Well, it’s a few days after Thanksgiving, and we have a ton of leftover turkey .What shall we do with it all?I know let’s find some really good recipes to try.Let’s start with some yummy soup,cold weather is here let’s stay toasty warm inside.

Mom’s Turkey Soup Recipe

Making Stock

1 Remove all the usable turkey meat from the turkey carcass to save for making sandwiches later or for adding to the soup.

2 Break up the leftover bones of the carcass a bit, so they don’t take up as much room in the pot. Put the leftover bones and skin into a large stock pot and cover with cold water by an inch. Add any drippings that weren’t used to make gravy, and any giblets (except liver) that haven’t been used already. Add a yellow onion that has been quartered, some chopped carrots, parsley, thyme, a bay leaf, celery tops, and some peppercorns.

3 Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to bring the stock to a bare simmer or just below a simmer. ( If you would like to have a clear stock, do not bring the stock to a boil, but keep the stock below a simmer, as the more you simmer, the more cloudy the stock will be. Otherwise, bring it to a low simmer.) Skim off any foamy crud that may float to the surface of the stock.

4 Add salt and pepper, about 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper. It sort of depends on how big your turkey is. You can always add salt to the soup later.

5 Cook for at least 4 hours, uncovered or partially uncovered (so the stock reduces), occassionally skimming off any foam that comes to the surface. To help maintain a steady, even heat, you can cook the stock in a 180-200°F oven.

6 Remove the bones and veggies and strain the stock, ideally through a very fine mesh strainer.

7 If making stock for future use in soup you may want to reduce the stock by cooking it longer, uncovered, at a bare simmer, to make it more concentrated and easier to store.

Making the Turkey Soup

Prepare the turkey soup much as you would a chicken soup. With your stock already made, add chopped carrots, onions, and celery in equal parts. Add some parsley, a couple cloves of garlic. Add seasoning – poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram and/or a bouillion cube. Cook at a bare simmer until the vegetables are cooked through. (Or you can sauté the vegetables in a little fat rendered from the soup first, and add back to the soup right before serving.) You can add rice, noodles*, or even leftover mashed potatoes (or not if you want the low carb version). Take some of the remaining turkey meat you reserved earlier, shred it into bite sized pieces and add to the soup. You may also want to add some chopped tomatoes, either fresh or canned. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes a dash or two of Tabasco gives the soup a nice little kick.

Turkey Noodle Stew

Ingredients

1 pound turkey breast tenderloins, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
3 cups uncooked extra-wide egg noodles

Directions

In a large skillet, cook turkey and onion in oil until turkey is no longer pink, about 6 minutes; drain. Combine the broth, soup, vegetables and lemon-pepper. Add to the skillet; bring to a boil. Stir in noodles. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles and vegetables are tender.

After-Thanksgiving Turkey Soup

Ingredients

1 leftover turkey carcass
3 medium onions, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 cup butter, cubed
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
3/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Place turkey carcass in a soup kettle or Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove carcass; cool. Set aside 3 qt. broth. Remove turkey from bones and cut into bite-size pieces; set aside.
In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, saute the onions, carrots and celery in butter until tender. Reduce heat; stir in flour until blended. Gradually add 1 qt. of reserved broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Add cream, rice, salt, bouillon, pepper, remaining broth and reserved turkey. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until rice is tender.

Leftover Turkey Gumbo

INGREDIENTS:

6 quarts turkey stock, made from your leftover turkey carcass
1 cup flour
1 cup oil (but if you really want to be decadent, use bacon fat)
1 pound leftover turkey meat, white and/or dark, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 pound andouille or smoked sausage
2 pounds shrimp
2 pounds okra, sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 bunch green onions with tops, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
5 ribs celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Creole seasoning to taste,
OR
black, white and cayenne pepper, to taste
Tabasco, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
hot Louisiana long-grain rice

PREPARATION:

Blend oil (or bacon fat) and flour thoroughly in a thick skillet and cook over medium-high to high heat, stirring constantly. Be careful not to burn it. If you start to see lots of black specks in the roux, throw it away and start over. Keep cooking and stirring until the roux gets darker and darker. It’s best to use a very heavy pot or skillet for roux-making, especially cast iron. With a good cast iron Dutch oven or skillet, you can get a beautiful dark roux in only about 20 minutes. If you prefer a blond or medium roux, cut down on the amount of roux you use; dark roux does not have as much thickening effect since the starch is so thoroughly cooked.

Turn the fire down or off as the roux nears the right color, because the heat from the pan will continue cooking it. You can also add your onions, bell peppers and celery to the roux as it’s near the end of cooking to arrest the cooking process and to soften the vegetables (I like to do it this way, and I recommend it). Keep stirring until the roux is relatively cool. Add the roux to the stock.

Slice the andouille or smoked sausage and brown, pouring off all the fat. Saute the onions, green onions, bell pepper and celery if you haven’t already added them to the roux, and add to the stock. Add the sausage. Add the bay leaves and Creole seasoning (or ground peppers) to taste and stir. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer; let simmer for about 30 minutes. Keep tasting and adjusting seasonings as needed.

Add the okra and cook another 30 minutes or so. Make sure that the “ropiness” or “stringiness” from the okra is gone, then add the parsley and the reserved turkey meat. Simmer for another 15 minutes, then add the shrimp. Give it another 5-6 minutes or so, until the shrimp are just done, turning pink. Be very careful not to overcook the shrimp; adding the shrimp should be the last step. Adjust seasonings, adding salt, pepper and perhaps Tabasco as needed. Remember that gumbo shouldn’t be too spicy hot. If there is any fat on the surface of the gumbo, try to skim off as much of it as possible. Serve generous amounts in bowls over hot rice. Sprinkle about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of gumbo file in your individual serving; just remember not to put it in the pot and cook it with the gumbo; it doesn’t work, and will make the gumbo stringy.

Ok that should be enough soups for now let’s try some tasty casseroles.

Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (12 fluid 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
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

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in the flour. Slowly stir in evaporated milk and water, then 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, then sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Spread mashed potatoes over cheese. Top mashed potatoes with the stuffing mixture.
Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spaghetti
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
4 cups chopped cooked turkey

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, and place in the prepared baking dish.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Mix in chicken broth and milk. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir in about 1 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese, and remove from heat.
Mix chicken broth mixture and turkey with spaghetti. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until surface is lightly browned.

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

2 cups cubed cooked turkey
3/4 cup turkey gravy
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups prepared stuffing
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups warm mashed potatoes

Directions

In a greased 2-qt. baking dish, layer the turkey, gravy, carrots, stuffing and corn. Top with potatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until edges of potatoes are browned.

Turkey Potato Casserole

Ingredients

1 pound cooked turkey meat, shredded
1 onion, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can green beans, drained
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
8 ounces cubed Cheddar cheese
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
4 cups prepared mashed potatoes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place turkey in an even layer on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with a layer of onion and a layer of green beans so that the turkey is no longer visible. Pour the condensed soup over the onion layer, then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Stir together the cubed cheese and mashed potatoes; spoon over the top of the casserole, and spread to cover.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through.

Turkey Squash Casserole

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups sliced yellow summer squash
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup crushed saltines

Directions

In a large skillet, cook turkey in oil over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the squash and onion. Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender; drain.
In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Stir into the turkey mixture. Transfer to a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Sprinkle with the cracker crumbs. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.