What Most Of Us Probably Have on Hand Today….
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
At least the Americans.=)
Here are some recipes for using up leftover turkey and other Thanksgiving meal items:
Soup and broth, of course. I hope you saved the turkey carcass. Take a hammer and break a few of the larger bones, and then read these directions for a nourishing soup.
Use leftover stuffing to make dumplings for that soup. Combine:
two cups of stuffing
3 lightly beaten eggs
sage or other herbs, chopped (a couple teaspoons fresh, one teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Combine in bowl, mixing well (you may want to use a plastic bag over your hands and knead it. Shape into balls and drop into simmering soup (or put a greased steamer basket on top of soup and drop gently into basket)- cover with a lid and cook until dumplings are hot through center.
Rice and Turkey salad- a lighter meal, includes mandarin oranges (check places like the dollar store or Walgreens, and watch for coupons at Walgreens- I only buy mind there with coupons) and pineapple chunks.
Another pasta salad- this time with a basil-nut dressing you make yourself- the dressing is absolutely stunning. I like it spread on toasted bagels or English muffins, in omelettes, and on sandwiches. TIP: DON'T use walnuts. Use almonds. The almonds make a lighter version with more basil flavor coming through.
Creamed (anything) over toast- a forgiving, easy recipe where you can substitute just about anything in any amount. It's peasant food, but there's nothing wrong with that.
Empanadas- a delicious hot pocket- the dough is made from scratch, using cornmeal and flour. The filling is leftover turkey (or other mean) cheese, and chiles. Freezes and reheats well, making it a hand take-along meal for car picnics.
Three recipes in this post- one for a casserole using leftover gravy (or soup if you don't have gravy), stuffing (or bread cubes if you're out) and cooked, diced turkey or chicken; a casserole using cranberry relish and turkey or chicken; and turkey enchiladas- our favorite leftover turkey recipe and a family tradition going back forty years or so.
Use leftover vegetables and mashed potatoes for a shepherd's pie- put a layer of meat in the bottom of a casserole dish, a layer of vegetables, then spread seasoned mashed potatoes over the top, dab with butter, and bake until hot through.
Mix stuffing with diced apples and nuts, then use it to stuff acorn squash, bake as usual.
Use leftover cranberry sauce in cranberry bread, muffins, on toast, combine with cream cheese and spread on toast or roll up in pancakes.
Use leftover bread/buns/rolls for apple charlotte- scroll down for the recipe, or bread strata for a main dish (just dice it up, and you could stretch it out with added leftover stuffing as well)
You could also make basic bread pudding with leftover rolls.
Be sure to invite friends in to share it all!
Want more like this post? Read on!
- Gathering the Fragments… of Thanksgiving Dinner, or what to make with the leftovers. ...
- Thanksgiving For $20 or Less? Have you seen Walmart's clever Thanksgiving commercial? It advertises a Thanksgiving meal...
- Flexibility In Your Hand A while back in a post on my regular blog...
- Bread Crumbs A friend wrote to ask if she could make bread...
3 Responses to “What Most Of Us Probably Have on Hand Today….”
November 29th, 2008 at 9:47 am
did not cook turkey, stuffing and all so don’t have that problem.
ate different kinds of breads, spreads, fruit, veggie dishes and soups. So all i need to do is make coffee and pull out the goodies once again.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Problem? We love the after Thanksgiving enchiladas so much we’d rather have them than the Thanksgiving turkey- so we don’t see it as a problem, but an opportunity.=)
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:50 am
NO turkey? can’t fathom that. i never buy chicken stock. i just cook a turkey and freeze the stock in various size ice cube trays. that way i can add it to recipes right from the freezer in premeasured sizes. we strip the bones before and after boiling to freeze the meat for soups casseroles, enchiladas, sky’s the limit here. when i get to the bottom of the stock pot (onions, celery, carrots, spices and turkey bits) we freeze this portion for soup starters. it’s not so much the original meal as the fantastic stuff you can make afterward! Not to mention how much money you save!!
Leave a Comment