Thanksgiving Day Captured in Photos
Remember how I told you I decided to just roast a big chicken since there was only going to be 3 of us for Thanksgiving dinner? Well I took hubby Tom with me to the store Wednesday evening and when he saw the fresh turkeys he just had to have one! We got the smallest one they had and it was around 12 pounds. I found a recipe for roasting a perfect turkey from Barefoot Contessa and let hubby prepare it. I have to say it was the best, most delicious, moist turkey we have ever had! The recipe called for fresh thyme but I had fresh rosemary so we went with it and the flavor was amazing!
Barefoot Contessa’s Perfect Roast Turkey Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream & Chives
Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Praline Topping Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple Syrup
Oven Roasted Broccoli My Plate
Pumpkin Pie With a little whipped cream
We got up early, got the turkey in the oven and baked the pie. We had a nice video chat with daughter Katy in Spain. A group of the International students were going out to dinner last night at a restaurant owned by some former USA residents. Katy said everyone was sad because they knew their moms and grandmothers were back home cooking amazing holiday dinners. I can’t wait to hear how their holiday dinner so far away from home turned out.
After our video chat, Tom and I headed outside to rake and mulch leaves! Hubby got out there before me and had the front raked and leaves piled up. I put them in our wood chipper which made mulch out them in quick order. Hubby Tom spread them around as needed in the garden areas of the landscape. I raked the side yard. It was our work out for the day! Good for the upper arms! We went back inside, cooked, ate and cleaned up our mess. David was thrilled to have his dish of sweet potatoes with the praline topping. Then we decided to go see the movie RED. Not too many people at the movies either so we got good seats. It was a lovely day filled with relaxed family time and great food. The only thing that could have made it better was if Katy had been here with us.
What to do with your leftover turkey
Earlier this week I made white chili and you can use either chicken or turkey in this recipe. Just chop or shred the poultry meat. This recipe came from my friend Judy who, at one time years ago, helped out at a Bed and Breakfast that served this soup. I have passed this recipe on to many other people over the years. My mom makes it every Christmas Eve. It is a hit with everyone who tries it. This recipe is super easy, uses common pantry items, is economical and easy to double if feeding a crowd. Your’e gonna love it! The canned green chiles add tons of flavor, a little color and a little heat. To round out the Mexican flavor you saute a little fresh onion and out of the pantry grab the, ground cumin, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne pepper and dried cilantro. Pop open some canned beans and chicken broth and in a matter of 40 minutes you will be calling out “soups ready!”
I had this recipe for Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits with Chives in my to try pile and they were a nice addition to the soup. Be sure and choose a good quality extra sharp cheddar cheese. Since you are using a small amount of cheese you need the extra sharp so the flavor comes through. The chives add a delicate onion undertone, the biscuits were even better the next day as the flavors had a chance to meld together. Yummy!
White Chili
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound raw, boneless skinless, chicken breast, cubed or 12 ounces shredded cooked chicken or turkey meat
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 small cans, chopped green chiles, mild
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons, ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried cilantro (of course you can use fresh, about 1 Tablespoon, chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 – 16 ounce cans white beans, undrained
- Optional garnishes;
- fresh chopped cilantro
- shredded cheese
- avocado, diced
- tortilla chips
- sour cream
1. If using raw chicken or turkey, saute meat in oil in a dutch oven, when cooked completely, remove and keep warm. If using left over chicken or tureky, skip the first step and proceed to step 2.
2. In dutch oven over medium heat, add oil, saute onion until translucent, about 2 minutes, stir in broth, chiles and seasonings. Simmer about 30 minutes. Stir in chicken or turkey, beans undrained and simmer for 10 minutes or until mixture is hot enough to serve. Ladle into bowls and add garnishes if desired.
Note: The original recipe called for twice this amount of chicken but I have found that if I shred the chicken or turkey meat it takes up more volume than diced and 12 ounces is plenty! You can halve this recipe if desired, but it does freeze well so why not make a big batch and have some ready to go in the freezer for future meals.
Yield: 8 Servings.
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 266 Calories; 6g Fat (20.4% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 35mg Cholesterol; 420mg Sodium.
Old WWP 5 / New WWPP 6
Adapted from a B & B recipe from Judy
Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits with Chives
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal, preferably stone-ground (see Shopping Tip) Use what you have on hand.
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon honey, (optional)
- 3-5 tablespoons low-fat milk
Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Add cheese and butter and pulse again until the mixture looks pebbly with small oat-size lumps. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
- Add sour cream, chives and honey (if using) and stir with a rubber spatula until almost combined. Add 3 tablespoons milk, stirring, just until the dough comes together; add more milk as needed until the dough holds together in a shaggy mass. Don’t overmix.
