Turkey Noodle Soup

Who has a leftover turkey carcass??  

We do! 

(Ew, that sounds morbid)

Turkey noodle soup is a family favorite, thanks to my mother in law.  This year, I didn't make a turkey, but I was given the leftovers to make turkey noodle soup.  With all the options of how to use leftover Thanksgiving food, this is one that is ALWAYS used. 

Turkey Noodle Soup 

Ingredients:

Leftover turkey carcass (with some of the left meat pulled off and reserved for later)

Speghetti

Dozen eggs, hard boiled

Soy sauce

Directions:

In a large roasting pan, fill half way with water.  Salt the water and add the carcass.  Bring water to a boil and then let simmer for about 20 minutes. Be careful not to simmer too long, you don't want any bones softening and falling in your broth.  

Remove the carcass and add the speghetti noodles.  Cook until done.  

Serve noodles and broth with pieces of turkey and sliced eggs on top.  Season with soy sauce. 

Super Shells

It seems we have been eating a lot of chicken lately, so in search of something a little different, I came across this recipe.  I knew reading it that it would be amazing.  Yummy!  This time, I used sausage and it turned out great!  

Super Shells

Ingredients:

1 box jumbo shells, cooked according to package.  Set aside tossed in some olive oil so they don't stick together. 

1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage or Turkey 

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup bread, torn into pieces

1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, reserving 1/2 cup

1 jar of pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 350º

Heat some oil in the skillet and add onions.  Cook unti tender.  Add garlic and cook about a minute.  Add meat and cook through, make sure you break it up into small pieces.  Set aside to cool.  

In a bowl, mix the bread, spices, eggs, milk and cheese.  Add in the meat mixture. 

Pour about half of the sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish, spread across the surface.  

Stuff the shells with the filling and place in the casserole dish.  Cover the shells with pasta sauce and sprinkle with reserved cheese.  

Bake for 40 minutes. 

*I used a small cookie scoop to stuff the shells.  Makes it easier than using a regular spoon. 

Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff Casserole

A comfort casserole that is warm, meaty and filling.  My favorite part are the fresh mushrooms.  Makes a great leftover dish for lunch the next day too!

Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff Casserole

Ingredients:


1 pound ground turkey or beef
1 small white onion, chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp worchestshire sauce
1/2 bag of egg noodles
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
salt and pepper (to taste)


Preheat oven to 450º.


Cook onions and mushrooms with some olive oil in a skillet.  Add ground turkey (or beef) and cook through.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour in water, worchestshire sauce and soup.  Simmer for 15 minutes.


Cook noodles in a pot of water.  Drain and add to meat mixture. 


Pour in a casserole dish and bake for 10 minutes.  Spoon sour cream over the top and bake another 5 minutes. 

Hamburger Pie

This is another treasure I've gotten from my awesome mother-in-law.  Hamburger Pie was a regular meal at my husband's house growing up, probably because it's so delicious! It's so comforting and filling.  Perfect for feeding a large group.  Yum! 

Hamburger Pie

Ingredients

1 lb of ground hamburger (I prefer to use ground turkey)

1 egg

1/4 cup ketchup

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheese

2-3 cup instant potatoes

1 tsp salt and pepper (to taste)

minced onion (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350º.

Mix raw meat, 1 1/3 cup of dry instant potatoes, egg, ketchup, milk, salt and pepper and minced onion. Spread in an ungreased baking dish. 

Bake uncovered for about 35-40 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.  Prepare the remaining potatoes, add to the top of the meat mixture and cover with cheese. 

Bake until the cheese melts.  (about 5 minutes)

Thanksgiving Turkey

When I was first married, my visiting teacher and I were discussing the upcoming holidays.  I mentioned to her that I had never cooked a turkey before.  At her next visit, she gave me an article from the local newspaper with instructions on cooking a turkey.  

I used it that year and it turned out so juicy and tender.  Since then it has been the only turkey recipe I've ever used.  

I've included the article word for word because it's such valuable information!  

*The only thing I do different is I buy frozen turkeys.  

Thanksgiving Turkey

Las Vegas Review Journal

A Caesars Palace chef shows the way to a juicy, roast Thanksgiving Turkey

Here are his tips for cooking the perfect Thanksgiving turkey

1.   Buy a fresh turkey instead of a frozen one.  To pick the right size, estimate two pounds of turkey per person.  This will allow for shrinkage and the weight of the bone, and still have leftovers.

2.    Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Put the stuffed turkey in an uncovered roasting pan on a base of vegetables--a raw, halved or quartered white onion; a washed, scrubbed carrot (whole or peeled); washed celery stakes with no leaves; ½ clove of garlic; three sprigs of fresh thyme and one bay leave.  If you don’t’ use a base of vegetables use a rack to lift the turkey off the bottom of the pan.

3.    Before roasting, brush the turkey skin with one stick of melted butter mixed with three tablespoons olive oil one table spoon salt and ¼ teaspoon of fresh ground pepper.  Tie the turkey legs together with chives or string. 

4.    Place the turkey in the oven, uncovered for ½ hour, or until it has nicely browned.  Then, reduce the temperature to 275 degrees and finish roasting the turkey.  Baste the turkey one every ½ hour with pan juices.  Reducing the temperature to 275 is important.  Boyce says most people cook their turkey too quickly in an oven that’s too hot.

5.    To tell when it’s done, estimate 20 minutes per pound, or use a meat thermometer.  The turkey is done when it reaches 160 degrees internal temperature.

GOBBLE GOBBLE!

OTHER TIPS: 

It’s best to stuff the turkey, even if you don’t eat the stuffing, because it keeps the turkey most.  Be sure the stuffing itself is moist or it will act like a sponge and a dry turkey will result.  You should be able to push the raw stuffing down with a fork and still see the impression of the fork.

Never use caned gravy. Packaged mixes are better than canned, but the best gravy comes from your own stock make a day ahead of time.  Buy chicken bones or turkey bones from the butcher.  Brown the bones in the oven.  Boil the browned bone in water and reduce to make stock.  Cool it to room temperature, remove the bones, strain and chill in the refrigerator.  If it doesn’t thicken somewhat like gelatin, it needs to be boiled longer. Skim off any extra fat that may have formed on the top of the chilled stock.  When the turkey comes out of the oven, remove the turkey and vegetables from the pan, skim off excess fat form the juices in the pan and make gravy adding the stock.  Thicken with a little flour.

To serve a beautiful turkey add, garnishes of different colored kale and radicchio leaves.  Or buy oak or maple leaves from a florist.  Wash them and put them on the tray around the turkey.