It is that time of the year again. Everyone cooks too much, eats too much, and has too many leftovers! That is OK - enjoy!
The nice part is that for many in the U.S. it is a shorter work week, many go shopping, many will decorate, and many will relax and enjoy some down time. In all that - it is nice to have extra food on hand so as not to have prepare a lot of new things.
You can re-invent your leftovers into all kinds of goodies.
I always look forward to a cold turkey sandwich with mustard!!!! Yep, one of my favorite things.
You can chop or shred and season up and use in tacos or burritos or enchiladas
Soup or stew - white chili
Grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches - YUM
Wraps - add turkey, cranberries, or turkey and veggies
Casseroles - Shepherd's pie
Turkey salad
Noodles or dumplings with turkey
Make your own stuffed hot pockets - no limit to what you can put in them
Stir fry or fried rice
Turkey, rice and cheese
OR slice or chop and freeze for futures meals
There is no limits to what you can use turkey for - anything that you would use chicken for!
**(don't forget to make that bone broth with the carcass!!!)**
DRESSING
Place a dollop or two in the waffle iron. This is one of my favorites as well. It is soft on the inside and browned and harder on the outside.
Fry into patties
Add to ground meat as an extender for a special meatloaf
POTATOES
Potato cakes - another favorite of mine for leftover potatoes!
Topping on a Shepherd's pie or casserole. Use on top of casserole - top with shredded cheese and Yum
Potato candy
Potato bread - same with sweet potatoes
You can also FREEZE leftover potatoes and dressing. Place amounts in a buttered muffin tin and freeze. Pop out and place in a bag for later. You have individual portions all ready to heat back up!
CRANBERRIES
Add to Jello or creamy pudding/cheesecake
Place a dollop on your sandwich
MAKE cranberry mayo!!!
Mix 1 C Mayo
1/2 C cranberry sauce
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
There you have it. Just a few ideas to extend those wonderful leftovers into new things. No need to get bored of the same thing. Mix it up, experiment and have fun.
Do you have a fun and creative way to re-make those tasty morsels????
Let us all know!
Have fun and ENJOY!
(Little Penpen) I will probably make soup with my turkey leftovers this year. Otherwise, I just keep making plates and reheating! As long as I have dressing and gravy, I’m happy!
ReplyDeleteThat is me with turkey and gravy - yep dressing and mashed pots as well. I like it all!!!!!
DeleteTurkey pot pie makes 8 servings and uses up leftover turkey and gravy. Yum!
ReplyDeleteMmmmmm - that sounds so yummy. Mom always made what she called meat pie - I make it, but it doesn't taste like mom's!!!!
DeleteTurkey Tetrazzini-Mom made it similar to this: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/turkey-tetrazzini/
ReplyDeleteYUM - another great idea!!!!!
DeleteHmmm...: ) Those are great ideas, cranberry mayo? Wow, never would have thought of that! I like your potato ideas too...I will have to try those! Potato candy? That sounds very interesting, I want to try that! : ) I wish I had some creative ideas but I don't...My Italian grandma and grandpa usually just ate up the leftovers! lol We all did! lol (Still do!) But I'm def going to try some of your ideas so none of it goes stale, that dressing crisped up and potatoes in muffin tins... sounds very good! And that would be a Godsend on a busy day too.
ReplyDeleteI know - cranberry mayo is def. for those holiday leftovers.
DeletePotato candy is really tasty. There are lots of recipes out there and it is easy.
We pretty much just kept eating until gone as well. That was Glen's favorite meal of the year - over and over!!!!
Great ideas! I saw a recipe using leftover stuffing as a topper for a Shepherd's pie. Turkey tetrazzini is always a good dish. Our little turkey breast is small enough that most of it will be eaten today.
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful things to do with leftovers. AND it is ALL yummy!!!! Enjoy your bird!
DeleteWe had our 19+ lb turkey that was FREE. Cooked it and it was so good. Saved some for our weekend meals, cut off one whole breast, package of white meat, 3 “carcasses” to freeze. Made 3 qt bone broth so far….will thaw other partial carcasses for more bone broth and soup.
ReplyDeleteLove your dressing/stuffing ideas, Cheryl!
You are on it!!!!!! Makes the best bone broth - and always so rich tasting. Enjoy all your goodies.
DeleteI love dressing reheated in the waffle maker - I just love the crunchier outside and soft inside. I am the one who always tries to get it from the edge of the pan on T-Day!!!!!!
