You've opened all the presents, spent all day eating and finally kicked Santa out for drinkin' too much eggnog. So the last thing you want to do is prepare another huge holiday feast. The Food Network's Paula Deen was invited on the “Today” show to share a super easy post-Christmas dinner. Here are the recipes.
Turkey Pot Pie
Flour, for dusting 1 sheet frozen puff pastry 1 egg, beaten 1/2 cup milk 2 (11-ounce) cans condensed cheddar cheese soup 2 (10-3/4-ounce) cans cream of celery soup 1 large turkey skinned, cooked, boned and cubed 2 medium onions, diced 2 cup cooked butternut squash, diced 2 cup cranberries Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350°F. To make the crust, dust surface with flour. Cut 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover each pot pie. Mix egg and milk together and brush onto each lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes. Dough will rise and turn light golden brown. Set aside until ready to assemble pies.
In a large saucepan heat the soups. Stir in turkey, onion, squash, cranberries, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. In an oven-proof dish, fill with mixture and top with the pre-cooked lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes until bubbly and puff pastry is deep golden brown.
Cook's note: Cutting the puff pastry with a fluted-wheel creates elegant edges. Good substitutions for cheddar cheese soup are cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom soup.Potato Croquettes
2 tablespoons milk Salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon chopped green onion 2 egg yolks, beaten 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 cups mashed potatoes 1 egg, beaten Sifted dried bread crumbs Peanut oil, enough to fill pan 1/2-inch
Add milk, salt, pepper, chopped onion, beaten egg yolks and flour to mashed potatoes. Chill and then shape using an ice cream scoop. Dip in the beaten egg, then roll through bread crumbs. Fry each croquette in shallow oil until brown on all sides.
Cook's note: Cook in small batches, giving each croquette at least 2 inches of space around it to not overcrowd the pan. This prevents the croquettes from crumbling while frying.
Pumpkin Bars
For the bars
4 eggs 1-2/3 cups granulated sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 15-ounce can pumpkin 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the icing8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.
To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.