Tag: Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Gravy Soup {Good Cook Leftover Thanksgiving Recipe #62}

Disclaimer: GoodCook sent me a basket of goodies for Thanksgiving that I used to help make this post possible. All opinions are my own.

I’m not a big fan of leftovers. Truthfully, we rarely ever have leftovers, but when we do my husband loves to take them to work and that is just fine by me.

The one time of year I don’t mind leftovers is Thanksgiving. I can eat Thanksgiving leftovers 2-3 times before I get bored (It’s monday after thanksgiving now and I’m just about done, LOL).

Sometimes though, all it takes is repurposing those leftovers to make me excited for them again.

One of my favorite things to do after  eating Thanksgiving dinner, is to make turkey broth with the turkey carcass.

It’s so super simple and it makes a TON of healthy, nutritious bone broth!

That was a good thing this year since all of us ended up sick shortly after Thanksgiving! I had enough to make my family a big pot of soup, and I also gave some to my SIL who has sickness in her household right now as well.

This  year I made my typical traditional turkey soup, with one exception.

My MIL made the world’s most amazing gravy this year. It’s ALWAYS good, but this year it was beyond good. I wanted a creamier soup than broth, so I used some of the gravy (we had a massive amount leftover) to thicken the soup to the consistency I wanted.

It also acted as an amazing flavor base for the soup!

Top your soup with some cranberry and you have a warm comforting bowl of Thanksgiving with very little effort!

We utilized a lot of the goodies given to us by GoodCook during our Thanksgiving dinner. Be sure to check out the GoodCook website for all of your kitchenware needs!

Here’s my basic recipe, but feel free to throw in whatever sounds good to you!

Ingredients:

  • One turkey carcass
  • veggies of your choice (I used carrots, celery and onion) for soup and also for making the broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • turkey meat
  • precooked rice (cold)
  • salt & pepper
  • Savory spice mix (I just learned of this mix this year. I found it at Target. It’s my new fave!)
  • Leftover homemade gravy (must have been thickened with flour)

Directions: 

  1. Place your turkey carcass in a big stock pot. I usually add some cut up carrots, celery and onion to this as well. Add in some seasonings to taste.
  2. Let your turkey broth simmer as long as possible (I probably let mine simmer about 8 hours, but should have gone a bit longer). You could even try to do this in a crockpot if your turkey fit.
  3. Strain the solids from your broth. At this point, you can let your broth cool if you intend to store it. Otherwise set aside.
  4. In a deep pot, melt your butter and then sautee your veggies (the diced ones) until they are  softened.
  5. Add as much gravy as you want and create a sort of roux with the veggies and the gravy.
  6. Pour your broth in a bit at a time, stirring to incorporate the gravy.
  7. Let simmer until veggies are soft. Add leftover turkey and cook until heated through.
  8. Place cold rice in bowls and pour soup over the rice.
  9. Top with cranberry sauce if you desire!

It’s a great way to change up the Thanksgiving leftovers, and you should have plenty of turkey broth leftover to make this soup a few times this winter!

Enjoy!

Be sure to check out all these other awesome Thanksgiving leftover recipes as well!



Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

Like this? Also try out these great Thanksgiving recipes:

Rice Krispie Treat Turkeys

My FAMOUS Mashed Potatoes!

Pecan Pie Bites

From Scratch Stuffing

Sweet Potato Casserole

Are you a fan of pumpkin recipes?

Then you will most definitely want to make this scrumptious Pumpkin Cupcake recipe!

I’ll be the first to admit that my family is not really pumpkin crazy. It’s just not something we go out of our way to consume.

I was sent this awesome Pumpkin Scoop from GoodCook though (along with all of this other awesomeness! Happy Thanksgiving y’all!) and it inspired me to whip up something pumpkin!

This recipe is fairly simple and quick and you can either make the icing from scratch (like I did) or you can easily just top these with some store bought Cream Cheese icing and call it a day!

If you are craving something pumpkin…you’ll love these pumpkin cupcakes!

Be sure to check out the Good Cook line of products online and at your local retail stores as well. They are great quality and great value!

