It’s after Thanksgiving. Black Friday shopping has been done. What to cook for dinner. Hopefully, you have turkey leftover from the big day. The easiest thing to do would be to put the leftovers on a plate, and warm them up in the microwave.But there is so much more that can be done with the leftovers, especially the turkey.
Here are two of my favorite turkey recipes that are great for around the holidays. One is from the best cook whose food I wish I was still eating, my mom. The other is a way to dress up the lefter turkey into a dish that would be welcome on many restaurant menus. Either way, you will be eating the turkey in a more favorable way than just reheating it.
This recipe is one of my mothers. It’s one that she would make to bring to covered dish or pot luck dinners. It is a twist on Thanksgiving dinner, with the turkey, stuffing and green beans. The only thing that is missing is the French Fried Onions that usually go on top Green bean casserole.It’s funny that I never seem to get my mother’s recipes to taste like they did when she cooked them. I guess she used a different kind of love when cooking them than I use.
Mona’s Turkey Casserole
2 cups Pepperidge Stuffing 1 small can French Style Green Beans 1 small can Cream of Mushroom Soup 2 cups Turkey, diced 1/2 cup Milk 2 teaspoons Butter 1/4 cup Hot Water Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350℉.
Arrange in a casserole dish 2/3 cup dry stuffing, green beans, diced turkey, mushroom soup and milk. Mix together. Dot with butter. Add hot water, salt and pepper. Top with the remaining 1 1/3 cups of stuffing. Bake for 25 minutes.
This dish puts a fancy twist on leftover turkey. Although the finished dish looks like you have been cooking all day, it is an easy dish to prepare. You can use white or dark meat turkey. The important part of the dish is the bacon. You want to make sure that it is crispy before you place in the oven. It adds a different texture to the dish that I think is crucial. It just does not taste as good if the bacon is less than crispy.
Turkey Poulet
8 slices of Bread, lightly toasted 24 sliced Bacon, cooked crispy 24 ounces Turkey, sliced Double recipe of Béchamel Sauce (recipe to follow) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Preheat oven to 350℉.
For each serving, place two pieces of toast side by side on an oven proof plate. Place 3 slices of bacon and 3 ounces of turkey on each piece of toast. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cook for 15 minutes.
This is one of the five, if not the most important, mother sauces. It is also the easiest to make.Béchamel is the basic for many different sauces. You add cheese to Béchamel to make a Mornay sauce, which is used to make Macaroni and Cheese. Adding different herbs and seasonings makes this sauce a must know how to make.
Béchamel Sauce
2 tablespoons Butter 2 tablespoon Flour 1/4 teaspoon Salt Dash of White Pepper Dash of Nutmeg 1 1/2 cups Milk
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook until evenly combined. After the mixture is combined with no lumps, slowly add the milk, stirring constantly with a whisk until evenly blended. Stir the sauce over medium heat until the mixture bubbles across the entire surface. Cook and stir for a couple more minutes to completely cook the flour into the sauce.
These last few articles have been a tribute to Thanksgiving. I hope you had an enjoyable day and I look forward to sharing more holiday recipes with you in the coming weeks.
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