing. One can only prepare for the unexpected to a certain extent. But it would be wise to keep your vehicle tuned up for any road trips (shopping or travel), gas in the tank, and the windshield washer fluid filled to the line. A blanket in the car for those tired-of-shopping little angels, a handful of coins in your pockets for the red kettles, and a container of wet wipes for those cookie frosted faces are plan ahead needs. Clearing out your trunk to make room for all those shopping bags, boxes, or suitcases is another great think ahead list item. The grocery list during the holiday season takes a lot of shopping cart trips down some untraveled aisles, through unknown departments, and on high and low searches for ingredients outside the traditional pantry stock. A seasoning, a spice, a flavoring, a special cheese; many of the items are on the seek-n-find list. For many of these shoppers especially husbands sent on a run-to-the-store to grab-and-get; it is not a fun game. Oh that reminds me I have to head over to the toy department to buy a game. (I like the road to Christmas.) You must by now, have the next holiday meal in the planning stages. Share your ham recipes for the Christmas meal or for leftover sandwiches the day after; Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, OH, 44691. Emails are always welcome: thewritecook@sssnet.com Turkey & Cranberry Club Sandwiches 12 slices white or wheat bread, toasted 1/2 cup cranberry-orange relish 4 slices turkey breast luncheon meat or cooked turkey 4 slices American cheese Mayonnaise or salad dressing Leaf lettuce 4 slices honey loaf or chopped ham 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced To assemble sandwiches, spread 4 of the toasted bread slices with some of the cranberry orange relish. Top with turkey slices and American cheese slices. Spread one side of remaining slices of bread lightly with mayonnaise or salad dressing. Add 4 slices of bread, mayonnaise side up, to sandwiches. Top each sandwich with lettuce, 1 slice of honey loaf of ham, and some of the sliced cucumber. Add remaining slices of bread, mayonnaise side down. Cut each sandwich diagonally into triangles and secure with wooden picks. Makes 4 servings. Turkey Sandwich Spread 2 cups turkey 3 tablespoons Miracle Whip or salad dressing 3 dill pickles 1 small onion Grind cooked meat. Add salad dressing, might need more than 3 tablespoons. Cut pickles into small chunks then add to meat. Dice onion then add to meat. Stir with spoon. Add a little season if wanted. If needed to moisten add a little milk or pickle juice. Pita Bread Turkey Sandwich Turkey breast, shredded 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese 1/2 cup low calorie salad dressing 2 stalks celery 3/4 cup chopped pecans 1 can pineapple tidbits Salt and pepper, to taste Combine all ingredients and fill pita bread. Serves 6. Hot Turkey Sandwiches 1 can mushroom soup 1/2 or 3/4 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped, optional 1/2 cup salad dressing 6 cups cubed turkey or chicken, cooked 1/3 cup lemon juice 1 1/2 cups chopped celery 3 cups grated American cheese Mix and heat the first 7 ingredients, until the cheese is melted. Fold in the meat. Serve hot on buns. Makes 30 buns. Keeps hot best in crock pot. Freezes well. Puffed Turkey Sandwiches 6 slices Vienna bread, 1/2 inch thick 1/2 cup cranberry sauce or cranberry orange relish Sliced cooked turkey 2 egg whites 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing Spread bread with cranberry sauce. Place slices on baking sheet, top each slice with turkey. Beat egg whites and mustard until stiff, fold in mayonnaise. Spread mixture evenly over turkey. Bake at 400 degrees about 10 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve hot. French Dip Turkey Sandwiches 1 loaf French or Italian bread, cut diagonally into 8 long, thin slices 4 tablespoons mayonnaise 8 (1 ounce) slices Muenster cheese 1/2 pound cooked leftover turkey, thinly sliced 2 eggs 1/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Leftover gravy Spread one side of each slice of bread with mayonnaise. Top each with slice of cheese. Make 4 sandwiches, sandwiching the turkey between 2 slices of the bread, cheese side on inside of sandwich. Beat together eggs and milk in shallow bowl or pie plate. Heat oil in large skillet. Dip sandwiches on both sides into egg mixture. Fry sandwiches in skillet, turning once until browned on both sides. Dip sandwich into gravy as you eat. Hot Turkey Sandwiches 6 cups turkey or chicken 1/2 cup Miracle Whip 1/2 cup chopped green pepper 3/4 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped celery 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup 3 cups grated American cheese Cook the first 5 ingredients until soft. Add 1 can mushroom soup and 3 cups grated American cheese. Heat until cheese is melted. Crock Pot Turkey Sandwiches 6 cups diced turkey 3 cups diced cheese (American or Velveeta) 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 onion, chopped 1/2 cup Miracle Whip Mix all of above and put in crock pot for 3 to 4 hours. Stir occasionally. Add liquid, if needed. Serve with buns. Hot Turkey Sandwich Filling 2 cups chopped chicken or turkey 2 cups broken potato chips 2 cans cream of chicken soup Mix together and place in casserole. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Spread on sandwich bread or buns while still hot. Makes 2 dozen.

FROMONLINE | 2012-11-21

Kauffman Lawn Furniture

Walnut Creek Cheese