In addition, Good Cook is holding The Ultimate Thanksgiving Twitter party on Monday November 25th at 6pm EST under the hashtag #Thanksgivingtips. Hurry and RSVP because the first 500 who RSVP will get a FREE Turkey Lifter!

I’ll write more about this awesome Twitter Party later, but be sure you plan to attend because 3 winners will receive all of this:

Pumpkin Cupcakes

adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 15 oz can of pumpkin (or equivalent fresh pumpkin)
  • 1 3/4 cup of flour
  • 1/4 cup Corn Starch
  • 4 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions: 

Blend the eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin together until well combined. Mix your dry ingredients and slowly add them to your wet mixture.

Spoon into cupcake wrapper lined muffin tins (about 2/3 full) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Let cool before frosting.

Optional Cream Cheese frosting recipe: 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 8 oz package of softened cream cheese
  • 3 tablespoons of softened butter
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions: 

Beat Cream cheese and butter until fluffy, add remaining ingredients and beat until nice and smooth.

Disclaimer: I received GoodCook products for free to facilitate my review and to help me bake these yummy pumpkin cupcakes!

Old Fashioned Easy From Scratch Stuffing Recipe

Easy From Scratch Stuffing Recipe

Looking for an Easy From Scratch Stuffing Recipe? This old fashioned stuffing recipe is full of flavor and can easily be made ahead! This stuffing recipe has REAL bread, tasty sausage and tons of herbs & spices. Whether you stuff your turkey with this stuffing or not, you’ll want to eat a whole bowl of this stuffing recipe!

I love stuffing. I’d eat it year round.

In fact, I do eat the boxed stuff year round! (I love to use it in this chicken and stuffing recipe!)

Once a year though, I pull out this old fashioned from scratch stuffing recipe and I make a huge roasting pan full of it!

It’s SO good…and it has some unexpected ingredients in it!

This Old Fashioned From Scratch Stuffing Recipe might be a lot of work…but it’s soooo worth it.

Do it just once and you’ll have to do it again!

(you also will want to check out my sweet potato casserole recipe AND my mashed potato recipe which is practically award winning!)

Old Fashioned From Scratch Stuffing

Inspired by Paula Dean

Ingredients

  • 2 loaves white bread (I used Pepperidge Farm…it was recommended and it worked well!)
  • 2 cups cooked white rice
  • 1 sleeve crushed saltines
  • 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
  • 2 cups chopped celery
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 7 cups chicken stock
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves
  • 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 stick butter, melted

Directions:

  1. Tear up your bread into small-ish pieces. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Lay it out on a baking sheet and dry it out in a 250 degree oven. I had to do several batches!
  2. Next, mix together your dried bread, your white rice and saltines.
  3. Cook your breakfast sausage, celery and onions together until the sausage is browned and the celery and onions are translucent.
  4. In a VERY big mixing bowl or pot, stir the sausage mixture into your bread/rice/saltine mixture.
  5. Add chicken stock, salt, pepper, sage, poultry seasoning and stir
  6. Add eggs and butter and stir thoroughly.
  7. Pour stuffing into a large casserole dish and roasting pan that has been greased with butter.**
  8. Cook in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for around 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

** Alternatively, you could stuff this into your turkey! You’ll likely have too much for one bird though, so still expect to bake some of it.

Old Fashioned From Scratch Stuffing
Ingredients
  • 2 loaves white bread (I used Pepperidge Farm…it was recommended and it worked well!)
  • 2 cups cooked white rice
  • 1 sleeve crushed saltines
  • 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
  • 2 cups chopped celery
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 7 cups chicken stock
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves
  • 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 stick butter, melted
Instructions
  1. Tear up your bread into small-ish pieces. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Lay it out on a baking sheet and dry it out in a 250 degree oven. I had to do several batches!
  2. Next, mix together your dried bread, your white rice and saltines.
  3. Cook your breakfast sausage, celery and onions together until the sausage is browned and the celery and onions are translucent.
  4. In a VERY big mixing bowl or pot, stir the sausage mixture into your bread/rice/saltine mixture.
  5. Add chicken stock, salt, pepper, sage, poultry seasoning and stir
  6. Add eggs and butter and stir thoroughly.
  7. Pour stuffing into a large casserole dish and roasting pan that has been greased with butter.**
  8. Cook in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for around 45 minutes.
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Tasty & Sweet Slow Cooker OR Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole

Slow Cooker OR Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole

Are you a fan of sweet potato casserole? Typically when I make sweet potato casserole, I am making a TON of other dishes. This slow cooker or Instant Pot sweet potato casserole recipe frees up your stove and oven for other things! You will not regret making this. This sweet potato casserole recipe will make even the sweet potato HATER in your family fall in love!

