Big Burger Roundup

Summer screams burger season to me. I love trying different variations – I have 29 on the blog, in fact! Today, I’m rounding them all up in one spot for easy browsing.

Whether you’re in the mood for something classic or something adventurous, a chicken burger or a veggie burger, this list will have something to make your mouth water!

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November Recipe Round-Up {Thanksgiving Recipes}

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Spending a day with family eating and counting our blessings is totally my jam. I’ve already been planning my menu for the year – and if you haven’t yet, we’ve got you covered!
This month’s recipe round-up is Thanksgiving themed. From basic go-to dishes to nontraditional desserts to ways to use up leftovers, we’ve got a little of everything for you below!

Don’t forget to check back at the end of each month to see the next themed round-up to help you with your meal ideas and menu planning! Keep reading to see all the November ideas.

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Instant Pot Turkey Breast

What’s the biggest challenge of holiday meals? Timing. Always, timing. Getting everything to the table at relatively the same time seems like a heroic feat.

IP Turkey Breast 1

The best way to do this? Make use of all cooking apparatuses in your kitchen! This turkey breast is made in the Instant Pot – which frees up your oven for all your other holiday dishes.

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Cuban Sliders #ImprovCookingChallenge

There are few things my kids like more than tiny sandwiches. Seriously. Anything tiny and they’ll eat it.

Cuban Sliders 2

Which obviously means I make my favorite sandwiches into mini versions so everyone is happy. These are the perfect quick, easy dinner or a great dish for a party!

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8 Great Ways to Use Up Thanksgiving Leftovers

Thanksgiving is officially over, but chance are your fridge is still full of remnants from yesterday’s meal.

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I’m not a fan of eating the same meal over and over, so I always re-purpose my leftovers into new creations. Here are eight of my favorite ways to re-imagine Thanksgiving leftovers!

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Barbecue Turkey Sloppy Joes

I hit on this dinner a few weeks ago and it was a smashing success. I’ve made it twice so far. Leftovers have been served over baked sweet potatoes for lunch. And then I made the barbecue sauce again to go over meatloaf another night.  Considering how often I repeat recipes (read: not very!) the fact that this keeps popping up is a testament to how much we’re enjoying it.

This really couldn’t be easier to pull off on a week night – mix everything for the sauce together, brown up the meat and veggies, combine them and done! It also reheats really well so it’s great to make ahead for nights when you literately just have time to microwave something.

Barbecue Turkey Sloppy Joes

Barbecue Turkey Sloppy Joes
(from The Foodie and the Fix)
Makes 5

1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
2/3 cup water
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
4 tsp. pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. liquid smoke

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste
Whole wheat buns, for serving

In a bowl, whisk together the first 9 ingredients – tomato paste to liquid smoke.

In a large non-stick skillet, brown together the turkey, bell pepper, and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Break up the turkey as it cooks. When the turkey is cooked through and the vegetables are soft, stir in the sauce and cook until heated through. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve on rolls.

Barbecue Turkey Sloppy Joes

 

(Leftover) Turkey and Cranberry BBQ Sauce Pizza #ThanksgivingLeftovers

Leftover turkey + leftover cranberry sauce = pizza night, of course.

I’ve always preferred to reimagine my turkey leftovers into non-Thanksgiving fare – like Turkey Cranchiladas or Turkey and Chorizo Hash – and this pizza fits right in. The cranberry sauce gives you a slightly sweet, slightly tart edge to your barbecue sauce – and it pairs awesome with the turkey and cheese.

This is a great dish to make at the end of the weekend when your turkey and stuffing sandwiches are getting tired!

CranberryBBQPizza

(Leftover) Turkey and Cranberry BBQ Sauce Pizza
(slightly adapted from Recipe Runner)
Makes 1 12″ Pizza

1/2 lb. pizza dough
1/2 cup cranberry sauce
3 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
1 cup turkey, shredded
1 1/2 cups mozzarella
2 Tbsp. red onion, thinly sliced
Chopped cilantro, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Roll out the pizza dough and place on the prepared baking sheet.

In a small bowl, stir together the cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce and spread over the crust. Top with turkey, cheese, and red onion.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is golden.

Top with cilantro and serve.

