Thanksgiving turkey help

[zohdee]

I need some help. I know how to cook a turkey but have no clue what to do with the leftovers.

I usually toss the gizzards and all that stuff that comes in a bag tucked inside the turkey. Is that something the cats would like? Do I have to cook them and if so, how?

Someone posted about making stock from the carcass. How does one do that? I would love to make some soup.

Any other ideas what to do with leftovers would be great!!!

 

[catlover19]

I made turkey and rice soup with my leftovers after Thanksgiving. Here is my recipe. It was really good.

http://allrecipes.com/PersonalRecipe...up/Detail.aspx

 

[swampwitch]

I flatten out some of the leftover turkey meat into sandwich-sized shapes and freeze it, for lunchtime sandwiches at work and school (it's nitrite-free unlike most processed sandwich meats). I also freeze the leftover gravy and later use it to bake a pot pie with some of the frozen turkey and added peas, carrots. You can make wraps with leftover turkey, too, add some cream cheese and cranberry sauce.

You can make turkey stock or soup by boiling the leftover carcass with any attached meat and skin until the meat falls off the bone (add those giblets, too), strain and keep only the broth. Chill it and take the fat off the top, then freeze until ready to use, then use for gravy or heat it up into a soup with some vegetables and some rice or noodles if you want, yum.

 

[calico2222]

We usually boil the gizzards and stuff and give them to the barn cats. Not sure if giving them to indoor cats would be a good idea as it can give them the runs if they aren't use to stuff like that. The barn cats have iron stomachs!

For leftovers, freezing is a good idea. You can use it later for chili, spaghetti, turkey salad (like chicken salad), etc. I love left over turkey but after a few days I'm usually sick of it so in the freezer it goes.

 

[zohdee]

The gizzards and such will be for Orange Kitty. He is a stray that comes around every so often. Also, he is the kittens papa.

 

[ruthyb]

I use the gizzards to make my gravy. I boil them all up for about an hour in a pan, then remove them and add water from my veg to the pan which the gizzards cooked in, all the juices from the turkey that go in the bottom of the pan, a stock cube and gravy granules to thicken it up. Believe me, its the tummies gravy I've ever had.
I do give the gizzards when cooked to the cats and they love them, no problems so far, even with Billy and he has a sensitive stomach.x

 

[Winchester]

I always make broth from our Thanksgiving turkey.

I put the carcass into my large soup kettle. I chop up several onions, several ribs of celery, and some carrots. I usually add poultry seasoning, parsley, and pepper. Salt, if you want; I don't. Water to cover. Cover with the lid. And then I just barely bring it to a boil. I turn the control down to where the water is just barely simmering....you only want to see a bubble every once in a while. Don't let it really boil; the flavor is better if you gently simmer the liquid. And I cook it for 4-5 hours, just barely simmering. As scum forms on the surface, I'll use a spoon to remove it. You need to remove the scum to prevent cloudy broth.

Strain your broth well to remove all the vegetables and meat....you want nothing but broth. Let it cool; if you can put it in your fridge overnight, so much the better. As it cools, the fat will rise to the surface and, the next morning, you can simply remove the fat layer. Place into freezer containers, label and freeze. Or use to make pot pie, turkey noodle soup, etc. If you freeze it, make sure you use it within 2-3 months.

I do the same thing now for beef broth. My MIL's cousin butchers twice a year. When she does, she gives my MIL and I beef bones. I roast them well in the oven for several hours. Then I'll simmer the bones with vegetables and water. Making beef broth is pretty much an all-day task for me, but it's also hands-off, so it's not a hard thing to do. And the flavor from homemade broth far surpasses anything you can buy in the store. I think it's healthier, too.

I can't have a lot of salt due to blood pressure issues, so making my own is a better choice.

 

[zohdee]

Thanks for sharing and thanks for starting a new thread.

I am not in TCS clique so I guess I will just go elsewhere.

 

[Winchester]

Zohdee, I'm truly sorry if I've offended you. It wasn't my intention to upset you and I'm really not sure what I did wrong.

I was asked in another post if I would please share those recipes that I had mentioned. Since I love sharing recipes, that's what I did. I didn't put them under your thread simply because they're not turkey recipes and they're not recipes for leftovers either.

I will gladly ask a mod to move them under your post, if that will help. It really wasn't my intention at all to hurt you or offend you in any way.

If you'd like to PM me, I really hope we can get this cleared up. Please forgive me.

