Monday, November 19, 2007
Bake your holiday leftovers
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without a refrigerator overflowing with leftovers. Think of all that ready-to-use turkey as your reward for all your hard work on Thanksgiving. For lunch on Friday, turkey sandwiches usually hit the spot. After that, some creativity is needed to keep everyone excited about turkey. Try putting a few classic ingredients together into a tasty one-dish meal.
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Turkey Pot Pie
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 10.75-ounce can condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup frozen cut green beans, cooked and drained
Pastry for 9-inch double-crust pie
1 tablespoon milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté carrots, onion, celery, thyme, and pepper in butter until vegetables are crisp-tender. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine turkey and flour; shake to coat. Add turkey, soup, and green beans to the vegetable mixture; mix well. Line a 9-inch pie plate with bottom crust. Add turkey mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Brush with milk. Cover edges loosely with foil. Bake until golden brown, about 55 to 65 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.
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Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup finely crushed herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix
1 cup cooked, diced turkey meat
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in the flour. Slowly stir in evaporated milk and water; season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Stir sauce over low heat for 5 minutes.
In a separate saucepan over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Blend in the dry stuffing mix. Place the turkey in the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce over turkey; sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Spread mashed potatoes over cheese. Top mashed potatoes with the stuffing mixture. Bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Makes 8 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
Use turkey in your favorite recipes calling for cooked chicken. When you run out of turkey, substitute cooked chicken in your favorite turkey recipes.
The Practical Pantry ©2007 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com