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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Thanksgiving Leftover Dilemma

Frugal Upstate: Thanksgiving-The Frugal Mini Series!






With Thanksgiving almost here, we are going to be seeing LOTS of sales on turkey, especially after the holiday. My family loves turkey, so I always stock up when I see a really good sale. But after a couple meals of turkey and gravy and turkey and mayo sandwiches in lunches we get burnt out, so I de-bone and freeze the rest for future recipes. Here are some tasty sounding recipes I found and plan to use for the leftovers.

Turkey Stock(Great to use in place of water, when cooking rice or veggies!)

Ingredients:
1 turkey carcass
3 sprigs parsley
2 medium onions, sliced
3 ribs celery, cut up
2 medium carrots, cut up
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
2 teaspoons salt
dash pepper

Preparation:
Break up carcass and place in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add remaining ingredients; cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 to 4hours. Cool slightly; strain broth into a bowl. Refrigerate then remove fat from top of broth.
Makes about 4 cups of turkey stock.

Creamy Turkey Pie

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 cups chicken broth (Or use your turkey stock from the first recipe!)
2/3 cup half-and-half
3 to 4 cups diced turkey
1 tablespoon chopped pimiento
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Topping
2 cups biscuit baking mix
2 tablespoons shortening
1/3 cup milk

Preparation:
Heat oven to 450°.
Prepare filling:
In a skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion and celery; saute, stirring, until tender. Blend in the flour, salt, and pepper, stirring and cooking until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add chicken broth, stirring constantly. Add milk, stirring. Continue cooking, stirring, until mixture is thickened. Add remaining filling ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue stirring and cooking gently for about 30 seconds. Pour filling into an 11 1/2 x 7 1/2-inch baking dish. Keep warm in the oven while making the biscuit topping.
Prepare topping:
In a bowl, combine the baking mix, shortening, and milk. Stir with a fork to make a soft dough. Shape into a smooth ball on a floured surface and knead about 5 times. Pat dough into a rectangle about 11x7-inches to fit baking dish. Cut 4 to 6 slits in top of the dough then carefully fit over the hot filling. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until topping is browned and filling is bubbly.
Serves 6.


Turkey Strata (This one sounds really good. I can’t wait to try it!)

Ingredients:
4 cups (about 6 to 8 ounces) herb-seasoned stuffing cubes, divided
2 cups (one 10-ounce package) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 cup diced cooked turkey or chicken
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons sliced blanched almonds
sliced green onions for garnish, optional

Preparation:
Sprinkle 2 cups of the stuffing cubes over bottom of greased 8-inch square baking dish or casserole. Sprinkle broccoli, turkey or chicken, cheese, and onions over cubes. Sprinkle with remaining stuffing cubes. Whisk together eggs and milk. Pour over stuffing mixture. Sprinkle with almonds; cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Bake in a preheated 350° oven until golden brown, about 50 to 60 minutes.
Garnish turkey casserole with additional green onions, if desired. Serves 6.


Turkey Tettrazini (This is one of my family’s favorites!)

Ingredients:
8 ounces thin spaghetti, broken into 3-inch lengths, cooked, rinsed, and drained
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
2 to 3 cups diced cooked turkey
2 tablespoons diced pimientos, if desired
1 tablespoon butter
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 chopped cup onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry sherry
salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Combine spaghetti with 1 cup Cheddar cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese. Add turkey and pimientos. In a skillet, melt butter and sauté mushrooms and onions just until tender; add to the turkey mixture along with remaining ingredients. Gently stir to combine ingredients; place in a greased casserole and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover with lid or foil and bake at 350° for about 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Serves 6 to 8.


Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 cup water or chicken broth
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 cups left over dressing
1 cup cooked diced turkey meat
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Melt butter or margarine in a saucepan over low heat. Brown onion in the butter.
Add and stir flour in butter.
Slowly stir in evaporated milk and water, then season with salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and sage.
Place the turkey in the prepared baking dish.
Pour the sauce over the turkey, then sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Spread mashed potatoes over cheese. Top mashed potatoes with the stuffing.
Bake 45 minutes

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