Sunday, November 18, 2012

#SundaySupper Thanksgiving Leftover Edition...Featuring Turkey Mornay Open-Faced Sandwiches

This week, the #SundaySupper food bloggers are focusing on amazing Thanksgiving leftovers...what to do with the "remains of the day" so to speak. We've got a wide variety of creative recipes to share today! My contribution to the fun is one of my family's favorite holiday comfort foods: my Grandma Texene's Turkey Mornay Open-Faced Sandwiches. We all look forward to eating these delicious sandwiches each holiday season: toasted bread topped with chopped broccoli, shredded turkey breast, homemade cheese sauce, bacon, and melted cheese. I've never actually made these sandwiches myself before, so I figured it was high time I did! Every single time I eat Turkey Mornay, I smile and remember Mom's mother, my Grandma Texene. 

Despite her name, my Grandma Texene was actually born and raised in Wisconsin. Given her name, I suppose it was fate that she ended up in Texas as an adult. She was elegant and well-traveled, and I adored her! I'm convinced that my love of travel, good food, and wine comes directly from her. She was just under 5 feet tall with bleached-blonde hair...when I was a girl, she drove a yellow Firebird. She smoked Parliament cigarettes and wore Chanel No. 5, and she slept in a round bed. Not any round bed mind you, but one with a yellow velvet headboard! Above the bed were painted formal portraits of her and my Grandpa Bob, and she always had a poodle companion with painted toenails. She's been gone for more than 20 years now, but her memory lives on each time I enjoy this delicious sandwich! 

Turkey Mornay Open-Faced Sandwiches
adapted from Texene Everhart

Step 1: Cook 3-4 slices of applewood bacon and crumble into bite-sized pieces; set aside. Make the cheese sauce as follows: melt 2 tbs. butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tbs. flour and whisk until incorporated. Cook for 1 minute, then add 1 1/4 cups milk and 1 1/4 cups chicken stock to the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Whisk well to combine and turn heat to med-high. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until thickened, whisking every minute or so. Remove the saucepan from heat and completely whisk in 1 cup of cheese. I used 1/2 cup shredded Velveeta for smoothness and 1/2 cup shredded co-jack for a sharp contrast. 


Step 2: Preheat oven to 425. Place 4 slices toasted Texas Toast on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Drizzle with some of the cheese sauce, then top with approximately 1/2 cup cooked frozen chopped broccoli. Combine 2 cups of the cheese sauce with 3 cups shredded leftover turkey breast. Mound 1/2 cup of the turkey on top of the broccoli. Top each sandwich with 1/4 of the bacon pieces and 1/3 cup shredded co-jack cheese.


Step 3: Bake the sandwiches for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Then, turn on the broiler and broil just until the cheese begins to brown...keep a very close eye on the sandwiches so they don't burn! Make sure to serve these hearty sandwiches with a serrated steak knife to make them easy to cut. 


This sandwich is so good that you'll be looking forward to the leftovers! Melted cheese, bacon, cheesy bechamel sauce, moist turkey, and healthy broccoli all rest on crunchy toasted bread. The Texas Toast was my personal tweak to the recipe, and it worked nicely...it stood up to the sauce and didn't get soggy. I also decided to chop the bacon rather than leave it in strips, which also makes it easier to enjoy. This sandwich is just plain good. This one's for you, Grandma Texene!

Tonight at 700EST, the #SundaySupper bloggers will be having a live Twitter chat. Make sure to join us to get some fabulous Thanksgiving leftover tips! Between now and then, I hope you'll go visit my blogger friends and check out the wide variety of delicious Thanksgiving leftover recipes they're sharing!




Breakfast & Brunch

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls by Juanita’s Cocina
Turkey Cranberry Muffins by In the Kitchen with Audrey
Sweet Potato Biscuits by Home Cooking Memories

Main Course

Turkey Enchiladas by Webicurean
Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole by FamilyFoodie
Turkey and Cranberry Monte Cristo by Supper for a Steal
Thanksgiving hangover sandwich by Crispy Bits & Burt Ends
Turkey Tamale Pie by Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
Thanksgiving Leftovers Pot Pie by I Run For Wine
Turkey and Stuffing Pasty by Small Wallet Big Appetite
The Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich by Daily Dish Recipes
Turkey Vegetable Hash by Generation Y Foodie
Turkey Tetrazzini by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Thanksgiving Leftovers: Turkey and Andouille Gumbo for #SundaySupper by Catholic Foodie
Red Potato Turkey Cutlets with Ginger & Fresh Herbs by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
Thanksgiving Turkey Banh Mi Sandwich by 30AEats
Leftover Turkey and Sausage Gumbo by My Catholic Kitchen
Turkey Mornay Open-Face Sandwiches by The Weekend Gourmet
Leftover Mashed Potatoes and Beef Croquettes by Pippis in the Kitchen Again
Simple and easy! Turkey a la king, fit for a queen! by Midlife Road Trip
Turkey and Mushroom Risotto by Comfy Cuisine
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie by The Wimpy Vegetarian
Kartoffelpuffer – German Potato Pancakes by MrsMamaHen
Skillet Turkey Reuben by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
# glutenfree Turkey Shepard’s Cake by Cooking Underwriter
Hearty Ham and Cheese Penne Pasta by Mama Mommy Mom
Hawaiian BBQ Turkey Flatbread Pizza by Damn Delicious
Turkey shepards pie! by The Realistic Nutritionist
Spicy Turkey Chili for #SundaySupper #Leftovers by Hot Curries and Cold Beer
Turkey & Cranberry Panini with Tarragon Aioli by The Messy Baker Blog

