Chattavore

What I ate, plate by plate.

Elena Ruz Sandwich (Thanksgiving Leftover Magic)

With turkey, cream cheese, and strawberry jam, the Elena Ruz sandwich is sweet and savory heaven on a bun – a perfect way to use Thanksgiving leftovers!
With turkey, cream cheese, and strawberry jam, the Elena Ruz sandwich is sweet and savory heaven on a bun. It's a perfect way to use Thanksgiving leftovers, but it's also perfect for, you know, Tuesday.
There was a time when the combination of sweet and salty wasn’t my jam. I thought it was weird and I wanted nothing to do with it. Honestly, I don’t remember who introduced me to Frosties and fries at Wendy’s, but I am forever grateful to that person for the gift that they gave me. After one time, dipping those hot, salty fries into the cold, sweet Frosty, I was addicted. And not just to Frosties and fries. I was a forever devotee of sweet and salty.
With turkey, cream cheese, and strawberry jam, the Elena Ruz sandwich is sweet and savory heaven on a bun. It's a perfect way to use Thanksgiving leftovers, but it's also perfect for, you know, Tuesday.
Life has come full circle now (I don’t think that’s really the right use of that term but I don’t really care because I like the way it sounds). I sneak salt into every sweet application that I can possibly work it into. Salted caramel was the best idea ever and, yes, I know the bacon trend is so two years ago but BACON IS GOOD ON EVERYTHING. BACON AND CHOCOLATE, y’all.

We tend to limit the sweet and salty combo to desserts, though, and that’s kind of sad. It doesn’t necessarily work as readily for more savory dishes, but if you try hard you can think of some pretty darn good ways to pull it off. I’ll never forget when I worked at a little shop that used to be above River Street Deli and they had a turkey and cream cheese sandwich with cranberry sauce on Black Friday. Um, what? Turns out they had a regular menu item that was similarly structured, only with strawberry jam instead of cranberry sauce. Yes PLEASE.
With turkey, cream cheese, and strawberry jam, the Elena Ruz sandwich is sweet and savory heaven on a bun. It's a perfect way to use Thanksgiving leftovers, but it's also perfect for, you know, Tuesday.
So, this sandwich…it’s called the Elena Ruz. I had no clue that it was Cuban until we visited Embargo 62 a couple of months ago and I saw it on their menu. Apparently, the sandwich was named for a socialite who used to order it in an all-night diner in Havana. That Elena Ruz chick was pretty creative and had a darn good grasp on flavor combinations…this is a great sandwich. There’s some conflict over what kind of bread it was originally served on-sandwich bread or a media noche bun-but I like the bun because it’s a little sturdier.
With turkey, cream cheese, and strawberry jam, the Elena Ruz sandwich is sweet and savory heaven on a bun. It's a perfect way to use Thanksgiving leftovers, but it's also perfect for, you know, Tuesday.
Speaking of sturdy, the first time that I made this our sandwiches absolutely fell apart on us because of all the gooey stuff…so I left off the preserves, heated them, and served them on the side as a dipping sauce. Problem solved. Guys, make the Elena Ruz sandwich with your Thanksgiving leftovers (I used the leftovers from these sage butter turkey thighs). Or buy some deli turkey…I won’t judge. Either way, make it. You know you wanna!

What’s your favorite sweet and salty combo?
With turkey, cream cheese, and strawberry jam, the Elena Ruz sandwich is sweet and savory heaven on a bun. It's a perfect way to use Thanksgiving leftovers, but it's also perfect for, you know, Tuesday.

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Thanksgiving Leftover Magic: The Elena Ruz Sandwich

10 minPrep Time:

5 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

  • 4 hoagie rolls (I like Martin's potato rolls)
  • 1 pound shredded turkey, or 4 servings deli sliced turkey
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup strawberry jam or strawberry preserves

Instructions

  1. Preheat two cast iron skillets over medium heat.
  2. Open the hoagie rolls and spread each cut side with approximately one tablespoon of the cream cheese.
  3. Divide the turkey among the rolls. Close the rolls and butter both sides of each roll. Place the sandwiches into a skillet and place the other skillet on top as a press (you may need to do this in batches of two). Cook for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides.
  4. Remove the sandwiches from the skillet. Cut in half. Heat the jam/preserves and serve on the side for dipping.
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https://chattavore.com/elena-ruz-sandwich/

Click here to print the recipe for the Elena Ruz sandwich!
With turkey, cream cheese, and strawberry jam, the Elena Ruz sandwich is sweet and savory heaven on a bun. It's a perfect way to use Thanksgiving leftovers, but it's also perfect for, you know, Tuesday.

Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Apple cinnamon French toast casserole is an easy-to-prepare breakfast with lots of familiar “Fall” flavors! You can make it ahead so it’s great for guests.
Apple cinnamon French toast casserole is an easy-to-prepare make ahead breakfast with lots of familiar "Fall" flavors! | chattavore.com
I’ve been thinking about something lately: stuffed French toast. Specifically, apple cinnamon stuffed French toast. I was imagining diced apples cooked down with butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar, piled between slices of challah or brioche, dredged in eggy batter, fried on the stove top.
And then…then I thought better of it.
Apple cinnamon French toast casserole is an easy-to-prepare make ahead breakfast with lots of familiar "Fall" flavors! | chattavore.com
Apple cinnamon French toast casserole is an easy-to-prepare make ahead breakfast with lots of familiar "Fall" flavors! | chattavore.com
The problem with food like that, you guys, is flipping. It’s like when you make a grilled cheese with any filling other than the cheese. You flip it, you lose half the filling. Besides that, French toast has a tendency to evoke in me those food tantrummy feelings that are also evoked by pancakes. I feel like it always gets too dark in some spots, not dark enough in others…it can be dangerous for me to embark on adventures like this. I was envisioning spotty sandwiches with gooey (in a bad way) centers and apple filling burned in the pan. Not ideal.
Apple cinnamon French toast casserole is an easy-to-prepare make ahead breakfast with lots of familiar "Fall" flavors! | chattavore.com
Apple cinnamon French toast casserole is an easy-to-prepare make ahead breakfast with lots of familiar "Fall" flavors! | chattavore.com
Enter apple cinnamon French toast casserole. We’ve been down this road before, in a way anyway. Cubes of slightly sweet challah (or whatever sturdy bread you’d like) drenched in that eggy batter I mentioned before, with brown sugar and cinnamon glazed apples and toasted pecans, baked and served with maple syrup? Why, yes please. This a great make-ahead breakfast dish, so it’s perfect when you have houseguests or, like me, you just know that on Saturday morning bacon and eggs are really all you will be able to manage if you don’t think ahead. Don’t let the long cook time scare you….most of it is just the bread cubes drying or the casserole baking. This apple cinnamon French toast casserole is totally worth your time!
Apple cinnamon French toast casserole is an easy-to-prepare make ahead breakfast with lots of familiar "Fall" flavors! | chattavore.com

Yield: 8 servings

Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

10 minPrep Time:

1 hr, 10 Cook Time:

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Ingredients

  • 1 lb. sturdy bread, cut into 2-inch cubes (I like challah or brioche)
  • 1 cup pecans - chopped
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 pounds apples - peeled and diced (about 4 cups of diced apples)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon - divided
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3 cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • maple syrup, apple butter, and/or powdered sugar for serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the bread cubes on a large baking sheet. Place the bread in the oven until dry and crusty but not brown-about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
  2. Preheat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Place the pecans into the skillet and cook until they JUST begin to brown and smell "nutty"-don't let them brown completely because they will end up burning.
  3. Add the butter to the skillet and allow it to melt. Add the apples and cook until tender. Add the brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon and cook until the sugar melts and glazes the apples.
  4. While the apples are cooking, whisk together the milk and eggs until homogenous. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and pour the eggs and milk over the bread. Stir to completely incorporate. Spread into a 9 x 13 baking pan.
  5. Evenly distribute the apple & pecan mixture over the bread cubes. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
  6. To bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and remove the foil. Combine the two tablespoons of granulated sugar with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes or until no liquid appears when you press on the bread. Serve immediately with maple syrup, apple butter, powdered sugar, etc.

