I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, full of family time and yummy food!  I was reminded this Thanksgiving of how grateful I am for my wonderful patients and co-workers.  Coming to work everyday is a treat and I am very fortunate that way.

Let’s talk food for a minute, shall we?

First off, at the risk of being shunned by all the true foodies out there, I have to say that for me the Thanksgiving meal wouldn’t be complete without “cranberry sauce” plopped in a fancy dish, can-marks and all!  None of this actual homemade cranberry relish for me, if it doesn’t look like a can I don’t so much like it.  But I digress…

Thanksgiving is officially one of my favorite meals of the year, but by about this time I’m getting tired of eating the leftovers.  There are only so many turkey sandwiches and platefuls of this rich holiday food a girl can eat.

So what to do with all those leftovers??

Two words: HOT DISH!! (This is Minnesotan for casserole)

TURKEY, BACON & BROCCOLI HOT DISH

And I’ll just give you a second here to drool…drool break!  Mmmmm…bacon!

-4 Tbsp butter, plus extra for the dish

-¼ cup all-purpose flour

-2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

-1 cup light cream

-1 tsp salt

-¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

-½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

-Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

-1 large head of broccoli (about 2lbs), chopped

-½ lb bacon, cooked and chopped

-1 lb sliced, cooked turkey breast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9×13 inch casserole.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 Tbsp of butter and stir in flour until smooth.  Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring.  Whisk in chicken broth and cream.  Bring to boil and continue stirring until thickened and smooth.  Stir in salt, ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, Swiss cheese, and cayenne.

In a large saucepan, cook broccoli in boiling water for about 12 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Drain and cover the bottom of the casserole dish with the cooked broccoli.  Top with chopped bacon and then the turkey.

Pour cheese sauce evenly over all and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, or until bubbly.

(Or you can cover and refrigerate for up to a day in which case you should add 10 minutes to the baking time)