These are my FAVORITE Thanksgiving recipes:

Creamy Parmesan Spinach Recipe

Easy Creamy Mashed Potato Recipe

Black Eyed Pea, Shoepeg Corn and Avocado Salsa

Old Fashioned Easy From Scratch Stuffing Recipe

A few years back my sister in law made a sweet potato casserole dish that knocked my socks off!

This was pretty remarkable because I’ve NEVER been a fan of sweet potato casserole.

Ever.

I’m not a marshmallow fan (unless it’s in Rice Krispy treats) and was only a moderate sweet potato fan in general.

These were so tasty though!

I found out later that they are tasty because half the dish is actually sugar 😉 . It’s Thanksgiving though, so I say…live  a little! It’s more “dessert” tasting than side item, but who doesn’t need a bit more sweetness in their life?

This recipe is actually inspired by Reba McEntire’s Sweet Potato Casserole with just a few tweaks from me.

Tasty Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients: 

  • 3 large sweet potatoes (soften them in the microwave and peel and cube them)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

***Topping***

  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:

  1. Place the cubed sweet potatoes in the slow cooker with the salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, granulated sugar and butter.
  2. Mash the potatoes as well as you can and stir it all together.
  3. Cook on low for about 2-3 hours
  4. Mix the topping ingredients and add the topping about 30-45 minutes before you plan to serve.

Enjoy!

Tip: To make this in the instant pot, you would use the “slow cooker” function.

This is so tasty! I think you’ll love it too!

Tasty & Sweet Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
    • 3 large sweet potatoes (soften them in the microwave and peel and cube them)
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup butter, melted
    • ***Topping***
    • 1/4 cup butter, melted
    • 3 tablespoons flour
    • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
    1. Place the cubed sweet potatoes in the slow cooker with the salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, granulated sugar and butter.
    1. Mash the potatoes as well as you can and stir it all together.
    1. Cook on low for about 2-3 hours
  1. Mix the topping ingredients and add the topping about 30-45 minutes before you plan to serve.
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Rice Krispie Turkey Treats: Gobble Gobble

The other day I was perusing the Rice Krispies website when I saw these cuties.

I got the bright idea that I would try these out (I mean how hard could they be?) so I went grocery shopping and got all the supplies:

  • 6 cups of Rice Krispies (I swear by using the real cereal…generic just doesn’t taste as good to me in Rice Krispie Treats!)
  • 1 bag of marshmallows
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips*
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil*
  • candy corn
  • White candies for eyes (I couldn’t find these so I just bought some white chocolate and cut off chunks)

*In hindsight…I wish I had just used the chocolate bark from Kroger instead of the chocolate chips and vegetable oil! That is what I’d do differently next time. I am sure it would “set” easier.

I waited until after school and the kids and I set to work making the Rice Krispie treats just like normal:

  1. Melt butter (don’t let it brown)
  2. Add marshmallows and stir over low heat until they are all melted
  3. Stir in Rice Krispies until fully incorporated

Next I started dropping the mixture onto my cutting board by big heaping spoonfuls. As it cooled it was a bit easier to shape into balls (next time I make these…I’ll make them into balls and then flatten the bottom so they “sit” better).

Once they had sat for about 10 minutes…I heated up the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in 30 second increments in the microwave until it was all melty. Next time, I’ll use chocolate bark and just melt that by itself.

We dipped the balls into the chocolate coating half of them.

Next we stuck them in the refrigerator until the chocolate was just about set.

I pulled them out and stuck the candies on them to make our turkeys! I also stuck a lollipop stick in them for the kids.

Snapped a quick pic before they gobbled them down!

This was a fun little project for the kids and I…but it was actually a lot more sit and wait then I thought it would be! Still…we had fun and I definitely think we’ll make these again!

 

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