• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 box of broth (4 cups; you could also use warm water and boullion)
• 1 cup of diced leftover turkey (I use half dark, half white meat. You could also use leftover roast chicken)
• 2 cups cooked wild rice (I use actual wild rice. You can use a boxed mix or even white or brown rice – whatever you have and like)
• 1/2 cup milk, heavy cream, or half-n-half
• poultry seasoning (light)
• pepper
• garlic powder
• onion powder

Cook 2 cups of wild rice according to package directions and set aside.

Sautee the veggies in 1 stick of butter at medium heat until soft. Sprinkle 1/2 flour on top and stir for several minutes to ‘cook’ flour – like you are making a roux. Slowly add 4 cups of broth, stirring well to avoid lumps of flour. When all broth is added, slowly bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Boiling helps everything thicken.

Add seasonings to taste. Add turkey and rice. I add 1/2 cup of milk or half-n-half here, but you can skip. I like the creaminess it creates. Let everything warm through on low for about 10 minutes. Serve.

Step 1:

Put all the seeds and pumpkin goo in a deep bowl and fill with cold water. Swish things around a bit with your hands as the bowl fills. This should separate the goo from the seeds and the seeds will rise to the top. Scoop all the seeds out and place in a 13 x 9 pan. There will still be some goo attached. At this point, I refrigerated overnight, but you don’t have to.

Step 2:

Rinse in cold water a second time to separate out any remaining pumpkin goo. Place all seeds in a pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.

Step 3:

Drain pot and pat seeds dry. They won’t be perfectly dry, but its ok. Place on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Season well with

• garlic powder
• onion powder
• pepper
• salt
• seasoning salt (Lawry’s)

You really can’t have too much salt here. Bake at 250* for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so.

Step 4:

After 1 hour and once the pumpkin seeds feel 100% dry, bump the heat up to 350* and bake another 20 minutes. They should be *really* crunchy now.

Step 5:

Eat. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

I readily admit that I am a cheesecake snob. I had NY-style cheesecake in NYC way back in 1990 and haven’t been able to eat anything less since. While there are lots of cheesecake recipes out there, this one is seriously the best!

Note: you need a springform pan.

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (buy the pre-crushed – it’s the right consistency)
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar (1/4c for the crust & 1c for the batter)
• 3 blocks of cream cheese, softened (8oz each, full fat)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325*

Leave the cream cheese out on the counter for an hour or so to soften. Conversely, you could nuke it in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter and press into the bottom of the springform pan and up the sides about an inch or two. I like the crust to be thick Set aside.

Mix the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar until really smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix more. Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing each until combined. When all are well mixed, pour the batter into the springform pan. It will probably fill above your graham cracker crust – that’s ok.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour & 10 minutes – you want the center to be *almost* set, but still a teeny bit jiggly. Turn the oven off and crack the door about 3 inches. Wait 30 minutes. Open the door all the way and wait 30 more minutes. Finally, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool completely on the counter.

When your amazing cheesecake is completely cool, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Note:

If you opt for an Oreo version, use pre-crushed Oreo crumbs or REMOVE the white filling first. Your mom found this out the hard last night and her oven paid the price. Live & learn – xoxo

Dough:

• 9 c flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 3 c water
• 6 TB Crisco

Mix the dough in a food processor or stand mixer and set aside. Keep it covered with a kitchen towel so it doesn’t dry out.

Filling:

• 9 c ground ham
• 3/4 c Romano cheese
• 1 TB black pepper – heaping!
• 12 eggs

Mix all and set aside.

A note about the ham:

Buy a ham at the grocery store. This is already smoked/cooked. You can buy bone-in or boneless. Cut it into chunks and blitz it in the food processor until it is the consistency of ground beef.

Egg Wash:

• 2 eggs
• 4 TB water

Assembly:

So, this recipe makes 9 ham pies. I divide the dough into thirds, and into thirds again. I end up with 9 equal pieces of dough. Roll out one ball of dough onto a floured surface with a rolling pin until it is very thin and roughly shaped like an oval.

Place 1 cup of filling on the bottom half of your oval and fold the top half over. Crimp the edges and brush on the egg wash.

Bake at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Eat COLD!!

xoxo

Buy Flat Cut

Corned Beef comes two ways: ‘flat cut’ or ‘point cut.’ I prefer ‘flat cut.’ It has less fat, and corned beef is a pretty fatty piece of meat to begin with! Also — and this is probably pretty controversial — I trim a lot of the fat off before cooking. Also, buy the largest corned beef you can because it shrinks A LOT during cooking!

