Recipes That Get Creative with That Blasted Leftover Holiday Turkey By Gail Leino

Just so that we are all on the same page, lets us collectively agree that the holiday turkey is wonderful on its first and second time around on the menu but, as time wears on and you have run out of recipes to deal with the leftovers, the idea of feeding the neighbors cat becomes more and more appealing. Running into this issue holiday upon holiday, it is apparent that the average American chef needs to consolidate ideas for those tired of leftovers. Soups, sandwiches, and casserole ideas can be found in many different sources.

The wisest cook you will ever meet is your grandmother or any elderly person that has years upon years of experience in dealing with the leftover fiasco. Not to mention that they have already rustled and discarded all of the not so great recipes, saving you time and waste. So, if you haven’t already, tap into this wealth of information.

Another opportunity for the discouraged chef is to get creative… lets be honest and admit that we don’t always try to think outside of the turkey pan. Turkey sandwiches can be made better through some added sub garnishing such as lettuce tomatoes, pickles, spicy mustard, or peppers. Likewise, the bread we use for the sandwich will make a difference to our taste buds as well.

If you are simply turkey-sandwiched out, try a casserole. Any familiar casserole that you put beef or tuna or chicken into will usually taste just fine with turkey as well. One consideration might be to replace other types of broth with chicken or, if you have it, turkey broth to allow for a consistency in taste with the meat you are using.

The favorite soups, such as chicken dumpling, chicken noodle and yes, even vegetable beef, can easily be converted and taste lovely as turkey based recipes. Two very popular choices still remain, you can freeze the leftovers to keep them for a not so turkey-tired day or better yet, send some home with your guests. Anyway you decide to go with your decisions with these tips in mind are sure to get rid of your turkey leftover blues.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Thanksgiving Party Games (Thanksgiving-Party.com), holiday party planning tips, recipes, menus, printable activities and free coloring pages.

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Leftover Turkey Recipes and Ideas By Peggy Bloodworth

Our favorite part of turkey is the leftovers. We always cook too much on purpose because we love the recipes with the leftovers. We are sure everyone has there favorites; we just hope that we can add some new ideas to your turkey leftovers possibilites.

You start with a perfectly cooked turkey. We think fresh and organic is the best, simply roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper and stuffed with an onion to help with the gravy flavors. After the main meal, slice what you want for sandwiches; then take the remainder and cover it with water and simmer on low a good while: until the meat falls off the bone. Separate the meat and broth discarding the rest. Chill the meat and broth. After it chills, defat and you have the basis for all of the ideas below.

My husband's absolute favorite turkey leftover is turkey pot pie. Other ideas are turkey noodle soup, turkey rice soup, turkey hash, turkey gumbo, turkey and dumplings, turkey divan, turkey pozole, turkey fricassee, turkey tetrazzini and turkey vegetable soup. What is turkey hash, you ask? It is one of the comfort foods from my childhood, served by my mother and my grandma. You take lots of the shredded turkey, with an equal amount of broth. Thicken with a roux (several T butter, melted, add flour and whisk until browned and add to the meat and broth, off heat whisking to remove any lumps) or for a fat free version, put 1/4 cup flour in a jar, add 3/4 cup hot water. Put lid on jar and shake well until well combined. Add to meat and broth. Cook until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. My favorite way to serve is over toast. It's like a soul warming turkey and gravy to die for. You can also serve it over noodles, mashed potatoes or rice.

Did you know about a common breakfast in China called Congee (or jook). It is a porridge of broth and rice, cooked until the rice pretty much falls apart. It is served with condiments (chopped scallions, meat, whatever) and dim sum. When in Hong Kong, we found this to be the most comforting breakfast we have ever eaten. We had the Chinese breakfast every morning even though we had a choice of American Style or Chinese. It just seems so right to me. So below, we are going to give you our version of congee, made with turkey and turkey stock. You can try it for lunch or as an appetizer for dinner; however, we would highly recommend you try it for breakfast on a cold winter day. We think you will love it.

To make congee, use raw rice, not leftover rice. You should use about 1 cup rice to 3 quarts liquid. It should be the consistency of a thin porridge. Bring liquid to a simmer. Add rice. Simmer 30 minutes, uncovered. Cover and simmer several hours. This will serve 6-8 and can be frozen and reheated.

We'll add more turkey recipes next time, if we get enough requests. If not, we'll start with something new! Enjoy!

Peggy Bloodworth left a job as a sales VP in a high tech company entertaining clients around the world for a personal chef and catering business where she is chef for swank party givers in Research Triangle Park, NC with her business partner, Diane Kiser. More party ideas, recipes, menus and pictures can be found on her website swank website. She maintains a large garden and vineyard. Menus are well researched, recipes are mostly original and the ingredients are fresh, organic and frequently from her garden.

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