Budget Smart Leftovers

There are two ‘givens’ about Black Friday, shopping frenzy and leftovers. Some people love to eat turkey and stuffing three days later, some people head to the nearest restaurant just to get away from them. One thing I love about leftovers is the challenge of figuring out what to do with them. And being creative enough that people won’t realize it’s the same food they’ve been seeing two days in a row. I’ve come up with these recipes and hope you’ll give them a try if things turn desperate in your house this weekend.

Turkey Divan in Pastry
(Serves 4)
If you want to serve something that everyone will love, this is the dish for you. It uses puff pastry and a basic chicken divan recipe.

•½ package of puff pastry
•2 cups of cooked turkey, shredded
•¼ cup of mayonnaise
•¼ cup of milk
•1 can of cream of celery or chicken soup
•2 cups chopped broccoli (you might have some of this leftover from Thanksgiving too)
•1 cup shredded cheese
•I beaten egg for the pastry.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Roll out pastry so it measures about 10 by 10 inches. Place on a baking sheet.
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients, (except the beaten egg), together and place down the center of the pastry
4. Cut the edges of the pastry so you can bring each piece over the mixture like a braid. Make sure all the edges are sealed. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg.
5. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed and is golden brown.
This is great served with sliced carrots…also something you might have leftover from Thursday’s meal.

Turkey Linguine
(Serves 4)
My rational about making this dish is pasta is far removed from the traditional Thanksgiving feast. So it’s a way to use up the turkey, but because of the pasta, no one thinks leftovers.

•12 ounces of linguine pasta
•1 16 ounce jar of Ragu Alfredo or Roasted Garlic Parmesan sauce
•1 cup frozen peas
•1 6.5 ounce can of mushroom stems and pieces
•Allow about 4 ounces of leftover turkey for each serving, or more if you like, shredded
•Parmesan cheese

1.While the linguine cooks, place the Ragu sauce in a saucepan, add the peas and drained mushrooms and heat over a low heat. You can also add some milk to thin out the sauce.
2.Drain the pasta and add the sauce and toss until all the pasta is covered.
3.Place pasta on four plates and top with the turkey and then sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese.

This topping is also good on baked potatoes too.