Aside from the required cold turkey sandwich, I make stuffing waffles, top with warmed up mashed potatoes, turkey and a bit of gravy and cranberry sauce on top. SO good. I also use the bones to make broth and a big pot of Brunswick Stew. It is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteOooohhhhh topping the stuffing waffles - my, my that sounds fantastic. Why did I not think of that before?
DeleteYep, got to have that cold turkey sandwich!
Sounds so yummy.
One of my favorites is turkey a'la king, and serve it over left over mashed potatoes or over leftover stuffing. Depending on how much cranberry sauce you have (or if you can find fresh cranberries on clearance after the holiday), can it. Fill your sauce into 4 oz. or 8 oz. jars and waterbath it, just like you would for jam. 15 minutes? It's great to have on hand when you have turkey or chicken for dinner in Jan. or Feb.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Thanksgiving purist lol!! We eat it all as is. Well, except the required turkey and mayo on sourdough. My mom made turkey soup one year and none of us liked it. So, we eat the orts and ends, freeze a bunch of turkey for later meals, and have Taco Bell Saturday night!
ReplyDeleteI'll be making about half the meal tomorrow. Pumpkin cheesecake, pecan pie, cranberries, and yams. The rest on Thursday. Just the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and an apple salad.
I finished The Dollmaker this morning. Very good movie.
A lot of purists out there, I am sure! Turkey soup is not my favorite - but I do love turkey all other ways. I just love turkey.
DeleteThat is funny on Taco Bell on Saturday.
I will bake my turkey Friday (going away Thurs.), but I am making a salad tomorrow, to take to my nieces
I will have to check the movie out.
Cheryl, more than 30 yrs. ago, my mom started our official "Taco Bell Saturday night.". When hubs and I moved here, we kept the funny tradition in her honor! It's always the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. I'm almost afraid to see how much the tacos are now! It's the only time we eat there.
DeleteTraditions are neat! Nice to have kept your mom's tradition going. Last time I went, they sure weren't cheap!
DeleteMy husband like turkey leftovers as a sandwich and that's it. He enjoys that for days until *I* think it's been enough and I put the rest in the freezer for later. LOL
ReplyDeleteI like the leftover dressing and gravy & there's never enough left over to my way of thinking!
My mom likes to take the bones and make soup. She makes it for herself since no one else likes turkey soup.
The one thing my husband has to have is jello with whipped cream. He and my daughter eat it on Thanksgiving but no one else does.
Over the years I've made different dishes based on someone's diety restrictions or preferences but lately I haven't had to do that as much. It's nice not to have to make the same dishes twice!
My daughter says it's her favorite holiday because it's not stressing. I've always strive to make the day stress-free. I don't worry about getting the food on the table etc because I just want everyone to enjoy themselves and relax.
-margaret
It should be a stress free day and one to enjoy family - not always how it works though, with all the cooking.
DeleteI can't say I blame your husband - nothing like a turkey sandwich. I do love the potatoes and gravy a WHOLE bunch!!
Nothing wrong with Jello and whipped cream. Light and fun!
It is nice to just fix what you want, when you want. Kick back and enjoy the day with family!!!!
I forgot to add I'm hosting Thanksgiving without a fridge or oven! Hubs is going to smoke the turkey and I'm making whatever I can in the slow cooker or on the stove. Daughter has a tiny kitchen so she can't help much but is making the pumpkin pie.
ReplyDelete-margaret
YIKES - you are one brave gal! I hope it is cold out, so you can have some cold goods on hand still. Way to get past all the problems and still have a great day!!!!!! Blessed!
DeletePanini sandwiches sound good. That is an interesting combo of ingredients. I would never have thought of those items being together. I bet it is great. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was still doing food writing and recipe development, I made FIVE turkeys between July and Thanksgiving one year. Hubs got burned out on Turkeys. LOL! So many good ideas here for the leftovers. Like Debby, we were pretty much purists, except I'd freeze the turkey bone broth for Italian Wedding Soup that I'd make between Christmas and New Year's. Turkey broth adds a little something extra to the (sausage) mini meatballs in the soup.
ReplyDeleteThis Thanksgiving I'm making spiral ham bought at $1.67 per lb.
--Elise
I would probably get tired of it that many times as well. Once or twice a year makes it special.
DeleteGood price on the ham. Enjoy it!
Not one of those ideas is of any use to me. I like it like I made it and want it that way for as many days as it lasts. LOL But, it is interesting.
ReplyDeleteNot everything is for everyone. You are a purist as well.
Delete