Prepare the Pan

You need a roasting pan. A normal 9×13 is too shallow and a disposable foil pan is not sturdy enough. Something 3 inches deep or more will work. It needs a metal rack inside to raise the meat up. You can buy a super cheap one at Walmart for $15 or less. I only use mine once a year for this recipe – LOL.

Line the pan with foil to make clean-up easier. Place the rack inside the pan and add water. I fill it up to just below the rack. The corned beef is going to steam while it cooks – this is called a water bath.

Prepare the Corned Beef

When you are ready to cook, take the meat out of the bag and rinse it under cold water really well. It has a salty goo on it (relax – it’s not gross) and you need to rinse all that extra salt off. I toss the seasoning packet.

One side of the meat has a fat ‘cap’ that I like to trim. Some people like to eat that fat and there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just never been my thing. I don’t trim it completely off, but if you can remove some, that works

Place the meat on the metal rack fat side up and prep the glaze.

Glaze

• 1/4 cup mustard (plain ole yellow)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (dark or light, whatever you have)

Spread one-third of the glaze on the top and sides of the corned beef. Bake in oven at 275 degrees for 3-4 hours. Remove and spread an additional third of the glaze on top and return to oven for another 3 hours.

After 6-7 hours, the meat should be ready. It should be barely holding its shape. If it seems tough, let it cook for another hour. This is a low and slow process. I’ve cooked corned beef for 5 hours; I’ve cooked it for 8 hours. It just depends. When it is just about to fall apart, it’s ready. The water bath prevents it from burning. Add more water if you need to.

When you feel it has cooked long enough, take it out of the oven and scrape the last bit of fat off the top — or not. Then, put the last third of the glaze on top and broil the meat for a minute or two until the glaze is nice and bubbly. Let sit on the counter to rest for 15 minutes or more.

If you can, cook the corned beef the day before you need it. It somehow tastes better when it has a night to chill out in the fridge.

Cutting the Corned Beef

Corned beef needs to be cut across the grain to avoid being chewy. Luckily, it is really easy to see the grain with corned beef. Turn the meat so the grain is running left to right and make thin slices.

The Reuben

Now, you can serve corned beef sliced with a side of new potatoes and roasted cabbage, but — who are we kidding — you are here for the reubens!! You can make reubens several different ways. Here are a few options:

• Bread – rye, pumpernickel, marble rye (our favorite), or even plain wheat bread
• Cheese – swiss is my go-to but I’ve seen it with Muenster
• Cabbage – Coleslaw or Sauerkraut – both are equally delicious
• Dressing – I typically use 1000 Island dressing but you can do Russian dressing too. It has a sweeter vibe. I wouldn’t pair coleslaw with Russian though – too much sweetness. I’ve also seen a corned beef sandwich made with mustard.
• Prep Method – I prefer grilled, but you can just do it on regular bread
• Meat – You can make a Reuben with turkey, which is a ‘Rachel’ — but you’re here for the corned beef, right?!

I typically put swiss cheese on both pieces of bread and grill until the cheese is melt-y and then assemble off the grill. It’s messy but oh so good! xo

Mom’s Coleslaw Recipe

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 TB dijon mustard
• 1 TB apple cider vinegar
• 1 TB maple syrup (the good stuff)
• 1 bag of cabbage or coleslaw mix (you can also cut up a whole head of cabbage)
• cracked pepper and sea salt

Mix all well with a whisk and taste. If it’s too mustard-y, add more maple syrup. Add shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix. I usually put the lid on a tupperware container and shake. I typically add in about 3/4 bag of coleslaw mix and then add the rest later.

What To Do With Leftover Corned Beef

If — and that’s a big if — you have any leftovers, the best thing to do with them is to make corned beef hash.

There are two key things to remember about corned beef hash. One, it can be any combination of ingredients. Whatever you’ve got, throw in. And, two, leave it alone. Don’t stir it around. Let it get a good crisp in the pan.

• Diced, pre-cooked potatoes (nuke them or boil them first – it goes faster)
• Chopped up, leftover corned beef
• Diced onions
• Diced green peppers
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder

Sautee any veggies over medium-low heat in melted butter. Once they start to soften, put everything else in the pan. Serve when it’s warmed through and crispy. Corned beef hash is best topped with a fried egg and some toast. Maybe some hot sauce.