Holiday Almanac December 26: Turkey Royal Pancakes

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For more information on the Holiday Almanac, go here. Or to see what I've been up to on past Holiday Almanac days, check out this page.

Happy Boxing Day! Although Boxing Day isn't really a thing in the US, it's definitely a big deal here in the UK. Retail shops are often closed, offices don't open, and restaurants run special events all across town. We're not observing it this year (except by heading to Vienna for a weeklong holiday!), but if you're looking for a fun recipe that will help you use up your leftover chicken or turkey, this is a good option!

'Make today's leftover turkey as glamorous and delicious as yesterday's,' begins this recipe.

I don't know about glamorous, but this recipe was definitely better than I thought it would be. As Judson realised, this is basically like a cross between pigs-in-a-blanket and turkey tacos... and it's somehow not bad. We even ate the leftovers! If the concept of pancakes weirds you out, you could just leave them out and eat this on sandwiches like chicken salad-- it is that good.

So today, box up those things you don't need anymore and take them to a charity shop. And when you get back home, flush from doing your good deed of the day, make this easy, super-retro lunch and enjoy! It checks off all of my favourite boxes for a new post-holiday recipe: it's easy, versatile, and it uses up all the leftovers you could possibly have getting ready to go bad in your fridge (I listed the variations below, feel free to make it with whatever ingredients you have on hand!). What could be better?

I can't find pimentos in Scotland, which makes making pimento cheese hard. judson just discovered these and they are so perfect!

I can't find pimentos in Scotland, which makes making pimento cheese hard. judson just discovered these and they are so perfect!

The verdict:

2 spoons out of five. Alternatively, you can leave the pancakes out and sprinkle the turkey salad over a bowl of arugula for a lighter lunch to help make up for all those cinnamon rolls you ate yesterday (and, made this way, I'd bump the verdict up to a 4!).

the recipe:

Turkey Royal Pancakes

the directions:

Make pancakes as directed.
Keep pancakes warm by covering with a towel.
Heat oven to 200C/400F.
Mix turkey, onion, half of cheese, celery, pimento, and lemon juice.
Spoon 2 tbsp of mixture onto each pancake and roll up like a taco.
Put folded-side down into an 11x7 baking dish.
Heat in oven 10 minutes.
While pancakes heat, in a separate bowl mix together soup, flour, salt, pepper, and milk, then heat until thickened.
Pour soup mixture over pancakes and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Place under broiler until cheese is bubbly.

the ingredients:

10 pancakes from your favourite recipe or mix (I used this one without the blueberries)
1 c cooked turkey (or chicken), chopped
¼ c chopped onion (or shallot or leek)
½ c cheddar (or mozzarella or parmesan) cheese, grated and divided
½ c celery, chopped
¼ c pimento (or peppadews or banana peppers), chopped
2 tsp lemon juice (or white wine vinegar)
1 can cream of chicken or celery soup
2 tbsp flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 c milk

Holiday Almanac December 24: Battle of the Macaroons

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For more information on the Holiday Almanac, go here. Or to see what I've been up to on past Holiday Almanac days, check out this page.

Today's task is to make macaroons (from macaroon mix, which evidently was a thing in the 1950s), and since I had two macaroon recipes to make from the box, I'm here with another recipe battle. (Previous recipe battle, for Apple Crisps, is here).

Anyway, I'm pretty meh on macaroons (macarons, on the other hand-- the French almond-based cookies-- are my very favourite dessert), but I was excited to try making them myself because I figured they'd probably be far better homemade than storebought, and I was right.

The simpler, three-ingredient macaroons ended up being far easier to make than the more complex 'Cornflake Macaroons,' but the overall flavour of each was pretty solid. Either way, I'm still on the fence about macaroons overall, but these definitely moved me from 'actively against' to 'tasty if homemade,' which is progress.

The verdict:
Macaroon 1: Super-easy, three-ingredient macaroons.

3 spoons out of five. They were insanely easy and definitely moister and tastier than I was anticipating, but overall they still lacked anything really interesting to set them apart as a dessert, and I was glad that each one was only the size of a truffle.

Macaroon 2: Crunchy, Complicated macaroons.

3 spoons out of five. These ones, although tastier and more interesting than the simpler versions, didn't hold together at all in the way they were supposed to be made, but I added a glug of condensed milk and that helped hold them together long enough to get them fully baked. Once they were cooked, they were super tasty, but putting a bowl of cornflakes into a mixer is probably not a great idea, and having to add extra ingredients at the last minute was not my favourite either.

The recipe:

Super-Easy, Three-Ingredient Macaroons

the directions:

Preheat oven to 175C/350F and grease a cookie sheet.
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet 1 inch apart.
Bake 8-10 minutes until light brown.
Remove from pan immediately and place on a cooling rack.

Makes 24 cookies.

the ingredients:

½ c condensed milk
2 c flaked or shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla

the recipe:

Crunchy, Complicated Macaroons

the directions:

Preheat oven to 190C/375F and grease a cookie sheet.
Beat egg whites until stiff and dry.
Fold in sugar slowly.
Add vanilla, coconut, cornflakes, and pecans, stirring well.
Add condensed milk gradually, stopping as soon as mix comes together and appears to stick together.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes until light brown.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

the ingredients:

2 egg whites
1 c sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 c coconut
2 c cornflakes
½ c pecans, chopped
¼ c condensed milk