Happy Thanksgiving!!!!! And What To Do With Turkey Leftovers

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am currently waiting on my turkey to roast. So far it has been a lovely morning of enjoying coffee, cinnamon buns, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and some DVR action. :)

I spent this morning cooking, dreaming of yummy food and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. I haven't done that in ages (the parade thing not cooking). I have also been thinking a lot about what to do with our turkey leftovers and the first idea came from the parade itself. Well actually it was a little spot sponsored by Pillsbury. The recipe was for Pesto Turkey Squares. My husband and I watched the process completely enraptured and I immediately announced that I HAD to copy this recipe down or better yet, link it to the blog. I always buy extra Pillsbury Crescent rolls so this will be a great way to utilize them too!

We always have plenty of gravy and stuffing leftover, but I use quite a bit of the stuffing to make turkey sandwiches. All in all, you can always get some inexpensive stuffing to make this recipe if you have run low on the stuffing. I was excited, because truly one of the things I always have an excess of is turkey and gravy. I love that I can get another hot meal with this recipe for Leftover Turkey and Stuffing Casserole from about.com Southern Food.

Honestly, I really wanted a good and simple recipe for a turkey pot pie utilizing leftovers. Leftover veggies are never a big deal. Since there are so many veggie sales during the holidays, I always have some frozen veggies. Again, I am always loaded with excessive gravy so finally, I can bang out a yummy Leftover Turkey Pot Pie thanks to a recipe from AllRecipes.com and Michelle who submitted this gem.

Had I not been watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, I probably would not have thought of this, but one of the other items that I have in abundance are mashed potatoes. When I was watching a DVR'd episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives I saw one of the cooks make potato pancakes and then topped it with a pork goulash. Sadly, I couldn't locate that recipe, but I did find a recipe for potato pancakes that I think will work just as well. Maybe I can find a nice turkey goulash recipe too. This recipe came from Cooks.com.

I love pasta salads. I don't know why, but it is one of my favorite things to bring to work for lunch because it is filling and portable. :) I found a wonderful Greek Pasta Salad recipe at Taste of Home. It looks seriously tasty and quite easy too. Winter is the perfect time for soups and chilis. Taste of Home has two wonderful recipes for both.

Because my husband is a chili lover and because the weather is getting colder and colder, I am definitely going to try to make some Southwestern Turkey Soup. It isn't a chili, but it definitely comes close. The Homemade Turkey Soup recipe looks great too. I think it will be just the right treat to use up those last little bits of turkey that we have hanging on.

And of course I will totally toss all the bones and whatnots into my 7 quart crock pot to make some awesome turkey stock!

Now what am I thankful for? Seriously, I am thankful for everything. I am entirely blessed. I could definitely count on and on, but that would take entirely too long so I will go with the basics. I am thankful for the relationship I have with God. It is often surprising to me that the creator of the universe would want a relationship with me. Well more than often. Anyway, on to the list. I am thankful for my family, my wonderful son and husband. I am thankful to have a roof over my head, a job in a ministry that I love with coworkers that are kind, warm and focused on being His best. I am thankful for the new refrigerator that I have and for the fact that we were able to save all the food in it by some quick crock pot cooking. I am thankful for the fact that I can turn on the tap and have water. Yes...I am thankful for many simple things, but when you think about it, we have been blessed with many things that others do not have, and truly I am grateful for that.

Happy Thanksgiving!