Turkey Alfredo pizza recipe is a unique way to use leftover turkey

It's getting to the time where we need to use up our leftover turkey. If you can't look at one more turkey sandwich, we have an idea for you. How about a pizza featuring turkey.

 Our pizza has lots of great ingredients that are probably around your kitchen already anyway. This recipe uses caramelized onions. If you do not have any, just skip them, but do use them if you have them. We like to keep some in our freezer just for times like this.

If you have leftover cranberry sauce that uses whole cranberries, this might be good sprinkled on top of the pizza after it's baked.  So yummy.  Actually, you can play around with this recipe to come up with ways to use your favorite leftover Thanksgiving items to make the perfect pizza for your family.

Turkey Alfredo Pizza
Serves 1-2
1 8” Boboli crust
5 tsp edo sauce
1 tbsp Caramelized onion
¼ cup Turkey, diced
1 tsp Bacon, optional
2 tbsp Grated parmesan cheese
2-3 tbsp Grated mozzarella cheese
Arugula, optional

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Place crust on a baking sheet.
3. Lightly spread alfredo sauce over entire crust. Sprinkle caramelized onion over sauce, then turkey and bacon. Sprinkle parmesan then mozzarella over pizza. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
4. Sprinkle arugula lightly on top of the pizza, if using. Serve.

What's your favorite way to use leftover turkey? Leave your favorites in a comment here at the site.

Great recipe to use leftover pumpkin pie

Thanksgiving is over and all that's left is the leftovers. If you have ever had leftover pumpkin pie, it's difficult to think of it as anything but a leftover, but we have come up with a recipe that will transform leftover pumpkin pie into a delicious parfait.

This recipe is very easy to make, delicious, and you will forget that you are eating leftovers.

We had some stemless wine glasses that we used to serve these.  It was so pretty and totally  made a statement.

If you do not have any leftover pumpkin pie, this is good enough to bake a crustless pie just so you can make it.

Pumpkin Pie Parfait
Serves 4
• 1 cup Baked pumpkin pie with crust removed
• 4 oz Softened cream cheese
• Dash Cinnamon
• 4 serving size Vanilla instant pudding
• 1 ⅓ cup Milk
• ½ cup Cool whip or used whipped cream
• 4 slices Pound cake
• 2 tbsp Bourbon or rum, optional

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix pumpkin pie filling until it’s smooth. Stir in softened cream cheese until well blended. Add cinnamon to taste. The amount needed will depend upon the flavor of the pie filling.

2. In another bowl, mix together vanilla pudding and milk until thick. Fold in Cool whip.

3. Brush pound cake lightly with bourbon or rum. Dice the pound cake into ½” pieces.

4. In a parfait dish layer pound cake, then cream cheese/pumpkin mixture, then pudding. Top with another layer of pound cake. Repeat. Put a dollop of cool whip on the top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The best and easiest enchilada casserole recipe using leftover turkey

Still looking for ideas for that leftover turkey you have to use up. How about trying our turkey enchilada casserole. It's quick and easy and uses ingredients you have around the house.  It also freezes well.

We used red enchilada sauce but you could easily use green enchilada sauce if that's your preference.



Turkey Enchilada Casserole
Serves 4

2 cups Leftover turkey, diced
15 oz can Enchilada sauce (we used Macayos)
½ cup Rotel©tomatoes, mild
4 oz Canned chopped green chiles
15 oz can Black beans, drained
Nonstick cooking spray
12-16 Corn tostada shells (6”)
1 ½ cups Pepper jack cheese/cheddar cheese mix

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Dice the turkey into small bite-sized cubes. Set aside.
3. Mix together the enchilada sauce, Rotel©tomatoes and green chiles.
4. Spray an 8x8” or 9x9” glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Place ½ cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the dish. Place a layer of tostadas over the sauce. You may need to break some of the tostadas in half to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Top this with one third of the turkey, one third of the beans and about one quarter of the cheese.
5. Starting with more tostadas, repeat the layers, ending with the last tostadas on top. Pour remaining sauce over the dish and top with remaining cheddar/pepper jack cheese.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese on top is bubbly. Let rest outside the oven for about 5 minutes. Serve.