Looking for more leftover ideas? I’ve teamed up with a bunch of great bloggers today to share lots of great ways to use up your leftovers:

Cranberry-Orange Brie Bites by Books n’ Cooks

Cranberry-Topped Baked Brie by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

(Leftover) Turkey and Cranberry BBQ Sauce Pizza by Kate’s Recipe Box

Prosciutto & Asiago Stuffed Mushrooms by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Spicy Turkey Quesadillas by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

Thanksgiving Leftover Empanadas by The Redhead Baker

Turkey Croquettes by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Turkey Gumbo by Palatable Pastime

Turkey Pot Pie by Making Miracles

(Leftover) Turkey Banh Mi

Are you up to your ears in Thanksgiving recipes and planning? For the first time in a long time, I’m not. We’re having a scaled-back Thanksgiving this year because we have a busy week – and we’ve ordered the food. Yup. I’m a food blogger who will be doing no cooking on Thanksgiving.

I was super conflicted about it at first. I love the whole event of planning and cooking a big meal. But, we were a smaller crowd this year and I couldn’t figure out when to fit in the cooking with all the other stuff we have going on – so outsourcing the food prep was the obvious choice.

What sealed the deal, though, was hosting a little Friendsgiving a few weeks ago. I got the chance to cook all of my favorites without the time crunch – and I got plenty of leftovers to rework.

This sandwich is a super quick an easy to make your leftover turkey not feel like just another turkey sandwich. Big, bold flavors take center stage and the result is delicious!

TurkeyBanhMi

(Leftover) Turkey Banh Mi
(adapted slightly from Oprah)
Serves 4

1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder
1 pound cooked turkey pieces
4 club rolls
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. sriracha sauce
Cilantro, optional, to taste

Whisk together the sugar, salt, and vinegar in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Combine the carrots and cucumber in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot vinegar over. Let sit for at least an hour.

In another bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and 5-spice powder. Add in turkey and toss to coat.

In a third bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and sriracha. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to cook, heat a grill pan over medium heat and place turkey pieces on the grill until warm and just starting to caramelize.

Split the rolls and toast them under the broiler until warmed and slightly brown. Spread one side of the roll with sriracha mayonnaise, top with turkey and then the cucumber mixture. Add cilantro, to taste, if desired.

 

Turkey & Chorizo Hash

My Dad would love this breakfast. Growing up, he’d make eggs every weekend and use up whatever meat and veggies were left in the fridge. This hash is essentially the Thanksgiving turkey version of that – turkey, eggs, and a few other things and you have a great clean-out-the-fridge breakfast. The recipe below reflects how I made it but you could do your own swaps based on what you have handy.

I’m pretty sure this is going to become our new post-Thanksgiving breakfast tradition. It was delicious.

Turkey Chorizo Hash

Turkey & Chorizo Hash
(adapted from From Away)
Serves 3

1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 oz. fully-cooked chorizo, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 large russet potato, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
2 cups roasted turkey meat, white and dark meat, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. taco sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 eggs
Sriracha hot sauce

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chorizo, onion, garlic, red pepper, and potato. Cook about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the sausage and potatoes are beginning to brown. Stir in the turkey, heavy cream and taco sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Using a spatula, press mixture into the pan and cook 2-3 minutes without stirring. When a crust starts to form, scrape up and repeat. Continue about 10 minutes, until there are browned bits throughout.
Make 3 wells in the hash and crack an egg into each. Cover and cook for 4-6 minutes, until eggs reach desired doneness. Drizzle on Sriracha and serve.

Chipotle Ranch Turkey Panini

I wanted to sneak in one last Thanksgiving leftover post before the big festivities tomorrow. This is pretty much the perfect day-after sandwich – super quick to throw together in the midst of shopping trips but it doesn’t feel like leftovers.

The crunchy onions and cranberries are staples in lots of Thanksgiving dishes so I’m guessing you’ll have them (and turkey!) on hand. A few extra ingredients and you’re good to go.

I made a few of these during the last week and I’m genuinely looking forward to refreshing my turkey stash tomorrow so I can have another.

TurkeyPanini

Chipotle Ranch Turkey Panini
(a Kate’s Recipe Box Original)
Makes 1 sandwich

3/4 cup chopped turkey
1 Tbsp. dried cranberries
1 Tbsp. crunchy onions
1 Tbsp. real bacon bits
2 Tbsp. chipotle ranch dressing
2 slices provolone cheese
1 Ciabatta roll

In a small bowl, toss together the  turkey, cranberries, onions, bacon bits and dressing until evenly combined.

Slice the roll in half, top with turkey mixture and cheese. Press in a Panini press until warmed through and crunchy on the outside.