Superfood Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Kale, and Cranberry Sauce Vinaigrette

A few weeks ago, I had that most wonderful of treats: Thanksgiving Leftovers. And while the standard Turkey + Stuffing + Gravy sandwich was, as always, super-delectable, I was in the mood to get more creative. With my eye on the fridge — and on the nutrition facts — I concocted this Superfood Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Kale, and Cranberry Sauce Vinaigrette. It’s a warm salad that can also be served cold or at room temperature, and works particularly well with leftovers of Mom’s Sweet Potatoes and Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce.

DIY Empanadas: A Pie Crust, Some Chicken, and A Dream

So, how do you make your own empanadas when your life’s travels haven’t exactly taken you to El Salvador? With leftovers, killer flavors, and a little creativity. And by “a little creativity,” I mean, “a little bit of store-bought pie crust.” While I’ll willingly acknowledge that these aren’t exactly authentic, as those who can make them from scratch would (rightfully) argue, they’re still super easy and pretty darn delicious for a cold week night’s supper.

When I think of empanadas, my mind also wanders towards other “dough + filling = best comfort food ever.” Cornish pasties (hello, favorite British snack, apart from tubes of Jaffa cakes), calzones, stromboli, and even dumplings (like those at the KILLER brunch at Silver Spring’s Oriental East. To. Die. For.) are all delicious, but empanadas have that special Latin flavor that keeps me coming back for more.

Tackling T-Givs, Part 3: Cranberry Bread & Cranberry-Pinot Noir Sauce

Image sourced from simplyrecipes.com

First, a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! I hope your Thanksgiving celebrations were filled with tryptophan, carb comas, plenty of vino / brewskies / whatever your beverage fancy, and the love and companionship of your family & friends. GKG was on a bit of a pre-holiday hiatus (hey, man, it takes a long time to concoct a T-Givs menu and prep an absurd number of side dishes. Seriously, way too many. Like, 5 more than necessary. #excessmakesthestomachgrowlarger?), but now we’re back in full swing. Even if we’re now post-Thanksgiving, these recipes can be eaten and enjoyed any time of year. Happy Eating!

The humble cranberry, according to an interesting documentary I saw earlier this week on The History Channel (What?? History Channel programming that isn’t about Hitler or aliens?? You’re talking nonsense, woman — you, thinking to yourself), was named after early settlers’ observations that its flower looked like the beak of a crane. Crane-berry became cranberry, and silly mis-identifying Puritans became history. Cool!