Turkey Cranberry Wreath

This is a fantastic recipe for using up leftover turkey. It would be great for a New Year's Eve party. It looks difficult, but it's really very easy since it uses crescent rolls from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. This also works best on a round pizza stone.

Turkey Cranberry Wreath
2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. honey Dijon mustard (I just use regular mustard)
1/2 tsp. coarsely gruond black pepper
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped (about 12 ounces)
1/2 cup celery, sliced
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, snipped (I just use dry, or omit it altogether)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or Craisins)
4 oz. Swiss cheese shredded (I just use mozzarella, but I think many white cheese would work well here)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll crescent dough and separate into 16 trianges. With wide ends of tranagles toward the center, arrange 8 triangles in a circle on a large round stone. (the corners of the triangles will touch and the ends will extend over the edge of the stone). Match the other 8 triangles to the wide ends with the points going inward. Press the matching wide ends together to seal.

Mix together the mustard, mayonnaise and black pepper. Put in chopped turkey, celery, parsley, cranberries and cheese. Mix together and scoop onto the dough in a cirle over the seams of the rolls. Sprinkle walnuts over filling. Beginning in the center, lift one dough triangle over the top of the mixture. Then do the same with an outside dough triangle, slightly overlapping the other dough. Continue until the wreath is formed, and tuck the ends of the final dough pieces under. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Comfort Food for the Winter

To continue in our series of leftover dishes, I thought I'd add two that are great for those really cold winter days. Both use leftover turkey and gravy. The first is Turkey Noodle Soup, with homemade noodles. My mom always boiled the turkey carcass, but I don't like doing this because little bones always end up in the soup. Instead, I just use the turkey drippings/broth or leftover gravy. This is also very versatile, as you can add as much turkey and vegetables as you like. The second dish is Turkey Pot Pie using leftover gravy and a can of cream of chicken soup (if you don't have enough gravy). These dishes are so warm and yummy and can't be beat when the temperature dips. Enjoy!

Turkey Noodle Soup

Leftover gravy or turkey broth. If using gravy, add an equal amount of water (or more) to get the correct consistency for soup.
Leftover turkey, chopped (dark meat works well in the soup)
Sliced carrots
Chopped celery
Chopped onion
Salt and pepper to taste

Noodles
1 egg
3 Tbsp. water
enough flour to make a dough which is not sticky and easily handled
salt and pepper to taste, or other spices like Italian spices, lemon pepper, etc.

Instructions:
Put the broth/gravy/water in a big pot and turn on medium high. Chop your vegetables and throw them in the pot. Add turkey. Cook until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, make the noodle dough. Roll out quite thin (1/4 inch) on a heavily floured surface (I like to use a large cutting board). Cut noodles into strips using a knife or pizza cutter. Drop into simmering soup and let cook for about 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Turkey Pot Pie
Leftover gravy and/or can of cream of chicken soup
1 or 2 small potatoes, cubed
1 or 2 carrots, cubed
1/4--1/2 cup peas
Leftover turkey

Biscuit mix:
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Instructions:
Put gravy and/or can of soup into a casserole dish. Boil or steam potatoes and carrots until soft. Add peas for the last minute or two of cooking (if frozen). Drain and pour into casserole dish. Add turkey. Mix. Mix the biscuits and pour batter over the top. (Alternately, make actual biscuits using any recipe you desire and place biscuits atop the gravy and vegetables).  Bake at 400 degrees (425 for high altitude) for 30 minutes.

Leftoverpalooza

A new year has begun. Time to figure out what the heck to do with all that turkey and ham in your freezer that were left over from Thanksgiving and Christmas. Never fear! I've got you covered with lots of tasty recipes. This first one is really handy for a day or two after a holiday in which you've used stuffing. But if you have a box of dry stuffing, that will work, too. This is one of my favorites, and it works great with chicken any time of the year.

Chicken (or turkey) Yum Yum

 2 cups cooked cut-up turkey or chicken
8 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 box Stove Top Stuffing (or whatever leftover stuffing you already have)
1 1/2 cups boiling water (if using dry stuffing)

Put chicken or turkey in 9x13 pan. Mix sour cream and soup together and pour over chicken. Sprinkle dry Stove Top Stuffing over the top and pour the boiling water over everything. (If using leftover already-made stuffing, just put it over everything and do not pour water on it).
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

This goes great with mashed potatoes or rice.