However, today we're in the midst of our first snow of the season, so I set out some of the turkey this morning to thaw with the intent of making something to warm our tummies this evening. At first I thought I'd throw together a quick soup and maybe offer turkey, cucumber and avocado sandwiches on the side, but my toddler would likely deconstruct the sandwiches and not eat anything except the bread. Moving on from that idea, I put the quandry in the back of my mind and checked in throughout the day. Late this afternoon the idea of making a pot pie appeared.
This idea had many advantages. First, my hubby LOVES pot pie, I think it's one of his favorite comfort foods. Second, our toddler LOVES cheese. When you ask her what she wants to eat, 9 times out of 10, the answer is "cheese". Now, that cheese can take many forms - cottage cheese, grilled cheese, cheese and crackers, string cheese, etc., but consistently the answer is cheese. So, I considered adding cheese to the traditional creamy sauce in the hopes that everyone would be happy. Finally, to make myself happy, puff pastry could serve as the topper so I wouldn't have to make pastry from scratch. I love to cook and baking for me entails cookies, cupcakes and the occasional cake, but I don't make pastry crust. So, I thought my idea was an all around winner.
The filling for the pot pie came together more quickly than I'd imagined. In fact, my toddler asked for a taste of the sauce when she came home and immediately wanted her own serving in a small dish to enjoy while waiting for the finished product to come from the oven.
We don't have dessert every night at our house, but today I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand to make some version of trifle. The great thing about trifle, aside from the fact that it's yummy, is that you can really make any variation you want by changing up the flavor or type of cake and pairing it with a variety of puddings. You can even add other ingredients like cherry pie filling or berries to further expand your options. Whipped cream is typically a part of a trifle as it helps to have at least three layers in a trifle. In my case though, I went with some lite Cool Whip that I happened to have on hand.
The results of both dishes turned out better than expected. The pot pie was warm and comforting while the trifle was a bit like a holiday dessert and allowed us to end dinner on a sweet note. Let me know if you give either recipe a try.
Cheese Turkey Pot Pie
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 3 Tbsp AP flour + more for dusting when rolling out pastry
- 1 medium onion, small dice
- 2 large celery stalk, small dice
- 2 large carrots, small dice
- 1 cup frozen baby lima beans, thawed
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 large or 2 small Yukon gold potatoes, microwaved for 5 minutes for large, 3 minutes for small, then cut into small dice
- 2 cups cooked turkey, shredded
- 2 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ½ tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp Thyme, dried, ground
- 1 tsp Marjoram, dried, crumbled in hand before adding to pot
- 1 tsp parsley, dried, crumbled in hand before adding to pot
- 1 sheet puff pastry
Prepare all vegetables by washing and cutting in similar sizes. Shred the turkey and set aside.
In a heavy bottom dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Once foam has subsided from butter, stir in 3 Tbsp AP flour and stir to combine. Cook flour mixture until it takes on a slightly golden color, being careful not to allow to brown or burn. Add the fresh vegetables (except for potato) and dried herbs, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Allow vegetables to cook until softened, but not browned.
Add the broth and milk and stir with a whisk to create the white sauce. Continue stirring over heat until the sauce thickens. When thick, add shredded cheese a little at a time whisking to incorporate each addition and allowing each to melt before adding the next. Add thawed vegetables, potato and turkey and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. If sauce is too thick, add a bit of broth or milk, stirring after each addition until you achieve the thickness you want.
Pour contents of the dutch oven into two 8 x 8 baking dishes that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Top each pot pie with a square of puff pastry. Pastry should cover the entire contents of the pie, but not hang over the edge of the pan.
Cover one pot pie with plastic wrap and foil and store in the freezer for up to a month. Remove from freezer when time to bake and place directly into a hot oven.
Bake the remaining pot pie in a XXX degree oven until pastry is golden and has risen. Remove from oven and allow pot pie to cool for 15 minutes before serving so that turkey filling has a chance to set. Cut pastry into six equal portions and serve.
Pumpkin Cheescake Trifle
For the cake layers of the trifle, mix together in a large bowl with a whisk until combined and smooth:
- 1 Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix
- 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp low fat plain yogurt
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 whole egg
- Equivalent of 2 eggs in egg white product (e.g., Egg Beaters Just Whites)
Prepare a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and then pour in mixture. Bake cake according to package directions until done. Set aside to cool.
For the pumpkin cheesecake layers:
- 1 small package Jello Instant Pudding, Cheesecake flavor
- 1 ¾ cup of 2% milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground all spice
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or ¼ ground)
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger (or ½ tsp ground)
- ¼ cup good quality maple syrup
- 1 15 oz can prepared pumpkin – not pie filling
- 15 oz tub or 2 8 oz tubs Lite Cool Whip – French vanilla if you can find it! – use ½ of the tub in the cheesecake layer and reserve the other half to build the trifle below
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Mixture will thicken as it sets. Place covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
To assemble the trifle:
Line a clear serving bowl – or trifle bowl if you have it – with a layer of cake. Add a layer of pumpkin cheesecake mousse then top with a layer of cool whip. Continue building layers of cake, cheesecake and cool whip until bowl is full – ending with layer of cool whip. Dust top with a little cinnamon and sugar mixture or crushed ginger snaps.
Allow trifle to set for at least 2 hours, but not more than 6 hours, before serving. Scoop trifle into bowls and serve.
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