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!

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!

Creamy Potato and Bacon Soup

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup chopped onions
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups milk

In a large saucepan, place potatoes, onions, and bacon.

Cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  

Reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer 15 to 20 minutes.  

Stir in soup and sour cream.  Add milk and salt and pepper to taste.  

Simmer for 5 minutes.

This recipe is from my Mom's cookbook

 "Get Me Out of the Kitchen!"  

It is my Cousin Lisa and her family and my Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob's favorite potato soup recipe.  It has bacon in it, so of course my husband Stan loves it too! 

Check back on Tuesday,

for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has 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 Posole

 

Posole

1 1/2 to 2 pounds thin boneless pork loin center cut chops
2 (10 ounce) cans enchilada sauce
1 (15.5 ounce) cans white hominy, drained
1 (7 ounce) can green chile
1 (32 ounce) box chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Cut pork loin into bite size pieces. 

In large skillet with a small amount of oil, brown pork loin. 

In slow cooker, combine all ingredients.  

Mix well.  Cover.  

Cook on low 6 to 7 hours.

I live in New Mexico and there must be a law that says at every potluck someone must bring Posole.  Recently, I was chosen to provide the Posole for a potluck at our church.  I must confess, I was not their first choice.  The lady who usually makes the soup was out of town so the duty fell to me.  

I was really nervous about making this much loved soup!  I don't have time to make it the traditional way, with lots of ingredients and lots of time in the kitchen.  So I came up with this shortcut recipe.  I am happy to say everyone loved it! 

I used mild enchilada sauce.  If you like it very spicy, use medium or hot enchilada sauce.  I also like to serve sour cream on the side with the Posole. 

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Tuesday,
for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

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

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

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 Meatball Soup

Slow Cooker Meatball Soup

1 (16 ounce) package frozen meatballs
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Cream of Mushroom Soup with Garlic
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 cup water

In slow cooker, combine all ingredients. 

Mix well. Cover.  Cook on low 4 to 5 hours.  I have let this soup cook for over 8 hours before and it was still perfect.  It is also delicious served over egg noodles or rice.

This a creamy and rich beefy soup.  It takes less than two minutes to prep in the morning.  It was a big hit with my husband!

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Tuesday,
for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

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

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

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!

Tuesday's Tips & Tricks: Soup is Cool

The weather is chilly in the morning and evening, so you know what that means?  It is time to make soup!  I have a gas stove and when I make soup, it gets really HOT.  I decided to find out what is the best way to cool it down before you eat it.  My mom said to blow on it, but I thought I should check and see if she was correct.

If you dip your spoon in the soup and hold the spoon full of soup out of the bowl, it takes 103 seconds for it to cool down enough so you don't burn your mouth.

If you blow on it like mom says, it takes 66 seconds to cool down.  Once again Mom is right.  Why do I ever doubt her?

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Friday,
for a slow cooker soup recipe! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

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

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

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 Taco Soup

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) packet taco seasoning
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans mild chili beans
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef.  Drain the grease.  Add to a 4 quart slow cooker.  

Add the remaining ingredients.  Add 1 cup of water.  Mix well.  

Cover with a lid.  Cook on low 4 to 6 hours.

On Wednesday nights, I experiment, I mean I cook, for the youth group at our church.  Last week one of the kids asked me to make Taco Soup, so that is what I did.  The kids all loved the soup, and said I am going to have a hard time topping the meal next week.

This soup is mild enough for your whole family to enjoy.  The corn gives the soup the flavor of a corn tortilla.  But to make it even more like a taco, I cut corn tortillas into strips.  You can skip this step and just leave the  corn tortilla strips off, or use store bought tortilla chips instead.

I fried the corn tortilla strips in a small amount of oil until they were golden brown.

 I drained the tortilla chips on paper towel.  The strips were light and crisp.

Next, I arranged the tortilla strips on top of my Taco Soup, and sprinkled cheese over the strips, and put a dollop of sour cream on top. 

Stop back by on Tuesday, for my 

Thanksgiving Tips & Tricks post!

Visit my friends blogs!

My friends are taking some time off from blogging, but they have incredible recipes in their archives!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

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!

Buffalo Chicken Soup

Buffalo Chicken Soup

3 cups shredded cooked chicken
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.

Recipe can be found on page 55 in  
MY KIND OF COOKING COOKBOOK.

I have been traveling since the end of July.  Currently I am in Nicaragua.  As I was thinking about what to post while I was out of the country, I decided to go back to the first few posts that I made when I began my blog. 

I created this recipe to be on the mild side of spicy. For me, the spice in the soup is perfect. Lots of flavor but mild enough to please almost anyone. My husband likes lots of spice so I add extra hot wing sauce to his bowl of soup.


Serving Tip:
I like to serve this soup with a dollop of sour cream on top of each bowl and slightly crushed tortilla chips.


Time Saving Tip:
If you don't have time to cook chicken needed for a recipe, purchase a cooked rotisserie chicken.


Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

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!

Italian Potato Soup

Italian Potato Soup

5 medium potatoes, sliced thin
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/4 pounds Italian sausage, formed into bite-sized pieces
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
6 cups water
1/4 cup butter
2 cups milk

Slow Cooker Instructions:
In slow cooker, layer 1/2 of potatoes, onion, sausage, salt, and pepper.  Repeat layering.  Add water and butter.  Cover.  Cook on low 10 hours.  Add milk.  Mix well and serve.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Stove Top Instructions:
In stockpot, add potatoes, onion, and water. Bring to a boil, over medium high heat.  Reduce heat to medium low, cook 30 minutes.  Add sausage, salt, and pepper, and butter, cook 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add milk.

This is my husband's favorite soup!  Before we created this recipe, the only place we could have it was in a restaurant that was 3 hours away.  One night at the restaurant as we were playing our favorite game, "How is This Dish Made," my husband said, "I think I can make this!"  And we did!  After a little tweaking, the flavor was a perfect match for the restaurant version.

The soup is comfort food jazzed up a little.  The sausage makes this soup extra hearty and adds an extra layer of flavor to the soup.

This recipe is from my

BUSY WOMAN'S SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK.

The publicity campaign  for my cookbook has started.
This is the first magazine with an ad in it for my
BUSY WOMAN'S SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK.

I want to say a special thank you to, Ashley, of What Does A Songbird Sing, for posting my Chimichangas recipe from the first cookbook I wrote, called Mild to Wild Mexican Cookbook.

My sister-in-law, JeriLyn, has a fun blog, www.jerisspot.blogspot.com, and on it she mentioned my Lemon Over Chicken recipe.  Thanks JeriLyn, for all of your support and encouragement!

Also, Debbie, from Dining With Debbie, posted a link back to my post about Adapting Your Recipes to the Slow Cooker.  She hosts Crock Pot Wednesdays on her blog and has some fabulous recipes and great links to other blogs.

Please check out their blogs and also stop by my friends, Bo and Pam's blogs too!

Giveaway!

On February 4th, I will be doing two drawings!  

One from the Followers of my blog, and one from the

Fans of my new Facebook page.

For more details, read my post about the Giveaway.

Winners will receive copies of my cookbook,

MY KIND OF COOKING 3,4,5 INGREDIENT COOKBOOK

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully 
follow it.

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!