November 28th, 2009
After-Thanksgiving Sandwich
A gluten free Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night … and then a really good After-Thanksgiving Sandwich.
At Thanksgiving dinner, all 3 of my kids ate themselves silly, and then, at the very end of the night, asked that I save the scraps they simply could not eat. The very next day, they were all clamoring for leftovers (and interrogating me about whether or not I did in fact save their individual scraps). I did not cook at all that day. It was glorious. In an effort to eek out one more meal from my Thanksgiving efforts, I have assembled a lovely After-Thanksgiving Sandwich. And I invite you to do the same….
What I did looks dramatic, but is simple. The depth of the cranberry color makes all the difference in the presentation, with no more than a modicum of effort. I took a couple of thick slices of Tom’s Sandwich Bread, buttered each side of the bread and then topped the butter with a generous layer of cranberry sauce, then layered in some sliced Thanksgiving turkey, and topped it with Apple & Leek Cornbread Stuffing. Assemble the sandwich, slice it in half with a large serrated knife, & enjoy.
In case you don’t know the pleasures of homemade cranberry sauce, here’s a quick recipe. I usually buy a bunch of bags of fresh cranberries this time of year, when they’re readily available, and throw a few in the freezer. Homemade cranberry sauce is so nice, I even make it other random times during the year. Cranberries also work beautifully in Any Berry Scones. You just use them frozen — no need to defrost before baking them with the scones.
Whole Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
1 12 oz. bag fresh whole cranberries
1 cup water
scant 2/3 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1. Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the berries are soft and sauce is as thick as you desire.
3. Allow the sauce to cool. This may be stored in the refrigerator for days, so it’s great to make ahead of time.
Enjoy your After-Thanksgiving wonders!
Warmly,
Nicole
Posted In : GF Blue Plate Specials (Recipes), Moneysaving Tips, The Daily Shoestring
Posted By : Nicole
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
That sandwich looks very good! I love cranberries year round, too. They are good in muffins. I make a cranberry tangerine bread–you put a whole tangerine in the blender, peel and all, and mix it in with the batter. You get a yummo citrus taste and smell.
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Hi, Karen,
I’ve never heard of a recipe like that! Thanks for posting.
Warmly,
Nicole
Posted on November 30th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Wow, thanks for the cranberry sauce recipe. I have always enjoyed the canned jelly-like stuff but I was wondering lately how to make it from scratch (like your pasta and water) when I bought way too many cranberries for a bread that I made. Thanks so much!
Posted on December 3rd, 2009 at 12:26 am
Hi, Stephanie,
You’re welcome! It’s so easy to make homemade cranberry sauce, and, like everything else homemade, the beauty of it is that you can make it according to your exact tastes.
Warmly,
Nicole
Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Hi Nicole! This is to let you know that I am so glad to have found your wonderful blog. (Sorry, but “blog” is NOT the word we should use for such helpful writings!) I love your cranberry sauce recipe… I have made something similar with fresh plums from my Dad’s tree. It freezes beautifully and is wonderful over ice cream!
Also, thank you for the picture of the turnip at the top of your blog. My Dad gave me fresh turnips recently and I quartered them and boiled them for 10 minutes…and they were heavenly! Hmm..this is getting rather long for a comment..Thanks again for taking the time to share recipes and gluten free tips!
Posted on December 16th, 2009 at 2:50 am
Hi, Kay,
I love turnips! I wanted one in the blog’s header as an homage to the idea that you just need a few simple, relatively inexpensive ingredients to make delicious and affordable food. Thanks for posting!
Warmly,
Nicole