Growing up in the South, we always made turkey, mashed potato, gravy sandwiches with our leftovers. Thanks to my husband and his Mexican roots, I have now been awakened to the gloriousness of that which is The Thanksgiving Leftovers Burrito. It’s pretty amazing. You must try it.

Friday afternoon, we made a small post-Thanksgiving meal for just the two of us. We brined and cooked a turkey breast, made mashed potatoes, gravy and had some yummy rolls we snagged from our friend’s Thanksgiving leftovers. The meal was wonderful, but it’s really all about the leftover burritos.

The burritos I made for my husband consist of shredded turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and I threw in a little Jalapeno Asadero cheese we picked up recently in El Paso at Licon Dairy. With every bite, he was in heaven. “I love this cheese,” he exclaimed. These are also extremely tasty with a little dressing and even cranberry sauce if that’s your thing.

The key to a perfect burrito is to NOT OVER STUFF THE THING. A little goes a long way.

Try these. Today. No, really. Try them.

Every Saturday morning I walk to Little Italy Mercato here in downtown San Diego to buy most of my produce and cheeses for the week. We live about 1.5 miles from Little Italy so I also get a great three mile walk in! This is precisely why on this lovely September morning, I decided to eat breakfast at the market. Why not indulge a little?

I’ve been eyeing the pastries from Loic Patisserie’s booth for the past couple months. Tasting a little here and there. I want to try EVERYTHING. These are the kinds of pastries I want when I crave a pastry! Flaky, buttery, beautiful pastries!

First I ate half of my ham and cheese quiche from Loic Patisserie’s booth. It had been on dry ice, so it was chilled, but still quite tasty. The crust was so lovely, and although chilled, the inside was still creamy in texture. I love me some quiche! I saved the other half for later.

Then, I ate one of three Parisian Macaroons I purchased. I chose vanilla, cinnamon and chocolate. I ate the vanilla for dessert. It was quite lovely. I’m trying very hard not to finish off the other two!

I also had a free Key Lime Pie popsicle from Viva Pops, but I’ll share more on that later in the week as to why it was free. Very exciting!

Then, I ate the rest of my quiche when I got home! Three miles, people! I was hungry! Also, I much preferred it warmed to cold. Next week, I’m getting a chocolate croissant. It’s settled.

Recently, I tried making my own pizza dough from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. It turned out so nicely that I have made it several times since! It’s so rewarding making things like this from scratch. I simply make a batch and freeze half to use at another time. It’s worth the little effort to have something fresh and tasty. Here is a similar recipe to the one in the book. Frozen Pizza Dough.

For this Margherita Pizza, I use one container of Domino’s Marinara sauce (we had one leftover), fresh mozzarella slices and fresh basil leaves. First, I roll the dough out. I like mine on the thinner side. Sprinkle cornmeal on your cookie sheet. Place rolled dough onto sheet. Brush with olive oil, top with marinara, mozzarella slices, basil leaves and salt & pepper. I also grated a little asiago (or any hard cheese) I had in my drawer, just to add a little more flavor. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Throw a few more basil leaves on top and enjoy!

If you don’t want to make your own dough, buy some to use. You could also make your own pizza sauce. I just haven’t gotten around to perfecting that. Might be next on my list of things to learn.

This is such a tasty dinner. It has become a staple in our home. Try it! There are so many combinations of flavors out there. I favor simplicity, but these would be super tasty with meats if that’s your thing.

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We’re enduring a record-breaking snowstorm here in the Baltimore-D.C. area. Will post updates of the snow! It’s just lovely.
Have a warm and happy weekend!

Recently, my husband took me to see It’s Complicated. In the movie, Meryl Streep’s character makes these incredible looking cheesy, toasty bits of goodness. I had never heard of these French sandwiches before, but I couldn’t get them out of my mind! After some research, I came across this recipe from Simply Recipes. I adapted it to my tastes, but holy moly these things are amazing! I can’t even begin to describe how each mouthwatering bite of creamy, cheesy goodness tasted. Perfection. These are going to become a staple in our household.

I believe the key to making the Croque Monsieur was to buy quality ingredients. Truly, I think it made a difference. Somewhere in my research I came across a comment that was made, “It’s just an expensive ham and cheese sandwich.” Oh no, no, no! Sure, it’s bread, cheese, ham, but does your ham and cheese come bathed in a Béchamel sauce? It is just so satisfying to make meals like this at home. For me, the cost of the ingredients is still far below what I’d pay for a mediocre (at best!) restaurant meal. Really, it’s just the cheese that is “expensive”, but they will last you longer than more lackluster cheeses will. With so much flavor, a little goes a long way. Although, I did indulge tonight on the cheese front!

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Croque Monsieur (adapted from SimplyRecipes.com)
Makes 10 pieces or 2-3 servings.

WHAT I USED
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups 1% Lactaid, warmed (I can’t handle real milk, funny the cheese doesn’t get to me)
Salt & Pepper
1 1/2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated and packed
Crusty French bread loaf, cut into 1 inch thick slices (sandwich size, not skinny baguettes)
8 ounces Black forest ham, thinly sliced
Dijon mustard

WHAT I DID
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Using a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until melted. Slowly add flour while whisking constantly. Continue cooking and whisking until mixture turns a light blonde color, a couple minutes. Keep color light, do not let brown. Slowly pour in warmed milk, while whisking. Keep a light simmer and continue to whisk until sauce starts to thicken. Add Parmesan and 1/4 cup Gruyère cheese a little at a time while stirring. Do not add all at once, or sauce will clump. Once you’ve combined cheese into sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Need help with your Béchamel? Links below.

3. Turn heat to low under sauce. Lightly toast your bread slices on a baking sheet in the oven, turn once. Do not let brown.

4. Spread a very thin layer of Dijon mustard over each toasted slice. Add about 2 slices of ham to each piece. Sprinkle each slice with the Gruyère cheese reserving about 1/4 cup. Spoon Béchamel over each slice, then top with remaining Gruyère cheese.

5. Bake for 5 minutes. Rotate pan front to back, then turn broiler on High for 3 minutes. Cheese will be bubbling and lightly browned when ready. Be sure to keep a close watch while broiler is on, they can burn quickly.

6. Remove from pan, plate up and enjoy!

Traditionally, this is more like a sandwich, but I enjoyed these quite a lot without the top portion of bread. I feel it would have been too crusty and hard, especially for me. (Braces!) I probably shouldn’t have been crunching on the one crusty piece as it is! My Orthodontist would be unhappy with me. Shh! You won’t tell, right?

Have an outstanding weekend and indulge a little!