After Thanksgiving dinner, we served two specialty coffee recipes that were sent to us by Krups, a leader in coffee and espresso makers and other kitchen appliances.

Both recipes were hits, and we’ll continue to make them throughout the holiday season. Although guests will appreciate them, you don’t need a special occasion: Make them as a treat for yourself.

The second recipe is enhanced with liqueurs. You can also add a shot of coffee liqueur to the Gingerbread Latte.

You can serve gingerbread or gingersnaps with both.

December 15th is National Gingerbread Latte Day.
 
 
RECIPE #1: GINGERBREAD LATTE

Ingredients Per Cup

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the espresso coffee with gingerbread syrup in a coffee mug.

2. POUR in the steamed milk and frothed milk. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice and vanilla powder.
 

[2] Serve the beverages with crunchy gingerbread men or gingersnaps (photo © McCormick).

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. MIX the coffee and liqueurs in a pot. Pour into individual cups.

2. SERVE with a pitcher of cream.
 

Creamy mint lollypops from See’s Candies are a hit! Photo courtesy Sees.com.

In years past, we’d hand out homemade cookies, but those buttery cookies got messy, requiring napkins and plastic sandwich bags.

This year we’re streamlining and giving everyone a delicious Christmas Mint Lollypop from See’s Candies.

The white lollys in green foil wrapping are not kid food: They’re truly gourmet lollipops (both lollipop and lollypop are correct spellings).

The flavor of the heavy cream base is lightly accented with mint. And, dear to our hearts, the sugar is in perfect balance—not sugary-sweet like many lollipops.

In addition to the Christmas Mint Lollypops, there are Cinnamon Lollypops; mixed-flavor Lollypops in Butterscotch, Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla; and the same four flavors in a Hanukkah Lollypop Box.

Get a bunch for yourself, too, and extras for stocking stuffers.

See’s Candies are certified kosher by KSA.

What would you give as a mini-gift? Let us know!

Do you have a favorite use for leftover cranberry sauce? Let us know!

What about the leftovers? Photo courtesy
iGourmet.com

We love the fried stuffing balls we wrote about on Wednesday. The recipe also turns leftover cranberry sauce into a dip for the stuffing balls.

What about too much turkey and too many sweet potatoes? Here are some ideas from Spice Islands and THE NIBBLE:

Turkey Cranberry Sandwich
Mix cranberries with mayonnaise and make a turkey sandwich on better-for-you whole wheat bread or toast. Add leftover stuffing, salad or a combination of lettuce, tomato and sliced cucumbers. As a side with your sandwich, crunch on any remaining crudités.

Turkey Pot Pie
Leftover turkey is a wonderful excuse to make pot pie! Here’s a recipe.

Sweet Potato Mash
You can turn candied sweet potatoes into mashed potatoes as a side, or sweetened to taste with sugar and pumpkin pie spices (plus some vanilla extract) to fill tartlet or pie shells.

Cranberry Compote
Mix cranberry sauce with a dash of cinnamon, orange liqueur and a teaspoon of vanilla. Heat on the stove until warm and pour over vanilla or berry ice cream or sorbet.

Tomorrow: 15 things to do with leftover cranberry sauce.

Some people try to keep the white meat moist by tenting it with aluminum foil, or adding a pan of water to the oven.

THE NIBBLE’s consulting chef, Eric Dantis, is a pro at cooking turkey. His technique to keep the breast from drying out is simple, especially if you carve the turkey before bringing it to the table (as opposed to showcasing the roasted turkey before carving).

The tip: Simply cut the legs off and roast them in a separate pan.

It’s simple science: With such a long and slow cooking process, the breast will reach serving temperature of 165°F way before the legs will. As the breast remains in the oven so the legs can finish cooking, it leaks valuable juices, causing the meat to dry out.

Some people flip the bird mid-roast, so that the juices flow down into the breast, which is now on the bottom. With a large, hot bird, this can be tricky—if not outright dangerous.

So, roast the legs in a separate pan. This way, when the body of the turkey is finished cooking, you can remove it let the legs continue to cook while the body rests before carving.

Your turkey will cook faster, the breast will remain moist, and the legs will be tender. Roast on!

FOOD TRIVIA: WHERE DID THE TURKEY ORIGINATE?

The turkey is a native American, domesticated by ancient Mesoamericans from the wild turkeys of what is today Central Mexico. The meat and eggs were major sources of protein; the feathers were used for ornamentation.

The Spanish conquistadors brought turkeys to Spain around 1528. In a turn-about, England sent domestic turkeys back to the Americas—to the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia, in 1607. Here’s more on the history of the turkey.