Thanksgiving Leftovers

So… Thanksgiving was last week, so I’m a bit late to this party.  I’m sure most everyone has already dealt with and eaten their leftovers.  Maybe, the last few days were full of groaning about having to eat the same thing… again.  Maybe not.  I don’t know how many leftovers you get.  With two or more Thanksgiving dinners, I get a lot.  I’ve come up with a few recipes to change the food just a bit, in case you’re sick of plain old heated up Thanksgiving or turkey and ham sandwiches. Not that those options are bad.

First, I highly recommend you secure the turkey carcass from whoever cooked it.  Most people are ok with giving it up since they won’t use it anyways.  My family?  Grandma and I both want the carcass, so it’s good we have two turkeys. 🙂
When I get home, I put the carcass in the crock pot and make stock.  I actually use it three times before I throw away the bones.  I got  two gallons of stock and enough turkey for soup.  And I still had turkey slices for all the sandwiches I could want.

Split Pea Soup

This recipe is based on the Better Homes and Gardens Red Plaid cookbook (which I love)

• 1lb split peas
• butter or olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 large or 2 small carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme, to taste
• ham bone with meat attached
• 1/2 gallon water

Saute the veggies in butter or olive oil until they are tender.  Add the peas, bone, water and seasons.  Simmer until the peas get soft and it sort of looks like baby food.  Seriously, I know I’m not making it sound very good, but it is.  When it’s ready, take the bone out, pull the meat off and put it back in the soup.  The meat will literally fall off the bone – just give it a rough chop and you’re all set.

Stuffing Dumpling and Turkey Soup

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 cup or so of turkey (whatever you got off the carcass)
• 2 quarts of stock
• leftover stuffing
• 1 egg
• flour
• butter or olive oil
• sage, salt, pepper, bay leaf

Saute the veggies until they are tender.  While they are cooking, mix the stuffing and egg together.  Add flour, a little at a time until the mixture looks like a wet biscuit mix.  Add the stock, turkey and seasonings to the pot with the veggies and bring it to a simmer.  Form little balls out of the stuffing mix and drop them into the soup.  Let them cook for about ten minutes and enjoy your soup.

I also made Slightly Spicy Ham and Dumplings, lots of sandwiches and stuck some extra ham, a ham bone and the rest of my stock in the freezer.  These ideas might be a little late for this Thanksgiving’s leftovers, but lucky for you, the Christmas menu is extremely similar.  Let me know if you try them and what you think!