This time of year, everyone has their favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipes. We’ve all had an excess of turkey sandwiches and just reheated leftovers I thought I’d write up some of my family’s favorites, things I remember my mother and my great-grandmother making through the years. These are especially useful in economic times like these when food can be scarce. If you’re cooking for more people these are easily and cheaply expanded, and if you’re cooking for less, they freeze well once made, or you can reduce the size of the recipe. Many of these are very filling and warming dishes used by generations of Pennsylvania farm workers coming in from outdoor work in the winter, what my father always called “meat and potatoes” meals. Add your favorite bread, muffins or biscuits.
I realize a lot of people these days prefer lower carb fair than this, but when you’re living on a strict grocery budget and you need to feed more people who have gravitated to your table, these meals are healthier and more filling then dinner in a box meals, and minus the preservatives and chemicals. And the added benefit is that they’re relatively quick and easy to make, and very customizable. And, when you can get whole turkey or chicken for less than a dollar a pound, also very affordable. When you can bring home leftovers from family holidays, it becomes even more so. Even my picky autistic kid will eat these!
I hope you enjoy these winter ‘staples’. The turkey recipes work equally well with chicken.
Turkey Noodle Soup:
Ingredients:
1 lb left over turkey, diced
1 bag frozen vegetables of your choice
I bag egg noodles
Poultry seasoning and/or left over gravy
Boil water in ‘dutch oven’ pot, add turkey, egg noodles and vegetables, add poultry seasoning or gravy, season to taste.
Boil until noodles and vegetables are tender.
Serves 4-5, easily expandable to larger number, just add more noodles/turkey.
Pennsylvania Dutch Turkey (or chicken) and Dumplings.
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs turkey, (or chicken) diced
4 medium potatoes
Left over veggies or vegetable of choice
2 cups biscuit mix
2/3 cup milk
Poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper
Boil about a half a pot of water “dutch oven size”, add turkey, dice potatoes and add, add vegetables.
Add poultry seasoning, boil until potatoes are almost tender.
Mix biscuit mix and milk to make a thick batter
Spoon batter into pot, cover, turn down to medium heat and cook about 15 minutes
Uncover, add salt and pepper to taste, cook about 10 more minutes or until dumplings are springy and cooked through.
Serves five with leftovers (heat up on stove, add more dumplings if needed).
Turkey Rice casserole:
Ingredients:
1-2 cups gravy,
2 cups rice
1 lb turkey
Vegetables of choice
Prepare rice and if necessary gravy (mixes work well for this and are cheap)
Dice turkey
Mix rice, gravy, vegetables and turkey in casserole dish
Bake in 325 degree oven for 30 mins or until hot and thick.
Serves 4-5 people.
Ham and Green Beans
1-2 lbs diced ham
2 lbs fresh green beans
4 medium-large potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Clean and snap green beans into bite sized pieces.
Boil water in a ‘dutch oven sized’ pot, add ham, diced potatoes, and green beans, season to taste.
Boil at medium heat for about a half hour or until potatoes and green beans are cooked.
Feeds 4-5 with leftovers.
Enjoy and bon appetite!