More turkey than you know what to do with?

In true redneck foodie fashion, I enjoyed a deep fried turkey this Christmas. It was the first time I had been there for the whole process of frying a turkey, and let me tell you...nothing smells better than that coming out of the oil! This blog, however, is not really about the fresh turkey. It's about the leftovers. That's everyone's biggest complaint about turkey, right? Too many left overs. So here are my three best suggestions for left over turkey:

Tip #1 turkey freezes. In other words, none of these recipes have to be done immediately after the holidays. In fact, you're likely to enjoy the flavors more if you freeze the bird for a while.

Recipe #1: Turkey and Dumplin's
The quick and easy version is to put carrots and onions into chicken broth and bring it to a boil (add turkey first if raw). Reduce to a simmer and, when the vegetables are getting soft, add precooked turkey, salt, and pepper to taste. When everything has combined, cut raw biscuit dough into strips and add to broth. When the dough floats and is cooked through to the middle, it's ready to serve.

Recipe #2: Turkey Salad
This is a great one for lunches. I like to cube the precooked turkey into 1 inch pieces. Add mayo until all the pieces are well coated and there is enough extra to make it spreadable. I like to add a little bit of little olive oil to make it spreadable without being overwhelmed by mayo, but it's up to you. Next, season with salt, pepper, garlic (tiny amount and optional), and rosemary to taste. The rosemary is the key here. You don't really need much else. It is important to grind the rosemary leaves so they don't keep a course texture. Of course, this makes a really simple clean taste. I kind of like that, but it's likely too plain for regular sandwich bread. This is the sort of thing you put on left over dinner rolls, crackers or really good, fresh bakery bread (slightly toasted).

Recipe #3: Turkey Pot Pie
This is the more complicated of the three recipes, but it makes a nice big meal. Peel and cube 1-2 white potatoes and chop 1/4 of a yellow onion. Put these in a shallow corningware-style dish with a few teaspoons of water and microwave for 2-4 minutes (until soft). Add precooked turkey (chopped), frozen sweet peas, frozen carrot pieces, 1 small can of mushrooms (drained), salt, pepper, and parsley flakes. Mix in 1-2 cans of cream of chicken soup, and 1/4 to 1/2 can of chicken broth as needed for moisture. Cover with a sheet of frozen, thawed pastry dough (stretch dough from rim to rim on the dish) and bake at 400 F for 30-45 minutes (until dough is lightly browned).

Gobble, Gobble!