Recipes for Turkey Leftovers

Turkeys are awesome for living on a tight budget! It's one of the cheapest meats (especially if you get a free one around the holidays), it's healthy and they freeze well. Yet I don't see a whole lot of recipes out there that call for turkey. Maybe that's because you can basically substitute turkey for chicken in most recipes. Well, here are 4 of our favorites.  They are all family recipes that originally call for chicken but you can't tell the difference when you substitute turkey.

 Turkey Bundles

2-3 c leftover cooked turkey

6 T softened cream cheese

3-4 chopped green onions (including green parts)

2 T milk

3 T melted butter

2 package crescent rolls (without seams)

Combine all ingredients except crescent rolls and mix until well combined.  Open up rolls and cut into 6 squares.  Flatten out squares a bit.  Place a spoonful of turkey mixture into center of each crescent square. 

   Bring corners up to center and seal edges together to make little bundles.  Place on cookie sheet and cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

printable recipe

 Turkey Tetrazine

2 c cooked turkey

1 8 oz package spaghetti

1/2 c chopped onion

1/2 c chopped green pepper

1/2 c chopped celery

1/4 c melted oleo (butter)

1/2 t celery salt

2 pimentos

salt and pepper

speck of cayenne

3 t flour

2 c milk (or 1 c broth and 1 c milk)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated + more for sprinkling on top

1/2 c breadcrumbs

Boil noodles according to package.  Saute onions, pepper and celery in butter.  Slowly stir in flour and cook until thick.  Then add seasonings and cheese.  Stir until melted.  Add 2 c milk, pimentos, noodles, chopped turkey and soup.  Turn into shallow dish and cover with breadcrumbs and more cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 min.  This is good to freeze ahead also.  Don't top with breadcrumbs and cheese before freezing.

printable recipe

Turkey Stuffing Casserole 

(sorry, no picture of this one)

2 lb cooked turkey

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 small carton of sour cream

1 package stuffing mix

1 T butter

2 c water

Butter a 9X13 pan and place turkey on the bottom.  Mix soups and sour cream and pour on top of chicken.  Sprinkle stuffing mix on top of mixture.  Microwave 1 T butter and 2 c water until hot.  Pour over dressing.  Bake at 325 for 50 min to one hour.

printable recipe

Turkey Broccoli Casserole (a regular at our house)

1 c uncooked rice (I usually use brown rice but allow extra time for boiling)

2 c water

1 1/2 c cooked broccoli
1-1 1/2 c cooked chicken or turkey

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 t lemon juice

1/2 t curry powder

3/4 c grated cheddar cheese

1/2 c mayo

Boil rice in 2 c water.  Boil broccoli and drain.  Put broccoli in casserole dish.  Layer cooked chicken over broccoli.  Mix soup, mayo, lemon juice, curry powder, rice and 1/2 c cheese.  Pour over chicken.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and then top with breadcrumbs (or cracker crumbs).  Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

   printable recipe

Winter Pajamas

The weather is getting a little more frightful (at least in some parts of the world) and my boys need some warmer PJs.  Pajamas are one of the few things I can really sew for my boys these days and I'm always on the look out for fun fabric.

This is a tradition in our family.  Grandy used to make our brothers scrappy pajamas out of her scraps- a pocket from this, a sleeve from that.  I wish I had a picture because they were so cute!  Mom makes our kids PJs for birthdays and at other times- pictures for another post- that are adorable!  When it comes to sleeping we know how to dress!

So my boys have been bugging me for a few weeks to make them some pjs- I LOVE that they want them HOMEMADE.  I had found this cute fabric on fabric.com (see side button) for a steal awhile back and it's been waiting for the perfect opportunity to fulfill its potential. 

A little ironic for sleepwear, don't you think? (Men at Work?)

For my oldest I used McCalls 6227 size 10.  It seems to run a tad on the large size but then my oldest is only 9.  This was a new style for me to sew and it was a cinch!  So easy!  I'm definitely using that one again!  However it is very roomy at the top so I don't know how warm and snug it will be.  Here's "keeping it real" for you- if you look closely you'll notice that the signs are upside down!!  It must have been pretty late because I didn't notice this until I'd finished sewing the top. 

For my almost 7 year old I used Simplicity 3987 size 8 and it was on the small side.  It fits just about perfect but I thought it would be looser since I was using a size larger than he normally wears.

Sleep tight, my little men!

Rolls, Cranberry Relish and Turkeys

I made our own turkey dinner this past weekend and attempted rolls again. I can count on one finger how many times I've made rolls from scratch that turned out decent. Don't know what it is about me and rolls! But I tried the recipe from Our Best Bites Cookbook that you can find here on their website, and they were heavenly lightly browned clouds of perfection!

                                                     

Those Best Bites girls are my best friends in the kitchen! Everything I've made from their cookbook or website is amazing!  I think the secret (which they share in their recipe) is using whole fat milk. I didn't have any whole milk but I used 1/2 c whipping cream and 1 1/2 1% milk and look how they turned out!!

We also had my mother-in-law's cranberry relish. Growing up ours always came from a can and I have to admit, I don't think I ever even tried the stuff. My mother-in-law makes hers fresh and it's really very easy and SOOOOO GOOD!  My almost 2 year old gobbled it up and had thirds and fourths and wanted more! 

Here's the recipe: 

1 bag fresh cranberries 

1 large apple 

1 c sugar 

Combine all ingredients in your food processor and chop to the consistency of your liking. 

 That's it!  So good on those delicious rolls!!!

On another note, my kids are home from school this week and those little turkeys get up so early when there's no school! But I am thankful to have them home this week! And thankful that soccer season is over, there's no cub scouts or piano lessons and I have them all to myself on our own time! 

 I'm also thankful for my washing machine and dryer that can wash that mountain of dirty clothes we've accumulated since last Monday!

Thanksgiving Mix

About 5 years ago we visited family in Idaho for Thanksgiving. (It's so sad that it's been that long!)  My in-laws showed us a good time, as usual, and for our Family Home Evening treat my mother-in-law had us make this Thanksgiving Mix.  

As we put each ingredient in we talked about what they had to do with Thanksgiving.  It was a yummy treat and perfect for Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix

2 c Bugles brand corn snacks (Shaped like a cornucopia or horn of plenty)

2 c mini pretzels - not sticks! (Represents arms folded in prayer)

1 c candy corn (During the winter the Pilgrims were allotted only 5 kernels of corn per day because food was so scarce.)

1 c dried fruit (Thanksgiving is the celebration of harvest.)

1 c sunflower seeds (Seeds represent the potential of a bounteous harvest for the next season.)

1 c Goldfish crackers (Represent the teaching by the Native Americans to the Pilgrims that a fish planted with seeds would help grow healthy crops.)