To brine or not to brine...that is the question

Sometimes we want a little extra insurance for our turkey to be flavorful and juicy. In that case,  brining is a great option. What is brining? Brining is a process similar to marinating in which the turkey is soaked in a brine before cooking. At the most basic level, a brine is nothing more than a solution of water and salt. Additional flavorings such as sugar and spices can be added to the liquid, but are not required. This soaking gives the meat lots of flavor and helps keep the turkey juicy. Table salt or kosher salt can be used to make the brine; however kosher salt is recommended since it does not contain any additives. You can either prepare your own brining solution or purchase one pre-made. 

Some turkeys are already brined. If you see something on the package like ‘contains 15% salt solution’, your turkey is already brined. Do not brine it again. Also, Kosher turkeys are usually brined. Just make sure to read the label or talk to your butcher if you are not sure whether your turkey is brined or not.

To brine your turkey you will need a large plastic bucket, cooler or a non-reactive stock pot. Start with a turkey that’s completely thawed if using a frozen turkey. Remove the giblet packet and rinse the turkey inside and out. It’s best to keep your turkey in the fridge while brining, but sometimes that is not possible. In that case, a cooler with lots of ice packs will work just fine.

You can make the brine directly in the vessel you will be using (cooler, plastic bucket, etc.). Dissolve 4 cups of Kosher salt in 2 gallons of water. Add 1 cup of sugar, if desired. Mix the brine until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. The water should be clear; not cloudy. Then add in your favorite seasonings such as bay leaves and dried herbs, if desired.

You will usually want to start the brining process the day before you are going to make your turkey. Place the turkey in the brine solution breast side down. Cover and chill for no more than 6 to 8 hours. When you’re ready to cook the bird, remove it from the brine and dispose of the brining liquid. Rinse the turkey under cold running water. Pat it dry and place it in the fridge overnight until you are ready to cook it. Optionally, you can cook the turkey right away.

You can cook your turkey by your favorite method once it is brined.

We did a brining segment on the Valley Dish program a while back and here are the basics of brining we discussed.

You can make your own brine as discussed in that article or you can purchase pre-made brines from companies such as www.myspicesage.com. Their brine contains French sea salt, sugar, orange peel, black and green peppercorns, toasted onion, garlic, basil and rosemary.

Do you have a favorite brine recipe? We’d love to know. Please leave a comment so we can share your favorites with others.

The best way to defrost your turkey

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Have you purchased your turkey yet? If you are buying a frozen turkey, keep in mind that you will need to begin thawing it several days before Thanksgiving.
Buying a frozen turkey is convenient, especially if you have room in your freezer to keep it until you are ready to use it.  Keep in mind that it will definitely take a few days to thaw. We are personally using the refrigerator defrosting method which generally it takes about one day per five pounds of turkey to defrost. This is the safest way to defrost a turkey.

So what do you do if your turkey isn’t totally defrosted by Thanksgiving? You still have options. Of course, you could buy a fresh turkey and not have to worry about defrosting it. But that can be expensive and impractical. There are options to defrost turkeys quickly.

The best way to defrost a turkey quickly is to keep it covered in cool water. It takes about 30 minutes per pound to defrost a turkey in cold water. Change the water about every 30 minutes or so. Also, your turkey must be cooked immediately. Why, you ask? Thawing your turkey in cold water does not allow you to control the temperature in which your turkey is kept. This might allow bacteria to grow if not cooked immediately.

One other option for defrosting a turkey quickly is putting it in the microwave. Your turkey will have instructions on the packaging for defrosting this method. This is a last ditch method for defrosting your turkey for a few reasons. First, turkeys are often bigger than the microwave so they may not fit anyway. If they do fit, microwaves do not cook evenly and some parts will begin to cook while others are still rock solid. However, if you do use this method, you must cook your turkey immediately.

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR TURKEY OUT ON THE COUNTER TO DEFROST. That is the perfect way to get your guests sick.

One other thing to keep in mind...a turkey will cook more evenly if you allow it to come to room temperature before you cook it.  I usually leave it on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour before roasting. 


Do you want to brine your turkey? See our brining article. Not sure how to cook your turkey, see our turkey cooking methods article.

Today's Kitchen Tip: What to do with leftover pumpkin pie

Pumpkin pie parfait
using leftover pumpkin pie

If you have leftover pumpkin pie, you can make a delicious parfait that completely transforms your leftovers.

You may want to make our Pumpkin Pie Parfait. Watch the video from Sonoran Living to see how we made our delicious parfait using leftover pie.

If you would like the recipe, get it at Pumpkin Pie Parfait recipe.

Feel free to use this idea to come up with your own creative leftovers.  It's a great way to transform your meal without feeling like you're eating it for days and days.

