The day after Thanksgiving I open my refrigerator and a platter of turkey still fills the top shelf. There’s too much. My DH and I could eat turkey for a week and still have turkey leftovers. How could this be? The kids all went home with their share yet still there is so much. What to do?

Looking ahead, the months are going to be much colder. The northwest wind will rattle the window panes, leaving behind lacey fingerprints. My Irish Setter will wear a white muzzle most of the time because he’ll constantly dig in the snow, sniffing out a field mouse or chipmunk. My DH’s cheeks will rival Santa Claus’ complexion after an hour of plowing. Yes, the months of ahead are perfect for hearty soups that will warm the body and spirit. So today I will take some of that turkey and cut it up into bite size pieces and freeze it.

Do you have a favorite turkey leftover recipe to share? Here is one of my favorite.

1 cup chopped celery
1 cup peeled and sliced carrots
4 medium potatoes peeled and diced
1 cup of frozen peas
2 to 3 cups of diced turkey
32 oz of chicken/turkey broth ( I freeze left over broth too)
One bag of potpie noodles. I love making my own potpie but in a pinch I use commercial made.

Directions:
Add two tablespoons of oil to warm stock pot. Add celery, carrots and potatoes, stir constantly for about three minutes. Add turkey and frozen peas and parsley. Stir for another minute or so. Add broth and three cups of water. Bring mixture to a boil. Add potpie. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until potpie is soft but not mushy. Let stand for a few about three minutes and serve with thick slices of toasted bread. YUM.

I hope you enjoy.
AJ

www.autumnjordon.com
www.autumnjordonsnotes.blogspot.com

15 comments

  1. Mary Marvella // November 27, 2009 at 1:30 PM  

    YUM! would you believe my daughter went for sea food this year instead of turkey?

    I might see if Kroger or Publix has any specials on turkey breasts.

    Basically noodles, cream of mushroom soup, peas, and cheese added to turkey and baked.

  2. Autumn Jordon // November 27, 2009 at 2:06 PM  

    Mary, That sounds yummy too. What kind of cheese do you use? An bake for what 30 minutes?

  3. Pamela Varnado // November 27, 2009 at 4:07 PM  

    Unfortunately, neither my husband or myself are crazy about turkey so once Thanksgiving dinner is over, it's tossed out unless my kids or friends take it home with them. That's why I usually only buy the turkey breast.

  4. Autumn Jordon // November 27, 2009 at 5:05 PM  

    Everyone has different tastes. MY DH isn't a fan either of the feastive bird. He likes the cold sandwiches the day after and the potpie though. Me, I LOVE turkey almost as much as lobster. Almost.

  5. Mary Marvella // November 27, 2009 at 5:52 PM  

    Autumn, I use any cheese or cheeses I have on hand. Italian cheeses are good. You can also sprinkle bread crumbs or crumbled saltines over the top.

    When the cheese and soup bubble, it's ready to taste.

  6. Barbara Monajem // November 27, 2009 at 11:52 PM  

    Sounds delicious! (I've never heard of potpie noodles before... where do you buy them?)

  7. Nancy J. Cohen // November 28, 2009 at 6:56 AM  

    We'll be eating turkey for a while too, and sweet potatoes and broccoli casserole. My waistline is expanding already. One thing we do with leftover turkey is shred it in the food processor, mix with light mayonnaise, and voila: turkey salad to put in sandwiches.

  8. Judith Keim // November 28, 2009 at 9:07 AM  

    Wonderful, Autumn. It's a chilly morning here in FL and this sounds perfect!! Thanks! I'll think of you when we have our soup...

  9. Autumn Jordon // November 28, 2009 at 11:03 AM  

    Barbara, I'm in NE PA dutch country, so potpie is everywhere. You can use Farfalle (San Giorgio)or Bowties (Mullers) noodles too.

    Enjoy,

    AJ

  10. Autumn Jordon // November 28, 2009 at 11:04 AM  

    Hi, Nancy. Great to see you here. I never thought of shredding my turkey. Great idea. Thanks,

    AJ

  11. Autumn Jordon // November 28, 2009 at 11:05 AM  

    Judy, I hope you enjoy. Let me know.

    AJ

  12. Beth Trissel // November 28, 2009 at 12:13 PM  

    Hearty soups are among my favorite foods and so comforting on a cold day. This recipe looks excellent. thanks!

  13. Patrice // November 28, 2009 at 1:14 PM  

    All sounds good to me. I'm going out to buy a turkey breast too, because we were invited to a friend's for dinner so no leftovers!

  14. Mary Ricksen // November 28, 2009 at 3:22 PM  

    I love turkey too Autumn and Nancy I do that all the time, you can make some fancy sandwiches with the spread on fancy cut up bread.
    I just hate the smell of turkey soup cooking, I don't know why, so I can't make soup with it. Weird huh?

  15. Linda Suzane // December 2, 2009 at 4:11 PM  

    My son-in-law taught me my new favorite holiday meal. It's called turkey mush. Take all the leftover mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, corn, chunks of turkey and stir together in a pot and heat. It taste really great and is very easy to make.