Notes

Prep time does not include overnight rest in the refrigerator. Cook time assumes that you will cook the apples and pecans while the bread cubes are drying in the oven.

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https://chattavore.com/apple-cinnamon-french-toast-casserole/

Click here to print the recipe for apple cinnamon French toast casserole!
Apple cinnamon French toast casserole is an easy-to-prepare make ahead breakfast with lots of familiar "Fall" flavors! | chattavore.com

Pulled Pork Potato Casserole

With tender shredded pork, potatoes, bbq sauce, sour cream, and cheese, this pulled pork potato casserole has everything you love about a BBQ pork potato!
Pulled pork potato casserole is like a pulled pork baked potato in a pan! | @chattavore
Pulled smoked pork speaks to me on a level that’s really difficult to explain. Like fried chicken, a smoked pork butt beckons to the good Southern girl in me….it’s just a classic, iconic Southern dish. The perfect amount of smoke means that sauce isn’t really even needed, but if you want some sauce, you just need the slightest drizzle to accentuate the deep smoke flavor of the meat. Philip and I like to stand over the freshly smoked hunk of pork resting on the cutting board on our counter, gingerly pulling shreds of meat from the still smoldering shoulder and popping them in our mouths, all the while extolling the virtues of glorious smoked pork. By the way, we behave the same way with the pork when it’s cold from the fridge as we attempt to tear away shreds to make something with the leftovers.
Pulled pork potato casserole is like a pulled pork baked potato in a pan! | @chattavore
Pulled pork potato casserole is like a pulled pork baked potato in a pan! | @chattavore
Honestly, there isn’t much that you can do to make smoked pork better, so the only thing you can do is serve it with really great sides or on some really great bread…or a baked potato. If you’ve read any of my BBQ restaurant blog posts, you know that I am a fan of barbecue potatoes (usually called a “killer potato” around here) and that’s my usual order when I go to a barbecue restaurant. I have mentioned here a time or two that a baked potato is one of my perfect, go-to foods, and baked potatoes go well with just about anything. But something as awe-inspiring as smoked pork…well, that’s just over the top.
Pulled pork potato casserole is like a pulled pork baked potato in a pan! | @chattavore
Pulled pork potato casserole is like a pulled pork baked potato in a pan! | @chattavore
And if a pulled pork baked potato is good, a pulled pork potato casserole is even better. I drizzled the boiled Russet potatoes (you could bake them, of course, but it’s quicker to boil and I was in a hurry!) with melted butter then tossed them in a simple sour cream and buttermilk sauce that I whipped up. Of course, I stirred in a generous amount of shredded pork and a few sliced green onions. Baked up with a thick layer of shredded cheddar on top, this casserole was basically perfect without sauce, but a light drizzle of some smoked Porter barbecue sauce that I made completed this casserole perfectly.

This pulled pork potato casserole was everything I love from a barbecue restaurant baked up in one pan!

Pulled pork potato casserole is like a pulled pork baked potato in a pan! | @chattavore
Pulled pork potato casserole is like a pulled pork baked potato in a pan! | @chattavore

Yield: 4-8 servings

Pulled Pork Potato Casserole

15 minPrep Time:

40 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups pulled pork
  • 2 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
  • barbecue sauce, for serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and sprinkle the water liberally with salt. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain and place in a large bowl.
  2. Combine all ingredients except the cheese and the barbecue sauce in the bowl with the potatoes. Spread into an 8 or 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle the top with cheese.
  3. Bake the casserole for 25 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil until the cheese has browned. Serve with barbecue sauce.
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https://chattavore.com/pulled-pork-potato-casserole/

Click here to print the recipe for pulled pork potato casserole!
Pulled pork potato casserole is like a pulled pork baked potato in a pan! | @chattavore

Pulled Pork Egg Rolls (Made from Leftovers)

