Easy Tray Bake Roasted Turkey Sliders

Now that the holidays are upon us, an abundance of food seems to be on hand at every turn, and it’s so important to try our best not to waste. We’ve partnered with Kroger for their Zero Hunger Zero Waste Initiative this holiday season to show you how to use the food you have so that less goes to waste. There is so much hunger in our communities, and a way my family gives back is simply by giving. We buy one food item for our fam and grab one for the food bank. This is a practice we utilize throughout the year, but it’s particularly important during the holidays.

With so many gatherings in our homes and those of loved ones, there can be so much leftover turkey or ham or roast beef! I want to show you guys a great way to use up the leftover meats, cheeses, and rolls to elevate that sandwich game. A quick trip in the oven makes these sliders crispy on top and tender with melty cheese on the inside! The really great thing about this recipe is that you most likely have everything you need in your home right now to make it. This recipe can easily be adapted to use any leftover roasted meats or cheeses from your charcuterie boards. Throw some salami and pickles on top with a nice smear of mayo! Always remember, no matter what you have, it’s important to possess a giving heart, to teach your children to give, and to try as much as possible not to waste. #zerowastezerohunger #kroger

1 tray of 12 buttered dinner rolls
3 cups diced, cooked leftover turkey
1/2 cup salted butter, melted
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
6 slices leftover cheese (think party platters from the holiday)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 13 baking dish with parchment paper. Slice rolls in half and tuck the bottom half close together in the baking dish. Cover roll bottoms with turkey. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, onion powder, parsley, and garlic powder. Spoon 1/2 butter mixture over turkey. Slice cheese into squares and lay over top of buttered turkey. Place roll tops on turkey and cheese. Spoon last of butter onto roll tops and bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Granola Streusel and Cream Cheese & Brown Sugared Whipped Cream

It’s baking season! And that means you need fresh cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, fresh everything! Please visit Kroger.com (https://www.kroger.com/b/private-selection) to find the ingredients for this recipe, other recipes, and over $50 in digital coupons for Private Selection items. All the Private Selection items I used in this recipe are also on sale at your local Kroger proprietary store; mine here in the Pacific Northwest happens to be Fred Meyer. Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: Up to 35 minutes

 Granola Streusel

1 cup of your favorite granola

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. Private Selection cinnamon 
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. melted butter
Pinch of kosher salt

Cake Batter

1 cup plain pumpkin purée
1/4 cup Greek plain yogurt
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. Private Selection olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar 
1/4 cup Private Selection Grade A Dark Maple Syrup

2 Tbsp. Private Selection Raw and Unfiltered Wildflower Honey
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. Private Selection Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Private Selection Ground Nutmeg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda 

Cream Cheese & Brown Sugared Whipped Cream 

8 oz. soft cream cheese
Pinch of salt

1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar, depending on your sweetness preference
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream

To make the crumble, combine all ingredients with a fork in a medium-sized bowl until small crumbles form.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 9 square baking dish with parchment paper. Sift all dry ingredients together and set aside. Combine, pumpkin, yogurt, butter, eggs, olive oil, sugars, vanilla, maple syrup, and honey in a large mixing bowl and mix until it’s just combined. Add dry ingredients. Fold until it’s just combined. Spoon the batter into the lined baking dish and spread evenly to fill the pan. Sprinkle the granola crumble evenly over the top and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs. If the pick inserted is clean, the cake is over-cooked. Begin checking at 25 minutes. 

To make the whipped cream, in the bowl of your stand-mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a small electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the salt, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer at the lowest speed, stream in the heavy cream very slowly. Whip for 3-4 minutes until soft peaks form, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The cream cheese must be room temperature for no lumps to form.

Serve the cake warm with a dollop of the cream cheese & brown sugared whipped cream.

#sponsored #krogerco @krogerco

The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Initiative, Kroger, Cincinnati, and Oprah!

I think we all have a call on our lives to help those in need, and I firmly believe that to feed someone is to love them. I am honored to partner with The Kroger Company, one of the world’s largest grocers, in their Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative. It is one thing when individuals get together to invoke change, but it’s another when a large corporation stands against poverty and hunger by saying no to food waste in their stores. This last year, Kroger alone donated 325 million meals to people in need. That’s enough food to feed everyone in the country of Iceland for an entire year!

A few weeks ago, Kroger asked if I’d head to Cincinnati, Ohio and be a part of this change. It is the one-year anniversary of the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste program, and Kroger has partnered with Oprah Winfrey in donating even more food this coming year. Oprah is the founder of O, That’s Good!, a brand new pizza line (super delicious and available at your local Kroger grocer for $6.99), and a portion of the proceeds is split equally between the organizations Feeding America and Rise Against Hunger. She was on hand in Cincinnati to share her passion for this initiative and her commitment to the cause of ending childhood hunger. 

Cincinnati suffers as one of the leading cities in the nation in childhood poverty. We gathered at the Freestore Food Bank and packed 2000 power packs for hungry kids to take home from school for the weekends when they don’t have sufficient access to food. Think about that – children don’t have sufficient access to food. This is an epidemic in our country that requires immediate attention, and Kroger has answered the call.

I can’t help but get emotional when I think of the realities children are facing. I can’t help but get excited at the opportunity we have to end this. No matter what, we are committed to feeding those in need. I believe there is no greater gift than to show love in this way.

One of the greatest moments in my life was standing on that assembly line, stuffing nourishing food into a take-home pack, because I know that food changes lives. A meal brings hope. To be able to partner with Kroger and Oprah to make a difference has been a dream come true.

I grew up as a “Free & Reduced Lunch” kid. I benefited from programs like these. My parents worked very hard, they were loving and dedicated, and they showed us kids (all four of us) how to be resourceful and spend our money wisely and how to make food and meals stretch. We utilized the meat and milk markdowns on Mondays at our local grocery store. We were no stranger to the day-old bread bin. We never turned our nose up to bruised or soft fruit. We’d visit church parking lots for commodities like peanut butter, rice, and cheese. If you know the brick of government cheese, I say you’ve got one leg up on life.

I now spend my life and career writing recipes and books about meals made from whole food. We aim to nourish the soul first. Rustic Joyful Food is about life. Life is good, no matter what. It’s not without its tears, but there is beauty in the rough stuff, in the not so pretty stuff.

Seven years ago when our restaurant closed due to my illness in pregnancy, I was able to draw on everything I learned to make food stretch in the best way possible: while we lost all our earthly possessions – our business, our home, and our car. We had a brand new baby, and we never for one moment lost hope. There is hope in this life, and we are meant to share our struggles so that others might not give up. I will forever shout from the rooftops that we are made for hard things, made to endure adversity in order to help people. In order to bring hope. It’s always darkest before the dawn, but guess what? Morning always comes.

If you’d like to contribute to Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, here are a few things you can do:

• Donate a bag of groceries to a local food bank or shelter during September

• Post a photo of your donation with #ZeroHungerZeroWaste

• Tag a friend and challenge them to make a food donation in September

• Tag your local food bank or shelter to help raise awareness about where and how to donate

If you’d like to learn more about the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative, visit TheKrogerCo.com.

#zerohungerzerowaste

#sponsored