- On a lightly floured surface, lightly pat the dough into a rectangle about 9 by 5 inches and just over 1/2 inch thick. Using a large chef’s knife, divide the dough evenly into 12 biscuits. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake the biscuits until lightly browned on top, 14 to 16 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 12 Servings
Nutritional Information
Per serving : 131 Calories; 5 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 1 g Mono; 15 mg Cholesterol; 17 g Carbohydrates; 4 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 318 mg Sodium; 39 mg Potassium
Old WWP 3 / New WWPP 3
Tips & Notes Shopping tip: Find stone-ground cornmeal in the natural-food sections of supermarkets, in natural-foods stores or online at kingarthurflour.com and bobsredmill.com.
Recipe Adapted From Eating Well
Nutmeg Notes
I still have that whole chicken to do something with today. We will have an abundance of poultry to use up! Anyone want to come over for dinner? I plan on making some soup and freezing some of the meat to use later on. If you want to use up your turkey left overs and make them taste like something new try using it in any of the following recipes or use it in one of your favorite recipes that calls for chicken and substitute turkey!
Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa
Cheesy Chicken & Spinach Shells
ADD YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you do with your holiday meal leftovers?
29 comments
3 pings
Roz says:
November 26, 2010 at 2:22 pm (UTC -7)
Hi Tami,
I just found your site through a link from Kat’s blog…wanted to stop by and say “hi” and tell you how much I like it. I’ll definately be bookmarking some of these recipes! THANKS!!!!
Tami says:
November 27, 2010 at 1:27 pm (UTC -7)
Hi Roz nice to meet you! Thanks for leaving a comment. I hope you will come back often.
Marisa @ Loser for Life says:
November 26, 2010 at 2:45 pm (UTC -7)
Mmmm… the white chili sounds delicious! Glad you had a nice Thanksgiving, Tami!!
Tami says:
November 27, 2010 at 1:27 pm (UTC -7)
Thanks Marisa, hope yours was good as well!
Carol says:
November 26, 2010 at 3:03 pm (UTC -7)
Tami, your Thanksgiving dinner looks delicious! I’m cooking a turkey on Sunday and hope it turns out like yours!
Love the soup idea and your biscuits…awesome!!If I was closer I would sure take you up on your dinner invite!
I’d love to rake leaves but our yard is full of SNOW!!!!
Carol says:
November 26, 2010 at 3:05 pm (UTC -7)
Forgot to add…Turkey Shepherd’s is a great way to use up leftover turkey, gravy & stuffing!
Tami says:
November 27, 2010 at 1:29 pm (UTC -7)
No raking leaves for you Carol! I have never made turkey Shepards pie but I bet I would like it.
So happy to hear you are going to make a turkey on Sunday!
Carol says:
November 27, 2010 at 6:41 pm (UTC -7)
The turkey shepherd’s pie is a Martha Stewart recipe….I watched her make it on one of her old TV shows. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since!! I’ll email the recipe to you.
Andrea@WellnessNotes says:
November 26, 2010 at 3:04 pm (UTC -7)
All the fool looks delicious! Glad the turkey turned out so well! And the chili and the biscuits sound great!
With leftover turkey I love to make turkey soup and mini turkey pot pies.
Have a great weekend!
Tami says:
November 27, 2010 at 1:30 pm (UTC -7)
Turkey soup and mini turkey pies sound wonderful! I loved pot pies when I was kid, you know the little frozen Swanson ones! I hope you post your recipe for making mini ones. I would love to make those!
Kat says:
November 26, 2010 at 4:04 pm (UTC -7)
OK, now I am hungry! It looks like you had a wonderful Thankgsiving. We didn’t cook a turkey here in Hawaii, but plan to when we get home. The leftover recipes look great! Sending you Aloha!
Tami says:
November 27, 2010 at 1:31 pm (UTC -7)
Aloha Kat! What, no turkey in Hawaii! AT least you can look forward to making one when you get home. You are missing cold wet and windy weather!
LAF says:
November 26, 2010 at 4:18 pm (UTC -7)
Looks like another delicious meal! I’m glad you enjoyed your day and got a chance to connect with your daughter.
Those biscuits sound amazing!
Tami says:
November 27, 2010 at 1:32 pm (UTC -7)
Hi LAF! How are things going with your pregnancy? I think of you often!
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says:
November 26, 2010 at 9:17 pm (UTC -7)
Awesome turkey tips! The meal looks great! I’m saving that cheddar biscuit recipe, sounds delicious! Thanks!
Tami says:
November 27, 2010 at 1:33 pm (UTC -7)
Come back and let me know if you make the biscuits! I might have to make another batch of them today! We are having company for dinner and I am making that Chipotle Chicken Stew and those biscuits would go nicely with it.