 

[AbbysMom]

Originally Posted by zohdee

Thanks for sharing and thanks for starting a new thread.

I am not in TCS clique so I guess I will just go elsewhere.

You have gotten a few replies to your thread in a short time and because someone started a thread with Thanksgiving recipes you are upset?

Her recipes were for side dishes for Thanksgiving Day, but you are asking for leftovers for turkey.

Now I currently have my Thanksgiving psycho on

, cleaning, cooking and getting ready to host my family here, so I am all over Winchester's recipes right now, but come Friday, when I am not as psycho and have turkey leftovers, I'll be coming back to check this thread.

I did merge her recipe thread with the original Thanksgiving thread she was replying to, so there would be less confusion, but there is plenty of Thanksgiving recipe and turkey recipe love to go around.

Let me hunt up a few recipes I have made with leftovers.

 

[AbbysMom]

I've made this soup, but followed the changes listed in the Dec 04 review and it was really good:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southwe...up/Detail.aspx

I'll also take some of my turkey leftovers and cube them and freeze them into two cup portion sizes as many recipes call for cookes turkey/chicken in 2 cup increments.

Allrecipes also has a section just on leftovers:

http://allrecipes.com/Features/Holid...s/default.aspx

I haven't tried this, but it sounds good:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/White-T...-3/Detail.aspx

I also cube some cooked turkey and add taco seasoning and use it for taco filling.

 

[margecat]

Mom always cooked the gizzards, neck, etc. for our cats, with no harm to them. They loved it! I don't it for our cats, but I do save leftover turkey and gravy for them; they love it.

I hate leftover poultry, so I don't make anything with it myself, but Mom used to save the carcass, make turkey stock, then turkey noodle soup, which everyone raved about. Check online for leftover turkey recipes, too. I've seen some for casseroles that looked good.

I'm not even crazy about fresh turkey, though I make one every year--but I LOVE the leftover stuffing!!! Must have creamed, pearl onions with that, too...yumm...

 

[goldenkitty45]

OHH don't toss the neck, gizzard, etc - I would cook up the heart, gizzard, liver and then chop it up and give to the cats/dogs. I've heard people giving the raw turkey neck to the cats to nibble on (not too much as turkey is rich). Do not cook the bones.

As far as stock, when everyone is done, then slice off what you can in large pieces and save that meat for sandwiches, etc. The smaller bites of meat or the leg can be used for stock - just add the veggies, potatoes, etc and simmer. You can either make soup or stew depending on how thick you make the broth.

Serve with homemade bread if you know someone that makes it

 

[mrblanche]

By the way, it's probably too late, but Wal-Mart has turkeys for 29 cents per pound. We like the Butterball, etc., but we couldn't find one small enough.

So our Thanksgiving turkey (about 11 pounds) cost just $3.25. Amazing. You can't usually get a chicken for that price!

Personally, I'm not particularly fond of turkey. Dottie likes it, and she usually uses a lot of the leftovers for sandwiches over the coming week or so.

Her dad used to use the leftovers to make soup, freezing up dozens of single servings.

 

[zohdee]

How do you cook the hearts etc? How long should they be boiled?

 

[goldenkitty45]

I simmer them (don't boil) about 20 mins. Then take out the thickest or biggest piece and cut it in half - it its done all the way thru, then the rest is done. If not, then simmer about 5 more mins.

 

[tavia'smom]

We usually cut and freeze the leftovers, not that there usually is much leftover, and we also use the gizzards and such to make gravy. I normally have my pic of my favorite section which is the dark meat and I am the only one in the family who likes it. So they have to buy a whole turkey just for me but if it was upto them they would just buy the breasts. And slice it and freeze it. I like it in my dressing too. I will heat it up for a couple of days and make sandwiches and I give a bit to the dogs. This will be my first year with Pixie but I never give her table food so not really sure what I will do. Our dogs normally enjoy the leftover bones and my sister takes some of it home with her.

 

[goldenkitty45]

OHH I do hope you are not giving your dogs the COOKED turkey bones - they are like cooked chicken bones - they will splinter and break. Never give them cooked chicken or turkey bones!

 

[zohdee]

How do you know they are done?

 

[momofmany]

Originally Posted by zohdee

How do you know they are done?

They'll be soft enough to easily dice up. Gizzards and hearts can be very chewy if not cooked long enough, and I hate giving overly chewy things to my critters. Just poke a fork in them to feel if they are tender.