Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

I love leftovers!   Aside from the fact that part of the work is done,  you can recreate them and make a whole new dish.  Below are six of my favorite ways to use up that Thanksgiving turkey.

Cranberry Turkey Casserole

4 cups cooked  bow-tie pasta
2 cups cooked diced turkey
2 (15 ounce) jars Alfredo sauce
1 cup dried cranberries, plus extra for garnish
2/3 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds, plus extra for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a baking dish, combine all ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well.  Bake 30 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with dried cranberries and pine nuts or slivered almonds.

Layered Turkey Enchiladas

1 pound cooked turkey, shredded
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can Cream of Chicken Soup
6 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In medium bowl, combine turkey, green chiles, and Cream of Chicken Soup.  Mix well.  In lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish, spread 1/2 cup of turkey mixture.  Arrange 3 tortillas over top.  Spread 1/2 of remaining turkey mixture over tortillas.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over top.  Arrange 3 tortillas over cheese.  Spread remaining turkey mixture over tortillas.  Sprinkle 1 cup cheese over top.  Bake 45 minutes or until cheese starts to brown.  Makes 6 servings.

Note:  If you like your enchiladas to be spicy, swap out one or both of the cans of green chile for diced Jalapeno peppers.

Turkey and Dressing Casserole

6 cups leftover dressing
1 pound cooked turkey, shredded
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans low sodium Cream of Chicken soup or 3 cups leftover gravy
2 (6 ounce) containers Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish sprayed with cooking spray, layer 1/2 of the stuffing.  Arrange turkey over top.  Spread soup or gravy over top.  Spread yogurt over soup or gravy. Sprinkle remaining stuffing over top.  Bake 45 minutes or until stuffing is golden brown.

Nacho Cheese Turkey Chowder

1 pound cooked turkey, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican style tomatoes, undrained

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can nacho cheese soup

1 (10 ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn

Shredded Mexican style or cheddar cheese

In large saucepan, combine turkey, tomatoes, soup, and corn.  Mix well.  Cook on medium heat until heated through.  Sprinkle each serving with cheese. makes 6 servings. 

Buffalo Turkey Soup

3 cups shredded cooked turkey
3 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
4 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup hot wing sauce

In large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Simmer on low 15 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

 

 

Green Chile Turkey Pasta

1 (16 ounce) package rigatoni noodles, cooked, drained

2 (16 ounce) jars Alfredo sauce

1 pound cooked turkey, shredded

2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles

2 (8 ounce) packages shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In 4 quart baking dish, arrange rigatoni noodles. Pour 1 jar Alfredo sauce over top.  Arrange turkey over sauce.  Pour remaining Alfredo sauce over chicken.  Sprinkle chiles over Alfredo sauce.  Sprinkle cheese over top.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly golden brown.  Makes 8 servings.

 

Check back on Tuesday,

for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, will become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Cranberry Tips

I am ashamed to admit it, but my husband prefers the canned jellied cranberry sauce to any cranberry sauce I have made.  It is the stuff he grew up with so it is what he likes best.

If your family likes homemade cranberry sauce instead of the canned stuff, here are a few tips for you.

1.  Another name for cranberries is bounceberries, when purchasing fresh cranberries see if they will bounce.  Pick hard cranberries, bright light to dark red cranberries, that are sealed in plastic bags.

2.  When a cranberry bursts, it is best to stop cooking them.  Over cooking will make the berries very tart and bitter.

3.  For each pound of cranberries you are cooking, add a teaspoon of unsalted butter.  It will reduce the amount of foam that develops and help prevent it from boiling over.

4.  Add lemon juice and sugar to the cooking water to help keep the color in your cranberries.

Wishing you and your family a

 Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

Check back on Friday, for 
Thanksgiving Leftover recipes! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, will become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

3 to 4 sweet potatoes

¼ maple syrup

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon light olive oil or vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

Peel and slice sweet potatoes into 1 inch pieces. 

 Place on a baking sheet. 

 In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, butter, and oil.  Mix well.   

Pour mixture over sweet potatoes.  Toss to coat.  

Bake 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes of baking.

This simple delicious recipe makes a nice change from the traditional Thanksgiving sweet potato recipes.

Check back on Tuesday,

for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, will become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Thanksgiving Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite shortcut Thanksgiving recipes.

 

Thanksgiving Desserts 

 

Caramel Apple Cider

 Sweet Potatoes Two Ways

Apple Stuffing

Check back on Friday, for  my 
Roasted Sweet Potato recipe! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, will become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Fried Pumpkin Pie Won tons

1 (30 ounce) can pumpkin pie mix
1 (12 ounce) package won ton wraps
oil
Powdered Sugar (optional) 

On each won ton wrapper place, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie filling in the center.  

Wet the edges of the won ton wrapper with water.  Fold won ton wrapper over to form a triangle.  Gently press the air out of the won ton as you seal the edges.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 inch of oil over medium high heat until hot.  Gently add a few won tons to the oil; do not over crowd the pan.  Fry until golden brown. 

Place won tons on paper towel. Dust with powdered sugar.

I know the baked Pumpkin Pie Won ton recipe is healthier for you, but you can't beat the fried version. 

Check back on Tuesday,

for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, will become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Takeout Tip

I love Chinese food!  They serve such large portions I always end up taking some home with me.  I also love the cute boxes they put takeout or your leftovers in.  I always thought they were just containers, I had no idea they were also a plate!  My sister Shelley saw a drawing about the boxes turning into a plate and decided to give it a try and it worked!  Below are her pictures of the experiment. 

After she took it apart to make a plate, 

she put it back together so she could store the leftovers.

Check back on Friday, for  my 
Fried Pumpkin Pie Wonton recipe! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, will become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 (8 ounce) package shredded Velveeta cheese
2 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup water

In slow cooker, combine all ingredients.  Mix well.  

Cover. Cook on low 4 to 5 hours.  Makes 6 servings. 

This recipe took first place in one of the first cooking contests that we sponsored almost 10 years ago.  It is the perfect blend of creamy cheese and broccoli.  Instead of ordering it at a restaurant you can make it at home.

Check back on Tuesday,

for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, will become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Soup Tips

I love soup!  I eat it all year long.  But as the weather turns cooler, soup is on the menu more frequently at our house.  Below are a few tips for soup that my mom taught me, and I thought I would pass them on to you, just in case you are a soup lover too.

Soup Tips & Tricks

1.  With today's pop top style of soup cans, this tip is a little harder to use, but it is still a good tip to know.  When using condensed soup, shake the can, and then open it up from the bottom.  The soup will slide right out and you won't have to use a spoon to remove the soup from the can.

2. If you are out of cream for your soup or don't have enough,  substitute with milk and add a little flour to make it a thicker consistency.

3.  If your soup is too salty, add a couple of slices of apple or raw potato to your soup.  Let simmer for a few minutes, then discard the apple or potato slices. 

4.  If you add too much garlic to your soup, put dry parsley flakes in a teal ball and add it to the soup to soak up the extra garlic.  The garlic will be attracted to the parsley.  Discard the parsley after several minutes of being in the soup. 

5.  Never boil your soup.  Simmering keeps the flavors intact.

6.  If you are making a clear noodle soup, cook your noodles, then drain and rinse the noodles before adding them to your soup.  Starch in the noodles will make it cloudy if you add them to your soup with out draining and rinsing them first.

7.  Soup is always better if it is made the day before you serve it.

Check back on Friday, for  my 
Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, will become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!