Soups, Salads, Sides & Starters

Gluten Free Turkey and Dumplings by The Meltaways
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Shallots and Pancetta by Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
Curried Turkey Salad  by Kimchi Mom
Potato Patties w/ Tomato Salsa by La Cocina De Leslie
Spicy Coconut Turkey Soup by Diabetic Foodie
Mashed Potatoes Twice Baked by Hezzi-D’s Books & Cooks
Moroccan Chicken Salad with Rice by My Trial’s in the Kitchen
Cranberry Barbecue Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by Cupcakes and Kale Chips
Olive Tapenade by Fast Food to Fresh Food
Leftover Turkey Soup by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding by MarocMama 

Sweets & Desserts

Cranberry Sauce Crumb Bars by girlichef
Pumpkin Gingersnap Truffles by Chocolate Moosey
Sweet Potato Spice Cake with Pecan Streusel Topping by Shockingly Delicious
Chocolate Peanut Butter Potato Frosting by Yummy Smells

Wine Pairings for the Recipes Featured

Wine Pairings for Thanksgiving Leftovers #SundaySupper by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog



40 comments:

  1. Man, that sandwich is killer! Your grandma sounds like a wonderful person - a 'free thinker' if you will; seems she lived life to the fullest in her own way. I would have loved her too!

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    1. Have fun with it...change the cheese in the bechamel or use asparagus instead of broccoli.

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  2. Oh my those look good, I love all the flavors that you have put into this.

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  3. That looks so amazing!!! Your Grandma also sounded like an amazing woman. Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Grandma Texene was an original, that's for sure! I love how food can let family live on forever in part!

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  4. Replies
    1. It is really really good...you could probably even use leftover ham in place of turkey too!

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  5. This looks fabulous! But I think the real stah of the show is Grandma Texene!

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    1. This sandwich is good eats! Right out of the broiler with the crunchy toast and bubbly sauce? Heaven!

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  6. WOW your grandma was a smart lady! Adding this to my list!

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  7. Open-faced sandwiches are the best! I'll have two of these please :)

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    1. I love open-faced sandwiches too, but you don't really see them that often anymore.

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  8. Ooey-Gooey Cheesy Deliciousness! I love open-faced sandwiches!

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    1. I do too, but they're kind of retro! I don't see them that often anymore, but they are so good!

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  9. I just watched Bobby Flay make Mornay sandwiches the other day and thought they looked good, but these look phenomenal!!

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    1. It's pretty simple, but it has a lot of great flavors going on!

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  10. Grandma Texene sounds like an awesome lady! And YES, I totally need these sanwiches!! =)

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    1. She wasn't the typical "traditional" grandmother, but she taught me some really valuable lessons. She loved to travel, and for this small-town girl? It taught me that there's so much out there to see!

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  11. So my first thought when I saw this post was "Is that bacon"?...this recipe looks amazing. Funny...we don't usually have bacon on hand normally, but I'll buy some now!

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    1. Ha...yes, bacon makes everything better! Some years, my Mom leaves it off...but I think that smokiness really makes the sandwich!

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  12. Oh my word! This looks amazing! My boys would love this!

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    1. The hardest part is making the cheese sauce, and that takes about 15 minutes. The rest is pretty easy...so good!

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  13. Texene soulds like quite the lady! These sandwiches look amazing as well!

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    1. She was an original for sure...she wasn't perfect by any means, but she sure did live life to the fullest! This sandwich is so good!

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  14. Adding bacon and melted cheese to leftovers is probably always a winning combo. Why have I never thought of this!?! Thanks for sharing.

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  15. Wow your grandma sounds like someone I would have loved to know. And this sandwich looks like an amazing use of leftovers

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  16. I love the description of your Grandma Texene! What a wonderful person to have had in your life.

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  17. It is currently 8:20am and I am now craving this! Looks so delicious with all that melty cheese.

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  18. You had me at homemade cheese sauce! I love this creative sammy. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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  19. This turey sandwich sound absolutly amazing. I love the melted cheese on top of the cheese sauce and the broccoli. I am so making this on Friday.

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  20. Love the story about your grandmother. All that cheesy melty goodness is hard to resist!

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  21. The mornay and the melted cheese just make this sandwich!

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  22. I love the broccoli on this sandwich! Also reminds me of a Kentucky Hot Brown!

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  23. I could not resist this sandwich with the melted cheesy topping! Great dish, Wendy!

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  24. Can I have a bite? This looks amazing, Wendy! I love all the stuffing on top especially the cheesy look...cant resist!

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