We all are being more careful about waste these days, and who doesn’t have to count their pennies? So let’s face it…the bigger the turkey, the less you pay per pound. The only problem is, if you easily tire of hot turkey sandwiches, cold turkey sandwiches, turkey and stuffing sandwiches, and turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce sandwiches, you need a few new ideas.
Turkey soup is made by lots of folks, though, I , for one don’t care for it. Still, it is fairly easy to make and really stretches your turkey dollar. Throw the carcass, skin, and leftover gravy into a pot of water, add salt and pepper, and cook it until the broth has soaked up most of the taste, Then strain it, because small turkey bones can ruin a pleasant bowl of soup!
Now add carrots, celery, onion, turkey meat, and some noodles to the broth and cook till tender. If it tastes a bit weak, add some chicken broth. You now have a meal that costs almost nothing. But maybe you don’t want anything to do with turkey for a while. Well, the holidays are here, and you will be doing some kind of entertaining for Christmas and New Years. So I suggest you take the turkey bits and pieces that are left over, and freeze them.
Someone invites you over for a pre-Christmas party. You need to bring an hor d’oeurve…oh my! Pull that turkey out of the freezer and throw it into the food processer with some onion. When it is finely chopped (but not a paste), put it in a bowl, and add a roux. You know, 3 tablespoons of butter and 5 of flour, sauteed until just starting to turn and then add a cup of milk. Heat till it thickens, and then add it to the turkey. Add a handful of bread or cornflake crumbs and season it with salt, pepper and garlic to taste. Refrigerate till cool.
Once it has set a bit, roll small balls of it and then coat them with more of your crumbs. Refrigerate another fifteen minutes, and then dip them in egg and reroll them in crumbs. Now you have two choices. Either deep fry them…they only take a couple minutes…or put them on a greased cookie sheet spray them with Pam, and bake them at 375 until golden brown. All you have to add is a dipping sauce or two!
Perhaps the girls are coming over to play bridge. Make a wonderful spread that doesn’t have either sour cream or cheese, for a change of pace. Take that turkey out of the freezer and put it in the food processer, this time with both onion and celery to taste. Add a dollop of Miracle Whip, salt, and pepper to it and process until spreadable. Serve it with crackers, melba toast, or party rye. This snack is particularly delicious with green grapes, so why not garnish your tray with a few bunches?
Have a truly happy and loving holiday season this year. You don’t need oodles of money to enjoy family and friends!
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