Hot:

Copyright © 2012 tom. Visit the original article at http://leftoverlovers.com/2008/11/26/leftover-turkey-recipes-challenge-part-1-easiest-turkey-pot-pie/.

What to do after Thanksgiving with all the leftover turkey?

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Almost everyone in America will face the same problem the day after Thanksgiving — what to do with all the leftover turkey? You could just reheat the leftovers and serve them. You could just slice the turkey and make cold sandwiches. Or, you could have something with a little more pizzazz and plan for some really tasty leftover turkey meals using some new tasty and easy leftover turkey recipes!

This is the first in a quick series of leftover turkey recipes aimed at giving you some of the best possible leftover turkey meals you have ever tried! If not the best, then hopefully the easiest or quickest (time will tell). If any of them sounds good to you, let us know by leaving us a comment. Better yet, if you try one of the recipes, leave us a comment letting us know how it was!

As I am writing this I wonder what everyone else does with the leftovers. So, I have a challenge for the readers that can benefit all of us. It’s time for the Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Challenge: just how many ways can a leftover turkey be used?  Share your ideas and recipes with us. Use the comments to tell us what you do with the leftover turkey after Thanksgiving!

While leftovers are a wonderful, thrifty thing, sometimes their sheer abundance can be a little overwhelming. So, what do you do with them?

Here is one suggestion, make this easy turkey pot pie.

Easiest Turkey Pot-Pie

Our first recipe aimed at using up all that leftover Thanksgiving turkey is the Easiest Turkey Pot Pie. This pot-pie is very easy to make and results in a dinner the whole family will love.

note – If you don’t have frozen soup vegetables, regular mixed vegetables are fine as a substitution.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
• 1 16-oz pkg frozen soup vegetables
• 1 12-oz jar turkey gravy
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 refrigerated pie crusts

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine turkey, vegetables, gravy and water in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Place one of the pie crusts in a 9-inch pie pan.
4. Add the turkey mixture.
5. Place the remaining pie crust on top.
6. Seal the edges of the pie crusts.
7. Cut slits in the top pie crust to vent.
8. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

If this sounds good, try it out and let us know what you think.  Leave a comment on whether you liked or did not like it!

What do you think?  If this was helpful, how about letting others know that.

Hot:

Copyright © 2012 tom. Visit the original article at http://leftoverlovers.com/2008/11/18/simple-planning-tips-leftover-recipes-and-frugal-ideas-can-save-you-hundreds-of-dollars-per-month/.

Combine a little planning with some flexibility, leftover recipes, and new technology, and you could save hundreds on your monthly food bill — without compromising quality. This article discusses many budgeting tips, meal planning ideas, leftover recipes, and frugal shopping to maximize your savings.  With the state of the economy today, we need to save everywhere we can!

Plan weekly menus with leftovers in mind

Plan at least four to five dinners for the week, based on what’s on sale in your store circular (most are available online). If possible, double those recipes and freeze the second for a complete leftover meal.  If not, maybe plan some 2-meals-in-one dinners, doubling up on the key meal ingredient only.  Use that leftover chicken, beef, turkey, or whatever it may be to follow up the next day with a meal using some of our leftover chicken recipes, leftover beef recipes, leftover turkey recipes, or other leftover recipes that you already have.  This “planning” for leftovers can go a long way when trying to save money and time.

Be brand flexible

Use your store’s loyalty card religiously, and be willing to buy different brands in order to maximize the money saved.

Track prices and save

While your store circular obviously tells you what’s on sale, it doesn’t reveal whether the price is a true bargain. Use a price-tracking website to assist you with this one. The two largest are http://www.thecouponmom.com, which is free but requires registration; and http://www.thegrocerygame.com, which charges a fee of $10 every eight weeks for a list of deals from one store ($5 for each additional store).

These sites track thousands of items for months at a time, and publish weekly lists by state and store showing the best deals. They also let you know if a coupon is available for a particular item by listing the circular name — such as “Smart Source” — and its date.

Coupons equal money

To maximize your discount, subscribe to the your local Sunday paper, pull out the coupon circulars each week, write the date on them and save them in a drawer or a flexible file. Throughout the week keep track of the items you need to add to your grocery list.  When you’re ready to shop, go to the grocery website, click next to the items you want, print the list, grab your dated circular from your file, clip the relevant coupon and go.

For those coupon-resistant types, the only time you have to cut out a coupon is when you actually save a bunch of money with it.  Quite often your loyalty card will account for the coupon anyway.

If you’re a coupon queen or king and you really want those savings to add up, definitely visit coupon sites such as http://www.thecouponclippers.com, http://www.coolsavings.com or http://www.coupons.com.

More ideas to save money

The key to saving money is buy big items first, on sale (kind of an extension to “Plan weekly meals with leftovers in mind” from above).  Once or twice a month stock up on meat or poultry on sale and freeze it. Then plan four or five days worth of meals from seasonal recipes or “2-meals-in-one” leftover recipes, using vegetables and fruits from nearby farmers’ markets. (You can search for a farmers’ market in your area on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website.)  Better yet, grow your own produce.

There is a dramatic price difference between the farmers’ market and the grocery store, where people buy stuff in packages. For example, a bag of chopped lettuce might cost $3 to $4 a package at the grocery store, as opposed to 50 cents a head at farmer’s market.

Instead of buying deli meat at $6.99 a pound, cook a whole chicken for less than a quarter of the price, and use it for sandwiches or other “leftover” meals throughout the week.

Also stock up on grains and beans in the bulk bins for as little as 99 cents a pound. To save money, stay away from processed foods and go for the rice and beans.