What better way to use up your leftover BBQ pork and coleslaw than to roll them in an egg roll wrapper and turn them into BBQ pulled pork egg rolls?
What better way to use up your leftover BBQ pork and coleslaw than to roll them in an egg roll wrapper and turn them into BBQ pulled pork egg rolls? | recipe from chattavore.com
Pulled pork egg rolls originated from a Chinese food kick that I have been in lately. For the past month or two I have been all about General Tso’s chicken (try that recipe-it’s fantastic), egg rolls, fried rice (and no, I’m not pregnant). Enough to eat at a Chinese restaurant that I tried years ago and didn’t like. Attempt #2 yielded similar results. The chicken and rice were edible but the egg roll, not so much. I scraped out the filling and ate the wrapper.
What better way to use up your leftover BBQ pork and coleslaw than to roll them in an egg roll wrapper and turn them into BBQ pulled pork egg rolls? | recipe from chattavore.com
It was sad, too, y’all, because I love a good egg roll. The thing about egg rolls is that you can put anything in an egg roll and it’s gonna be good. Case in point, these Reuben egg rolls that I made for our Saturday night snack supper this past weekend…they pretty much ruled. But I’m getting off-topic here. The thing is, I used to think that egg rolls required some sort of special skills, till we ate dinner at some friends’ house and they made homemade vegetarian egg rolls. Whoa. Egg roll wrappers, slaw mix, and some soy sauce and other stuff. It was eye-opening. When I made them at home, I realized that it wasn’t all fun and games, though…rolling an egg roll can be a little tricky, but don’t worry. I’ll show you how.
What better way to use up your leftover BBQ pork and coleslaw than to roll them in an egg roll wrapper and turn them into BBQ pulled pork egg rolls? | recipe from chattavore.com
I had been wanting to make some smoked pork for a casserole idea I’d had (coming Wednesday!) and as I was trying to think of what else I could do with the pulled pork I remembered the egg roll wrappers I had in the fridge from where I made the aforementioned General Tso’s chicken and forgot that I’d planned to make egg rolls too. I was making coleslaw to go with the pulled pork, and suddenly it dawned on me: pulled pork egg rolls. Pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and a little bit of slaw. YAAAASSSSS. The best part? Well, never mind, I already mentioned pulled pork. But another plus? They’re baked, not fried. If you all haven’t noticed, I love oven-frying…it’s my favorite.

Anyway, smoke a pork shoulder or throw one in your Crock-Pot or pick some pulled pork up from your favorite barbecue joint and make these pulled pork egg rolls! You won’t regret it, I promise.

What better way to use up your leftover BBQ pork and coleslaw than to roll them in an egg roll wrapper and turn them into BBQ pulled pork egg rolls? | recipe from chattavore.com

Yield: 16 egg rolls

Pulled Pork Eggrolls

15 minPrep Time:

12 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

  • 4 cups pulled pork
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce of your choice
  • 16 egg roll wrappers
  • 1 cup coleslaw, drained if there is a lot of liquid in it
  • 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • additional barbecue sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Place the pork in a bowl and combine with the barbecue sauce.
  3. To fill the egg roll wrappers: Lay the wrapper on a counter or cutting board with one of the points pointing toward you. Place 1/4 cup of the pork and 1 tablespoon of coleslaw in the center of the wrapper.
  4. Pull the point that is facing you up and over the fillings. Wrap it tightly-but not too tightly-around the filling, placing the point under the filling.
  5. Pull the points on the sides in tightly toward the center.
  6. Use your finger to brush water all over the edges of the remaining exposed point.
  7. Roll the egg roll toward the point, wrapping it up tightly. I find it's easier to do it this way than to pull the remaining point back over the top of the egg roll. Line up the rolled egg rolls until you are finished and ready to bake them.
  8. Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil onto a baking sheet, using a brush to spread the oil to the edges. Place in the oven until smoking, 6-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the egg rolls on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining oil.
  9. Bake the egg rolls for 6 minutes then carefully flip with tongs. Bake for another 6 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Serve with additional barbecue sauce for dipping.
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https://chattavore.com/pulled-pork-egg-rolls/

Click here to print the recipe for pulled pork egg rolls!
What better way to use up your leftover BBQ pork and coleslaw than to roll them in an egg roll wrapper and turn them into BBQ pulled pork egg rolls? | recipe from chattavore.com

Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Tortilla soup usually has chicken and lots of tomatoes, but black bean tortilla soup is full of black beans…and deliciousness. It’s topped with baked tortilla strips.
Tortilla soup usually has chicken and lots of tomatoes, but black bean tortilla soup is full of black beans...and deliciousness. | recipe from Chattavore.com
I try to do a few meatless meals a week for a lot of reasons. The most obvious? Meat is kind of expensive. The second is that a few years ago my doctor told me that my LDL (aka bad) cholesterol was borderline high and I freaked out a little bit. See, I’m the kind of person that likes to be good at everything, including cholesterol. Being 33 or however old I was at the time and having high(ish) cholesterol did not sit well with me. I love bacon and heavy cream and butter but I did not love having a cholesterol number that was almost too high (though my HDL was awesome, and that was a good thing). At that point I told Philip that I thought we should cut down on our meat intake and see what happened.
So, we jumped in feet-first. For a long time, we ate bacon on Saturday mornings and other meats when we went out to eat in a restaurant or at someone else’s house. I didn’t cut back one little bit on the amount of butter or heavy cream I used. The next time I had a physical? Cholesterol = normal. Now, I know that there are a lot of conflicting ideas about whether animal products actually contribute to high cholesterol, and I will admit that high cholesterol runs in my family…but I made one major dietary change and my numbers were well within ideal range. I’ll take it.
Tortilla soup usually has chicken and lots of tomatoes, but black bean tortilla soup is full of black beans...and deliciousness. | recipe from Chattavore.com
I love vegetarian cooking. It gets picked on a lot in the culinary world as being “less-than” cooking with meat, which is silly. I don’t buy all the stuff about meat being superior (though you guys know I love a burger). Vegetarian cooking takes creativity and skill, because vegetables don’t have the same flavor compounds as meat. Bringing out all the wonderful flavors in vegetables requires thought. And it’s totally worth it. I’ve found myself cooking more and more meat here lately and have realized that it’s because I’ve let myself get a little lazy about thinking of great ways to make vegetarian food the best it can be.
I probably won’t go back to the never-cooking-meat-except-Saturday-morning-bacon ways of my past, because I’ve realized that wasn’t the kind of balance that I want to have. This isn’t a vegetarian blog and I want to cook vegetables and meat and share them with you. However, I’m challenging myself to being a little more creative with my vegetarian cooking so I can share some great stuff with you and dispel the ridiculous myth that Southern food is meat-heavy.

It’s not Southern, but this black bean tortilla soup is absolutely delicious and your slow cooker and food processor do all of the heavy lifting for you. Enjoy!

Tortilla soup usually has chicken and lots of tomatoes, but black bean tortilla soup is full of black beans...and deliciousness. | recipe from Chattavore.com

Yield: 6 servings

Black Bean Tortilla Soup

20 minPrep Time:

8 hr, 20 Cook Time:

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound black beans, picked through, rinsed, and soaked
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock (use vegetable stock to make this completely vegetarian)
  • 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 tomatoes, cored and quartered
  • 1/2 jalapeño, seeded
  • 1 chipotle and 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 2 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
  • 8 corn tortillas, cut into strips 1/2 inch wide
  • salt
  • garnishes-shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Drain the black beans and place in a 4-5 quart slow cooker. Add the chicken stock, half of the onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove the onions and garlic cloves.
  2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the tortilla strips in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light brown. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
  3. While the tortilla strips are baking, place the remaining onion quarters, garlic cloves, tomatoes, jalapeño, chipotle, and 1 teaspoon of the adobo in a food processor or blender and puree.
  4. Heat the remaining oil over high heat. Place the puree and 1/8 teaspoon of salt into the pan and sauté until dry and dark in color. Add to the black bean mixture and stir to combine. Cook for a few more minutes to heat through. Salt to taste. Add more adobo if you would like more heat.
  5. Serve the soup with tortilla strips and other garnishes as desired.
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https://chattavore.com/black-bean-tortilla-soup/
Click here to print the recipe for black bean tortilla soup!
Tortilla soup usually has chicken and lots of tomatoes, but black bean tortilla soup is full of black beans...and deliciousness. | recipe from Chattavore.com