Lefse with Peanut Butter and Nutella

This isn't a recipe so much as just a new way to use up the leftover holiday lefse in your fridge. Assuming anyone else has leftover lefse in their fridges.

If you're not familiar, lefse is a Norwegian flatbread that's thinner than a quesadilla, but thicker than a crepe, and its primary ingredient is potatoes. (Potatoes are a common baking ingredient in the area -- in early days, they were locally grown, plentiful, and had a long cellar life.)

My family isn't of Norwegian heritage, but we grew up in a community that was predominantly Norwegian Lutheran. A lot of people made lefse at home, and distributed it to any neighbors who didn't. One of my high school organizations even sold lefse as a fundraiser each year. Some of the men and women from the community would gather at the high school cafeteria, and we'd all make lefse together to fulfill our orders.

Making lefse is time-consuming, but fairly simple, although it requires a lot of extra tools that I don't have room to store. So I'm content with buying my lefse. This is Freddy's.

They're a year-round lefse-making operation, and they supply lefse to all the local grocery stores. They're located about a mile away, and you can walk up to their shop -- via a nearly hidden side door in a corregated steel building -- and buy your fresh, warm lefse any day of the week.

You probably can't read the guidance on the package, but the folks at Freddy's recommend serving "with lutefisk, pork links, bacon, sausage or hamburger. Also delightful rolled up with butter, or butter and sugar, jelly or cinnamon. Excellent potato substitute for family lunch boxes."

Now, I don't know of anyone who eats lefse with meat, and I certainly don't know of anyone who considers it a substitute for potatoes. But I know a lot of people who eat lefse with either butter or butter and sugar. Except my mom, who eats hers with Cool Whip. And me. I've been eating lefse since I was a li'l whippersnapper, but I've always asked for my lefse with peanut butter and jelly, and that's how I love it to this day.

But today I had a chocolate craving, so I substituted Nutella for the jelly. And it was delightful.

Simply lay your lefse on a flat surface, and cut down to your preferred size. These were small sheets; no cutting required.

Spread with peanut butter and top with Nutella.

I'd use more Nutella than I did in this photo. I was at the end of my jar.

Roll 'em up, and scarf 'em down. Uff da!

Baked Turkey and Black Bean Taquitos

The hubby and I hosted Thanksgiving last week, and invited both our families. And that's about all I have to say about it.

Yes, I'm a food blogger who has no Thanksgiving recipes to post. The hubby and I made a few turkey breasts and a ham, mashed potatoes, and steamed corn. My dad made gravy. The hubby's mom and older sister provided the pies and sides galore.

It was pretty much The Thanksgiving Where I Did Nothing Except Clean and Set the Table. Which, admittedly, was a lot of work. It was the first big clean sweep of the house since the little man was born, and come Thanksgiving Day, I was exhausted. (Operating on about three hours of sleep may have contributed.) I was so tired that I forgot to make coffee after dinner, and I think half our guests left without being offered pie.

But it was great to see our families, including this guy, who spent his previous three or four Thanksgivings elsewhere.

This is my brother. Ladies, he's single, owns his own business, has all his teeth, AND changes diapers. Please, take a number.

And now we're swimming in leftovers, including lefse, which my sister-in-law left for me because she knows I love to eat it with peanut butter and jelly. (I've grown up with lefse all my life. I've even made it on multiple occasions. But I'm not Norwegian, so I'm allowed to eat it however I like.)

But mostly ham and turkey. And while I love pot pies and soups like everyone else, I quickly reach the point where I want my leftovers to taste like anything a holiday dinner. No gravy, and definitely no poultry seasoning.

Enter leftover idea #1, turkey and black bean taquitos. This actually started off as empanadas, which I think was a Robin Miller recipe. The hubby had never heard of empanadas; he had them confused with pinatas.

Anyway, I had waaaaaay too much filling left over. So I made some oven-baked taquitos, just to see how they'd turn out. And the hubby and I both liked them far better than the empanadas. Hooray for improvisation! You can add more cheese, if you prefer, but the hubby and I are still trying to undo the food sins of the past few days.

Baked Turkey and Black Bean Taquitos
Makes 12

2 c. shredded cooked turkey
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
1/2 c. shredded pepperjack cheese
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. salsa
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (optional)
1 tsp. ground cumin
12 7" flour tortillas
Olive oil, for brushing (can use cooking spray, as well)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, black beans, cheeses, salsa, cilantro, and cumin.

3. Place a few spoonfuls of turkey mixture at the edge of each tortilla.

4. Roll the tortilla tightly and secure with a toothpick.

5. Place on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil, or spray with cooking spray.

6. Bake 15 minutes, until crisp.