The turkey has been eaten, the dessert tasted (because let's face it....who has enough room in their stomach after eating all of that 'deliciousness' to eat some pie?), and your
stomach is still stuffed from all the food you enjoyed yesterday! There’s just one problem… now your fridge is also STUFFED with
tons of leftovers waiting to be eaten.
Now what?!?
I know of many people that really just don’t like leftovers
of any kind. Many in my own
family, in fact! Me?…. I’m a
leftover girl! I get so excited
when I open the fridge at lunchtime and realize that instead of my usual ham
and cheese sandwich there’s some leftover Chicken Pot Pie or Baked Ziti waiting
for me! It completely makes my
day. (I know, I know…. it’s the little things, really!)
I’m just one person though, and although I might get
THRILLED at the idea of having turkey, sweet potatoes, and green beans for
lunches this next week, my family doesn’t share the same sentiment. It was after hosting our own
“Pre-Thanksgiving meal” years ago, and having nearly 8 POUNDS of turkey
leftover, I became extremely creative with “re-creating our leftovers!”
Here’s just a few ideas to turn your leftovers into a
delicious new dinner…. and chances are…your family won’t even know it’s
leftovers!
Turkey Pot Pie -- It may sound silly, but use some of your
leftover veggies from yesterday’s meal (carrots, celery, potatoes even!) and
dump them in a pan along with some turkey! I’ll include an actual recipe I’ve adapted, from an
INCREDIBLE chef serving at a church in Florida below for you, but feel free to
be creative based on what you have in your fridge! Throw a new piecrust on top and bake for 30 minutes at 350
degrees and voila! A yummy…. “quasi-new”
dinner!
Turkey Enchiladas – This is a BIG change up, but still
tastes delicious! Take your usual enchilada recipe and exchange the chicken for
your leftover turkey! The change
in taste is EXTREMELY minimal and you’ll be able to save big bucks by not
having to purchase meat!
Turkey Noodle Soup – Similar to Pot Pie, this is a great
chance for you to use up lots of leftover veggies! Toss in some egg noodles, and canned chicken broth (to make
it easy for you!), along with some turkey, and go ahead and bake a few biscuits
in the oven to serve with it! No
one will even know it’s Thanksgiving leftovers and the yummy smell will
penetrate your home causing everyone to come find out what you’re cooking in
the kitchen!
Turkey Spaghetti – Ever had chicken spaghetti? Just substitute the turkey for chicken
and voila – delicious change-up ready super-quick!
Turkey Pizza – I haven’t tried this recipe before, but we
make a lot of homemade pizza in our home so it sounds like a real winner!! Again, get creative with the toppings
you love to eat! This recipe even
includes leftover cranberry sauce giving it a sweet taste!
Now, the potpie recipe I promised…
(Just a little disclaimer…the chef would absolutely make his
own piecrust, and probably stroke if he knew I made it using leftover turkey
sometimes and make the adjustments I do.
He uses chicken, so I’ve included that in the recipe below.)
Crust:
You can make your own…but I usually buy the refrigerated rollout
crust you can buy near the butter in the grocery store….
Filling:
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 ½ - 2 cups milk
2 lbs chicken (I usually buy a rotisserie chicken from the
grocery and shred it myself to save some time! For TGiving…use TURKEY!)
2 potatoes cut into ½ inch cubes
1 carrot, thinly sliced (Steve doesn’t like peas, so we use
2-3 carrots instead!)
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
½ pound of frozen peas (again, we don’t use these…but you
should!) J
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped (yeah…. we usually just use
whatever dried herbs I have on hand-- just less of them. Rosemary, Thyme, etc.)
2 t. salt
½ t. black pepper
(I told you he would stroke!)
Directions:
Create the sauce for the potpie by melting the butter in a
large saucepot. Once melted, stir
in the flour and cook over medium until it forms a light paste (called a
roux). Slowly whisk in the chicken
stock, being sure to eliminate any lumps.
Next, add the milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and add the remaining ingredients. (I usually sauté the veggies quickly in
a pan to tenderize them a bit before dumping them in.) Stir to combine. Gently simmer 3-5 minutes over medium-low
heat to begin the cooking process.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Add the mixture to a deep pie pan. Roll out the dough and place over the pie dish to
cover. Then, if you have one
available, break up an egg in a bowl with a fork and brush over the crust. (Creating an egg wash – this will give
it that beautiful golden brown color!)
With a knife, cut out a few vent holes in the crust to allow steam to
escape. Bake for 30-45 minutes or
until the crust turns golden brown.
Let it cool 10-15 minutes before serving to allow the filling to set!
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