Carefree… by Joyce McCombs
Thanksgiving

November 23, 2004

It’s almost Thanksgiving and if you haven’t done it yet, run right now and haul the turkey out of the freezer and get it to thawing right away in some cold water in the kitchen sink. I was going to give you detailed instructions for roasting a bird and stuffing it and everything else you’re "supposed" to do on Thanksgiving, but I seem to have written about that several times in the last sixteen years and I didn’t want to bore you. Besides, the things you’re "supposed" to do are the things that you WANT to do, the things that work best for your family, your lifestyle and your checkbook, despite what those glossy magazines say.

Having said that, you and I both know what we really want on Thanksgiving. First it’s the delicious roast turkey and trimmings on T- Day, then it’s leftovers from the microwave on Friday. A turkey sandwich or two usually appears over the weekend during the football frenzies, and finally, by Sunday, just when you think you’ve had your fill of the bird, out comes the big soup pot and the slow simmer toward perfect soup begins.

I’m always secretly delighted when there’s roasted turkey on hand, no matter what time of year. Getting so much great tasting product from one big baking effort is my idea of efficiency in the kitchen. Turkey seems to inspire even reluctant eaters to greatness. I don’t know how anyone can resist a slice succulent white meat or a piece of heartier dark meat, but I suppose there are folks who don’t care for turkey and enjoy a good slice of ham instead. I suppose we should feel sympathy for those poor souls, but I think most folks rejoice that it leaves more good pickings on the turkey platter for the rest of us.

Today’s recipes revolve around leftover turkey and some interesting ways to use it. There’s a lot of press out there in cooking land on this topic, and a lot of hysteria about what to do with leftover poultry. In my humble opinion, people should just calm down and have a turkey sandwich and quit worrying about it. The Home Ec-sperts I’ve been reading make it sound like you end up with forty pounds of turkey, nary a freezer bag to store it in, and a peptic ulcer for gosh sakes. If you’re making that much good and do have nightmares about it, then for heaven’s sake, maybe it’s time to downsize your bird, or swap leftovers with your neighbor who is having that ham we just passed. Sometimes I think the foodies of the world spend entirely too much time dreaming up ways to solve problems that really don’t exist. However, I’m not an expert, so don’t quote me!

Turkey does freeze nicely by the way, and it’s even better if you slice it thinly, cube it or shred it into recipe size portions first. Make sure you squeeze as much air out of the bag or container as you can, and in a couple weeks when you get a craving or you need a quick supper, you’ll be glad you tucked it in there back behind the frozen peas.

If you’re really worried about cooking your holiday bird, or if you sense disaster on the horizon, the following hotlines are a good source of information and might help you through the crisis. I’ve heard from two reliable sources that the USDA folks listed first are really good about calming people down, even if there’s smoke coming out of the oven and a room full of relatives desperate to dine. The Reynolds hot line and the Butterball hotline both get lots of national attention, and each of those companies has product reputation at stake. Something I read recently said each of these companies has their phone operators take extended training sessions, with lots of practice questions from previous callers, and I thought that was a swell idea. The press release also said that many of their phone operators had previously had turkey disasters of their very own and were hired for their high "empathetic quality" – which couldn’t hurt, especially when you think you might have just ruined everyone’s dinner plans!

! USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline
(888) 674-6854. Open Thanksgiving 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time. .
! Reynolds Turkey Tips Line
(800) 745-4000 Open through December 31, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
! Butterball Turkey Talk Line
(800) BUTTERBALL (800-288-8373)Thanksgiving Day, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Before we jump into the recipes, let me give a profound THANK YOU to Robin Moritz, who did a guest spot here last time. I thought her writing was wonderful and her recipes delightful, and I hope you agree. The only bad thing is that now she is on my list of people who will get pestered to do an occasional column. Maybe that’s why she ran the other way when she saw me coming the other day! (Just kidding, Robin!)

Lemon, Blueberry & Turkey Salad

A lighter twist on the usual turkey salad and low in Carbs, too. Be sure to save a few blueberries to top each portion, and serve it very well chilled.
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 carton low-fat lemon flavored yogurt
3 Tablespoon reduced-calorie mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
Combine yogurt, mayonnaise and salt. Add turkey, green onions, celery and bell pepper. Fold in blueberries last, and mix gently. Cover and refrigerate to let flavors blend for at least 30 minutes. Serve over shredded lettuce. Makes about 5 cups.