Uh oh.  It's Thanksgiving morning and your sister just called to say she's bring 3 additional people.  Your meal is planned already and you're not sure how to handle these extra people.  What do you do? 

Here's some handy hints on how to stretch your meal:

• Bake a few potatoes or sweet potatoes to serve
• Make extra salad with mix-ins such as fruit and cheese
• Make a simple soup such as pumpkin soup or crab soup
• Find things in your fridge or pantry that you can ‘fancy up’ such as frozen corn
• If this still won’t be enough, make (or buy) a complete new side dish such as a lasagna or ham

Just remember that whatever you do will be perfect since Thanksgiving is so much  more than just the food.
.

Today's Kitchen Tip: No room in your oven for Thanksgiving dinner items? Grill your turkey

Photo by Toru Kawana
East Valley Tribune

Thanksgiving meals require a lot of oven space.  Once that turkey has gone into the oven, it's tough to get anything else in.  Rather than roasting your turkey in the oven, why not put it on the grill.  It's easy, delicious, and faster than oven roasting.

My preference is using a charcoal grill but you can use a gas grill, too.  It is really easy to do and gives the turkey a fabulous flavor.  To grill your turkey, place turkey on indirect heat over a drip pan.  You may want to use some smoker chips on your charcoal, but that is not required.  We used them in the photo so you can see how beautifully browned our turkey got. 

Grill the turkey for about 12 to 15 minutes per pound.  Use a  meat thermometer to make sure that the white meat is 160 degrees F and the dark meat is 175 degrees F.  Don't forget to let your turkey rest (covered in foil) for about 20-30 minutes before carving.






http://www.examiner.com/article/thanksgiving-turkey-recipes-grilled-fried-or-baked

Today's Kitchen Tip: Stuffing versus dressing

Since this was made outside of
the turkey, it's called 'dressing'

What is the difference between stuffing and dressing?  That question always comes up around Thanksgiving.  Some families make stuffing while others make dressing, but they all seem the same.

That's easy.  Stuffing is made inside the turkey while dressing is made as a side dish.  If you make yours both inside and outside of the turkey, then you can have it both ways.

Today's Kitchen Tip: Where do I get help on preparing my turkey

Source:  cbslocal.com

Making a turkey can be intimidating...especially your first time.  If you have any questions on preparing a turkey, just call the Butterball Help Line at 1-800-butterball.  They are even available to help you on Thanksgiving day.

You do not have to buy a Butterball turkey to get assistance.  They will answer your questions and help assure that your turkey comes out perfectly.

Today's Kitchen Tip: When should I start defrosting my turkey

If you are like many of us you are buying a frozen turkey.  We've already told you how to defrost a turkey and about how long it will take to defrost. 

If you have your frozen turkey, you might want to think about pulling it out of the freezer.  See our article on defrosting turkeys. 

Today's Kitchen Tip: How do I defrost a turkey

butterball.com

It's getting close to Thanksgiving and you may already have your frozen turkey.  Now that you have it, you need to defrost it. 

There are many ways to defrost a turkey.  My favorite is to defrost it in the fridge.  If you want to learn other ways to defrost one, please see our article on defrosting turkeys. 

We have many turkey tips this year.  Make sure to check them out on our blog.

Today's Kitchen Tip: How long does it take to defrost a turkey

Source: Butterball

If you are using a frozen turkey, you will need to start thawing it early.

If you are defrosting a frozen turkey in the refrigerator, it takes about 1 day for every 4 pounds to thaw.  So if you have an 18 pound turkey, give it at least 5 days to thaw properly.

Be sure to keep it in either a pan or bag while thawing so that the turkey 'goobers' do not get all over your refrigerator

Today's Kitchen Tip: How to make a super simple dressing for Thanksgiving

Super simple dressing using Stove Top
stuffing as a base and adding lots of
unique items to make it your own.

There are so many dishes to prepare for Thanksgiving that sometimes I just want to take a break.  I love stuffing, but when I've got a lot to do, it takes so long to prepare that I consider removing it from my Thanksgiving menu.

When time runs out, here's a quick and easy way to prepare stuffing (or dressing if you prefer) using a boxed mix as a base.  Trust me, once you're done with it, nobody will know you cheated.  If your family has favorites they must have in their stuffing, add your favorites.  Sausage, no problem.  Oysters, even better.  Make it your own.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes that start with boxed stuffing mixes.   You will not be disappointed.

• Simple apple and thyme stuffing  
• Super simple stuffing