Thanksgiving Dinner Is Over. Now What?!

There’s turkey and eggs…turkey and hash…turkey soup…turkey chili…turkey nachos…turkey kabobs…turkey sliders…Hawaiian bbq turkey pizza…  You cooked a 50lb turkey for Thanksgiving and after feeding a small village, you still have 100lbs of turkey left. Your family has already started complaining about Thanksgiving dinner being on repeat for the last few days and jokes are starting to surface about how many different ways a person can eat turkey. What to do…what to do?

First of all, you did the right thing by visiting the Family & MWR blog. We’re not going to let you down or let your family suffer in the cyclical hell of Thanksgiving leftovers. We have found some great recipes to help you use every last ounce of the bird that in NO WAY will remind anyone of Thanksgiving. …and we think they’ll enjoy these creative cuisine choices.

 

The Holy Grail of Leftovers: The Cranberry Cream Cheese Thanksgiving Croissant

Ingredients
store bought croissants
cream cheese
leftover cranberry sauce
leftover stuffing
leftover gravy
leftover turkey

Assembly
Split croissants in half with a bread knife and toast them.
On the bottom half layer stuffing (warm if you want), gravy (warmed), sliced turkey, and cranberry sauce.
On the top half spread cream cheese. This is a little tricky because the croissant is really delicate and the cream cheese requires a bit of brute force to spread around, so swipe it on in blobs if it’s cold and stubborn.

The King of Comfort Foods: Pot Pie

Who doesn’t love a nice, warming pot pie when it’s chilly outside? …and the best thing about this is the aroma you’re treated to while it’s cooking in the oven.  Yummy!

Ingredients

3 cup leftover turkey or chicken cut into cubes

2 cup mixed veggies... whatever you want... I used peas, corn, and green beans

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

1 small onion, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup milk

Ready-made pie crust (you’ll need a top and bottom crust)

Directions

Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until melted.

Stir in flour and cook until bubbly and thickened.

Add onion, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk.

Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook another minute or so longer.

Stir in turkey and vegetables.

Heat oven to 425ºF.

Fill the bottom pie crust with filling mixture.

Cover the pie with the top crust and pinch together edges.

Pierce with sharp knife or fork for steam to vent.

Bake 35 - 40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling up through slits in crust.

The Easy Salad with a Big Name: Cranberry Pecan Turkey Salad

This salad looks festive and like it’s bursting with flavor! Can’t wait to try this!

Ingredients

2 cup cooked turkey, diced

¼ cup chopped pecans

¼ cup chopped celery

¼ cup dried cranberries

½ c. mayonnaise (not sure if Miracle Whip will work)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Not Soup. Gumbo!

This dish tastes NOTHING like Thanksgiving dinner!

Ingredients

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup flour

2 cups chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped bell peppers

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Cayenne, to taste

1/2 pound smoked sausage, such as Andouille or kielbasa, chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3 quarts turkey broth or chicken stock or store bought low-sodium chicken broth

Reserved turkey meat from a roast turkey carcass, at least 1 quart of meat

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Directions

Combine the oil and flour in a large cast-iron pot or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.

Season the onions, bell peppers, and celery lightly with salt and cayenne. Add this to the roux and stir until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the sausage, the dried thyme and oregano, and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Add the reserved turkey meat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until flavors have mingled and the turkey meat has softened, but not completely shredded apart.

Add the parsley and green onions.

Serve in soup bowls with rice.

File powder can be added at the table according to personal taste.

If you family likes dinner variety, especially when serving Thanksgiving leftovers, try one or more of these recipes. Each one uses a nice serving of leftovers but each dish will have a completely different taste. That should keep them quiet about the many days of leftovers! …that or the mouthfuls of really, really good food.