Karen says:
November 27, 2010 at 6:21 am (UTC -7)
That chili looks yummy! Much better than just eating mine plain, which was my current plan. Guess I need to head to the store:)
Tami says:
November 27, 2010 at 1:34 pm (UTC -7)
No don’t eat it plain Karen! Change it up and turn it into something new!
Hope you had a good holiday. I haven’t had time to blog hop and catch up yet!
Karen says:
November 28, 2010 at 5:00 am (UTC -7)
I made the chili last night and hubby and I both really enjoyed it:) Leftovers for lunch today!
fatgirlwearingthin says:
November 27, 2010 at 3:54 pm (UTC -7)
Hi, Tami
I just returned from Kentucky and as part of our Thanksgiving leftovers, my fabulous Aunt Bertha sent me home with a cushaw. Now, this is the real reason why I’m here….I came straight to your blog because if anyone knows what on earth I do with this thing, it’s probably you. I’m all ears if you have any advice – and thank you!
Tami says:
November 29, 2010 at 9:20 am (UTC -7)
Ellen,
Sorry the delayed response! I took a bit of a blogging break over the weekend. I have never seen one of these squash. I think it is a southern squash so not sure if they are grown here or not. I did look it up and I discovered that it is a member of the pumpkin family. So it lends itself well to pie and other sweet recipes. It is suppose to have less seeds and more squash. So I would cut it, pull out the seeds and oven roast it, mash or puree and then use for a pie, sweet bread, custard or something like that. Sorry I am not of more help with this one! Let me know what you end up doing with it.I will look at my Farmers Market and see if anyone has this squash!
South Beach Steve says:
November 27, 2010 at 6:15 pm (UTC -7)
Thanks for the white chili recipe – I love this at Ruby Tuesdays!
My wife made a great Turkey soup with our leftovers, which is something I wouldn’t mind having more often.
Weight Watcher Wannabe says:
November 27, 2010 at 6:19 pm (UTC -7)
Thank you so much for you message.. Your fantastic…..
fittingbackin says:
November 28, 2010 at 7:08 pm (UTC -7)
Beautiful!! I have no doubt you had the most colorful thanksgiving plate of all! Great ideas for leftovers. I don’t have any leftovers this year (except for german chocolate cake which I REALLY need to get rid of. haha)
Diane Fit to the Finish says:
November 28, 2010 at 7:56 pm (UTC -7)
What wonderful pictures! You did great on the leftovers. This year we barely had any at all! I made a note to buy a bigger turkey for next year!
The Candid RD says:
November 29, 2010 at 4:02 am (UTC -7)
I’m glad you had a fabulous Thanksgiving!
I don’t blame your hubby for wanting turkey, it looks like you found the perfect sized turkey for your smaller gathering. And wow, you were so creative with leftovers! I just made turkey salad; chopped up turkey with plain Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, and hard boiled eggs.
Helen says:
November 29, 2010 at 9:56 am (UTC -7)
Finally catching up on blogs after my Thanksgiving “break” and I’m glad I didn’t miss this one. That biscuit recipe will now go into my “to try” pile!
Josie @ The Skinny Way Of Life says:
November 29, 2010 at 6:38 pm (UTC -7)
I made the Barefoot Contessa Turkey recipe for the first time this Thanksgiving and I agree it was the BEST Turkey I have ever had!! Those cheddar buscuits look amazing : )
erica @ fashionmeetsfood says:
November 30, 2010 at 5:51 am (UTC -7)
Everything looks absolutely amazing! That pie looks beyond fabulous. The biscuits look wonderful.
xo
Cheddar biscuit recipe - Bay biscuit - Biscuits recipe says:
January 31, 2011 at 12:52 pm (UTC -7)
[...] Left Over Turkey? Make White Chili & Cheddar Chive Biscuits | 26 Nov 2010. I had this recipe for Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits with Chives in my to try pile and they were a nice addition to the soup. Left Over Turkey? Make White Chili & Cheddar Chive Biscuits | [...]
Black Bean Soup Weight Watchers PointsPlus 8 | says:
March 10, 2011 at 3:37 pm (UTC -7)
[...] This kind of soup screams to be paired with a cornbread side dish. I have a few favorites for you to choose from. Just click on the blue highlighted word to be taken to the recipe. Cornmeal scones, cornmeal muffins, or cheddar cornmeal biscuits with chives. [...]
Black Bean Soup Weight Watchers PointsPlus 8 | says:
March 10, 2011 at 3:37 pm (UTC -7)
[...] This kind of soup screams to be paired with a cornbread side dish. I have a few favorites for you to choose from. Just click on the blue highlighted word to be taken to the recipe. Cornmeal scones, cornmeal muffins, or cheddar cornmeal biscuits with chives. [...]