Cheesy Turkey, Leek, Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

For most people, 3-days after Thanksgiving is about the time they can't imagine eating another bite of turkey. They clearly have not tried my white lasagna with oozing, cheesy buttermilk sauce and fresh pasta filled with layers of leeks, mushrooms, spinach and turkey.

The cheesy, garlicky buttermilk sauce is not my healthiest sauce ever, but man is it good. The perfect backdrop to the turkey and leek filling.

One bite and the last thing on your mind will be turkey leftovers - trust me! Even if you purchase the lasagna sheets rather than make the pasta from scratch, this lasagna will have everyone begging for more Fat and Happy leftovers.

Grilled Turkey with Apple Jalapeno Glaze

We host two annual parties every Thanksgiving holiday, the first is an elaborate dinner featuring something like Turducken, Cornish game hens or beef tenderloin in a port reduction sauce. The second is a Left-Over's Party in which everyone brings left overs from their holiday dinner and we create new recipes out of the old.

The LO party is about food, but also to let everyone have a relaxing day with friends before heading back to the grind. Elaborate recipes sit on the back burner to make room for more simple, rustic creations. Most of those recipes never make the blog because it's not the time for photos or  accurate note taking.

One year we ended up with an extra turkey for this party so I cut it into large sections (to save time) and grilled it. An apple jalapeno glaze was created from left over hot apple cider; it was a huge hit as the spicy pepper played on the sweet apple and juicy turkey.

I decided to recreate this dish for the blog because it's a perfect crowd-pleaser for Holiday festivities; this works a simple dinner as well. If there is any left over turkey, it's fantastic on sandwiches. Annual party, Holiday dinner or Sunday tail gating - it's turkey time and Fat and Happy has the recipe for you.

Crispy Potato Skin Fries

Potatoes are ridiculously versatile; I believe there is something like one-million potato recipes out there...and growing! While making mashed potatoes today I happened to create these super yummy, crispy potato skins. Often I'll use the skins in my mashed potatoes for a rustic effect but this time a more refined result was required.

The mixture of red, purple and white potatoes created a pretty pile of raw skins that starred at me begging for some love. A little butter and seasoning and you've got a new option in place of hash browns at breakfast, instead of fries or chips with a burger or a fun side to a steak. I'm quite sure a little dollop of sour cream would be extra delicious.

Whether to call them skin fries, or skin browns or crispy potato skins is the least of my worries. I need to come up with more reasons to use the inside of the potato so I can have more fat and happy skins to cook up!

Squash Soup with Swiss Chard Stuffed Onions

Cool fall weather just screams for soup - and squash is a classic choice. Sometimes soup doesn't feel like it's a full meal so I wanted to add a little something to it. These stuffed onions make use of lots of the fall vegetables and give the soup a little life.

The hardest part of this is creating the onion bowl, but if you look close at the photos, there is a slit in one side of them. After cleaning the onion, slice off the ends and make one small slice starting at the top through to bottom, from the middle of the onion out. Then peel the layers apart; this will form a big ring or bowl with a hole in the bottom. Lay a piece of the Swiss chard inside the bottom of the onions to form a loose bottom.

This sounds like a lot of work, but it comes together pretty easily. Make it a day ahead of time through stuffing the onions and hold in the fridge. Then place the whole thing in the oven (I suggest letting it come to room temperature first) and continue from there. You'll have a fat and happy fall dinner in no time!

Toasted Macadamia Nut and White Chocolate Ice Cream

I first created this ice cream as part of a Thanksgiving dinner last year. It was such a hit that I sent home all the extras with our guests and forgot to get pictures of it. Oh darn, that meant I needed to remake it ... for photo purposes, of course.

The texture of this ice cream is slightly different than all the rest of my ice creams, while the base is still extraordinarily creamy, it's studded with a fine layer of tiny, crunchy, toasted macadamia nuts. As it begins to warm and melt it doesn't become runny milk as typical, it becomes almost foamy thanks to the texture. The result is a hearty, toasted flavor that the fills the palette with joy. The hint of white chocolate gives this ice cream a sweet holiday undertone.

This ice cream feels like a fall or winter treat, but paired with the right thing and with the right sauce (say nestled inside a delicate roasted peach), it could easily become a fat and happy summer dessert.

Recipe Swap: Meat Pies with Maple Ginger Glaze

What: Monthly Recipe Swap
Goal: Change 3 ingredients and/or the method of an old recipe to create something new
Recipe: Maple Syrup Cake
Why: Why not?

My mittens made their first appearance of the season recently. Though the sun is still shining, my fingers are the tell tale sign to what is just around the corner. Starring out the window I watched the wind reek havoc on the lifeless herbs. My mind searched for ideas around recreating a maple syrup cake for the monthly recipe swap

Visions of a soft, buttery, maple frosting floated so close that I think I got a little on my nose, but the cake just wasn't speaking to me. Images chugged through my head like an old slide projector, layered cakes turned to cupcakes. Mini individual cakes are so elegant. The wind blew harder outside and my hands craved something warm. Cookies slid by. Then the slide projector rotated in a new image, this time it was pie with steam escaping out the top.  Pie dough is one of my favorite things to make, but not being a big lover of sweet pies made the image lurch one more time. It was still a pie, but this time it was filled with meat. A meat pie. 'Yes' I confidently announced out loud to nobody listening. Outside the wind blew even harder as if an affirmation of my decision and again my fingers yearned for warmth. Just then the slide projector turned one more time to what would be the final image - a handheld meat pie. Decision done.

Lemon Champagne Roasted Chicken

Sometimes I get so caught up in trying to make completely new recipes that I forget about simple, classic dishes. Take roasted chicken for example- one of the easiest and yet most satisfying dishes to make and eat. the crispy darkened skin comes out so picture perfect you can't stop picking at the edges for a nibble.


No mater how classic the dish is, I still like to give it my own little touch. In this oven roasted chicken,
the addition of champagne and grapes elevates it from a Sunday dinner to Saturday night dinner party status. Be sure to serve this with a big crusty bread to soak up the rich champagne sauce.

It's comforting in that hearty, wholesome, chicken noodle soup sort of way. Whether it's for a lazy football afternoon or to impress your in-laws, this fat and happy champagne lemon roasted chicken is a can't miss.

Kohlrabi and White Radish Salad with Basil Aioli

Continuing on my quest for fresh, simple food is so much easier with a weekly organic vegetable delivery straight from the farm

Yes, I've touted the benefits of these CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery's many times this past summer but I'm not done. Opening the weekly box is like a Chopped show- you don't really know what is going to be inside or what you will make from it. 

This system forces many to go outside of the comfort zone and try new vegetables they normally wouldn't pick up. For instance, kohrabi. The taste and texture is similar to a crunchy broccoli stem with hint of overall cabbage, but fresher.

My recipe below makes use of the freshness of two fall veggies for a simple salad and of the frozen basil in my freezer for a splash of summer. Half of this salad came to work with me the day after it was made, what I found was both the radish and kohlrabi softened as they soaked up the aioli and I loved it even more.

Even if you aren't getting a vegetable delivery, fresh food is still doable. Start with this easy fat and happy salad then try experimenting from there.