Turkey Divan
Certain families I know around town don’t consider it a holiday unless this dish makes at least one appearance during the season. It’s classic, it’s simple, and best of all it’s a delicious way to disguise broccoli – even I like it this way! (Don’t tell Janet Boyer I said I’d eat broccoli!)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen broccoli spears, steamed
3 cups chopped cooked turkey
1 can cream of chicken, celery or broccoli soup
2/3 cup half and half
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
dash pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup ground pecans, walnuts or almonds
Place steamed broccoli in lightly buttered baking dish; cover with turkey. Combine soup with cream, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and pepper, then pour evenly over turkey and broccoli. Mix Parmesan cheese, crumbs and ground nutmeats and sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 until top is light brown.

Slow Cooked Maple Sweet Potatoes

This isn’t really a leftover, but it sounded so good I just had to include it. It won’t hurt to mix this up in your slow cooker the night before and leave it unplugged until morning. Just fire it up after you’ve had your first cup of morning coffee and then rest easy until dinner.
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons butter
6 small sweet potatoes, peeled 1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons grated orange rind
dash of salt and pepper
Mix the syrup and juice in slow cooker. Add the butter, potatoes, and raisins. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and grated rind. Cover and cook on LOW until the potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 hours. Serve with the syrup from the cooker and raisins spooned over the potatoes. A few toasted pecans sprinkled on top makes a great garnish

HOT TURKEY SALAD
This will keep four football fan size appetites happy while you sneak away to do some Christmas shopping. If you have some leftover rolls that got a little dried out in the breadbasket, use them as a good base for this hearty salad, and pass the cranberries and pickles on the side.
Preheat oven to 450
2 cups of cooked turkey, diced
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Half an onion, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 can water chestnuts, diced
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese
Combine everything and spread in a sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Top with grated cheese & set aside.
Toss together until evenly coated:
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
Sprinkle evenly over salad mixture. Bake, uncovered at 450 for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cranberry Coleslaw

This is an absolutely luscious change from ordinary slaw and looks so festive on a holiday table. This should be served icy cold right from the fridge and be sure to tightly cover any leftovers so it stays crisp.
1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
2 stalks sliced celery
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vinegar
Combine cranberries, cabbage celery green pepper and grapes. Mix juice, mayonnaise, honey and vinegar and mix with fruits and veggies. Chill until serving time.
Everyone please enjoy your holiday! I’m so thankful you continue to read these words whenever I can gather some together. Your comments and support make it worthwhile – thank you all so much!

Index to Carefree Gourmet Articles

Sourdough Sensations June 29, 2007

Kitty Treats June 29, 2007

Dog Treats April 20, 2007

Sandwich Plan March 23, 2007

Carefree Wacky Ingredients March 8, 2007

Homestead Hearth January 25, 2007

Carefree Cooking 101 January 11, 2007

Holiday Punch December 23, 2006

Holiday Treats December 12, 2006

Thanksgiving II November 20, 2006

Standby Favorites October 16, 2006

Cabbage October 11, 2006

Apples September 22, 2006

Kids Cook July 6, 2006

Wacky Tips June 8, 2006

Graduation May 11, 2006

African Cuisine April 13, 2006

A Bit of Irish March 23, 2006

Crazy for Carrots March 9, 2006

February Vacation February 23, 2006

Easy Budget January 12, 2006

Christmas Treats December 22, 2005

Sweet Surprises December 8, 2005

Turkey Times  November 22, 2005

Grand Champions - Part 2 - October 13, 2005

Janet Boyer September 22, 2005

Grand Champions September 5, 2005

Blueberries  August 12, 2005

Halibut and Zukes July 28, 2005

Orange Juice July 14, 2005

Happy Birthday June 30, 2005

Honey June 9, 2005

Picnic Dishes May 26, 2005

Celebration Salads May 12, 2005

Kraft Foods April 21, 2005

Shrimp April 7, 2005

Carry on Airline snacks March 25, 2005

Sandwiches March 10, 2005

Back from Vacation February 24, 2005

Super Bowl Snack Attack  January 14, 2005

Ginger Snaps December 29, 2004

Christmas Memories - December 12, 2004

Thanksgiving November 23, 2004

Glen and Meat  October 29, 2004

Blueberry Pie Champion  September 30, 2004

Fair Winners  September 2, 2004

Glen's Knives June 11, 2004

Aunt Aggie Tells All... May 13, 2004

Crazy About Catsup April 29, 2004

Carefree Clearance Special April 8, 2004

Seattle Adventure March 26, 2004

Vegas, part 2 March 12, 2004

Vegas Wind February 12, 2004

Casserole Bonanza January 11, 2004

No Fuss Dishes  December 19, 2003

Fake and Bake Christmas  December 11, 2003