Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers

So you’ve had your Thanksgiving family dinner. But what about all the leftovers? While many of you probably opt for the typical turkey sandwich or turkey soup, why not put a twist on your leftovers and try one of these fun recipe ideas?

Cranberry Sauce:

• Heat up leftover cranberry sauce to make a warm topping for your ice cream
• Create a cranberry vinaigrette by whisking your cranberry sauce into your favorite vinaigrette
• Mix cranberry sauce into some cream cheese to make a fruity spread that’s perfect for bagels

Mashed Potatoes:
Make mini potato cakes by adding a bit of egg to your mashed potatoes and forming them into small patties. Cook them on an oiled skillet until golden.

Turkey:
Take a risk and substitute traditional fish ingredients with turkey and cranberry sauce to make turkey sushi.

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients
1 recipe pastry for a (10 inch) double crust pie
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cups water
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups cooked turkey, cubed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out bottom pie crust and place in the 10 inch pie pan and set aside.
2. Place two tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion, celery, carrots, p arsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make four slits in the top crust to let out steam.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Refreshing Recipes

 

Cucumber sandwiches

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese

1 pkg. Italian seasoning

Cucumber slices

Dill weed

Mix cream cheese, chopped up Dill weed, and Italian seasoning. Spread the cheese mix on a slice of white or wheat bread. Place two layers of thinly sliced cucumbers on top. Then cut into quarters. Makes 2-3 dozen.

Frozen Grapes

Place a pack of red seedless grapes in the freezer and you will have little sherbet bites in a couple hours.

Watermelon Blasters

3 cups cubed, seeded watermelon

1 1/2 cups strawberries

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 cup ice cubes

Sugar, to taste

Put watermelon, strawberries, lime juice, ice, and sugar if desired into the pitcher of a blender, and blend for 15 seconds on high speed. (Always put the top on the container before processing.) Stop machine, and stir ingredients with a long wooden spoon. Blend for 15 seconds more on high speed.

Fruit Flavored Popsicles

Popsicle molds, or any small cup

1 pkg. (3 oz.) Jello, any flavor

1/2 c. sugar

2 c. boiling water

2 c. cold water

1. Dissolve Jello and sugar in boiling wa­ter. Add cold water and keep stirring fre­quently.

2. Pour into the molds or small cups and freeze at least 8 hours. If your containers do not have handles, add sticks when the popsicles are partially frozen. Makes 8 or 9 large pops.

Zesty Summer Lemon Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, spices and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together shortening and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

3. Add in the lemon juice and zest. Gradu­ally blend in the dry ingredients. Spread batter evenly in the prepared baking pan.

4. Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly colored on top. Cool in pan on wire rack. May be drizzled with a simple confectioners’ sugar icing. Cut into large or small bars.

Valentine’s Day Recipes

Surprise your loved one(s) with some great desserts with these easy to follow recipes!

Valentine Message Brownies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

½ cup milk

3 tsp. vanilla extract, divided in half

1 cup chopped nuts

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Chips/ Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

Vanilla frosting

Red food coloring

Candy sprinkles/ other decorative candies or sugars

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over sides of pan. Grease bottom and sides of foiled-lined pan.

2. Melt butter in medium saucepan. Stir in sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, eggs, milk and 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; blend well. Stir in nuts. Spread batter in prepared pan.

3. Bake 40 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Just before brownies are done, melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Immediately spread over hot brownie. Cool in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate just until fudge layer is set.

4. Using heart-shaped cookie cutters, cut out brownie hearts. Place the brownies on wax paper so that the fudge side is on top.

5. Prepare and tint frosting to desired colors. Pipe messages or decorations onto fudge. Garnish with sugar and small candies as desired.

Recipe taken from hersheys.com

Valentine Chocolate Cookie Pops

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

1-1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 tbsp. water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa/ Hershey’s Cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

12 wooden popsicle sticks

White and pink frostings

Decorator’s sugars and colored sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Beat butter, sugar, water and vanilla in large bowl on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add egg; beat well.

2. Stir together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating on low speed just until blended. (If necessary, refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle.)

3. Roll 1/4 cup dough into ball; place on ungreased cookie sheet, 3 cookies per sheet. (Cookies spread while baking.) Insert wooden popsicle stick about three quarters of the way into side of each ball. Flatten slightly.

4. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until outside edges are firm and center is set. Cool several minutes on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

5. Decorate tops of cookies with white and pink frostings to make hearts or Valentine messages. Sprinkle with decorator’s sugars or sprinkles, if desired. Makes about 12 cookies.

Recipe taken from hersheys.com

Heart Shaped Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate and Raspberries

Ingredients:

Shortbread-

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup unsalted butter

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Filling-

¼ to ½ cup raspberry jam

2 ounces white chocolate grated

Directions:

1. Mix the flour and salt. Set aside in a separate bowl.

2. Cream the butter until smooth with an electric mixer. Add sugar and vanilla extract and mix for 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the flour mixture

4. Flatten the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until ¼ inch thick. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out the dough. Place the cookies about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.

8. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until cookies are slightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

9. Coat the top of half of the cookies with the powdered sugar.

10. On the other half of the cookies, spread ¼ to ½ tsp. of jam. Sprinkle with grated white chocolate.

11. Place the sugared cookie on top of the jam to make a sandwich.

Recipe taken from the Joy Of Baking.