Tag Archives: #foodthanks

Food & FamilyMake the Most of “Leftover” Turkey

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On the day after Thanksgiving, the last thing on people’s minds is turkey. Ask your family what they want for supper and – if they’re anything like mine – they’ll tell you pizza. They might even say tacos, but they’re certainly not going to beg for another bite of turkey! Little do they know…

My personal belief is that no food should be wasted. I’m a freezer queen. Freezer-ready meals make mealtime quicker and easier. Browned beef, stored in freezer bags and stacked neatly in my freezer, cuts down prep time considerably. I’ve been known to put whole chickens in the crock pot just to have cooked chicken freezer-ready for casseroles.

So why not “bag some bird” this holiday? Simply cut up your leftover turkey; measure out 1½- to 2-cup servings; and freeze it for a while. Thanks to the folks at the National Turkey Federation, you’ll have plenty of ideas on how to use that turkey. Check out the NTF’s Top Ten Ways to Use Turkey Leftovers.

Before freezing all of your cooked turkey, you might want set aside just enough to make the dip or soup since they’re perfect “Game Day Foods.” Perhaps you’ll want to make ahead a casserole or let soup simmer in the crock pot while you hang Christmas decorations over the weekend. (That’s my plan, but the tough part is choosing which recipe to make!)

I’ve assembled my own Top 10 List, which includes many recipes we’ve featured on TheFieldPosition.com. In some cases, like “Buffalo Chicken Dip,” I’m suggesting you substitute chicken for turkey. In other cases, I’m linking to some of my favorite turkey recipes from TheFieldPosition. I hope these recipes will make you thankful for the extra turkey in your freezer during such a busy season!

TOP TURKEY RECIPES FROM THEFIELDPOSITION.COM

  1. “Buffalo Chicken” Dip
  2. Turkey Tortilla Hot Dish
  3. Turkey Pot Pie
  4. Easy Turkey Salad with a side of French Onion Soup
  5. Turkey Reuben
  6. Southwestern Turkey Soup
  7. Garden “Turkey” Casserole
  8. Wild Turkey Casserole (a.k.a. “Wild & Cheesy Chicken Casserole”)
  9. White Turkey Chili
  10. Fiesta Turkey Chowder
  11. Turkey Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad

P.S. Say you’re “cooking once and eating twice.” Call them “do-overs.” Whatever you do, don’t call them leftovers! That’s like calling DDGs byproducts when everyone knows they’re coproducts, right? ;)

Industry News#FoodThanks for Thanksgiving

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Our nation’s Thanksgiving holiday presents a prime opportunity to help remind people to “thank a farmer” for the food on their table. Many Americans this month are using their personal Facebook pages and Twitter feeds to say what they’re thankful for this season.

“Farmers represent less than 2 percent of the population,” says Darin Grimm, president of the AgChat Foundation, a 100 percent volunteer organization that aims to empower farmers and ranchers to “agvocate” via social media platforms. “#FoodThanks helps us engage with the other 98% who are not directly involved in agriculture. It’s also an opportunity for us to thank the many people involved in getting food from our farms to tables across America.”

Members of the ag and food communities are encouraged to tweet, post and blog about #foodthanks, especially on November 23 as Thanksgiving becomes top of mind for much of the country.

You can become part of the #foodthanks campaign. Last year, more than 800 people participated in the campaign by blogging, adding the #foodthanks twibbon to their avatar photo and sharing more than 2,000 Twitter posts.

Food & FamilyGive Thanks!

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You know Thanksgiving is getting close when the grocery store shelves are fully stocked with everything you could ever need for your holiday dinner preparation. This season always serves as a good reminder to thank the people and the industries that make it possible to create a feast on Thanksgiving and any other day of the year. We are truly blessed by the bountiful supply of food produced by America’s farmers. #foodthanks

As promised last Friday, today we’re featuring more recipes from proud Iowa turkey producers. Pam Larson, a turkey producer from Ellsworth, Iowa, shared with us her recipe for Easy Turkey Salad. I have to admit that I was practically doing the happy dance in my office when I received this recipe. If “easy” is in the title, I know I’ll like it! Another reason I’m going to enjoy making this salad is because it will give me a new use for holiday leftovers. I’ll simply cut up any uneaten, cooked turkey, measure 2 cups into each bag and freeze it. Future meals will be made with minimal preparation time.

Some weeknight after work, I’ll unthaw a bag of turkey and whip up some Turkey Reubens. Julie Jensen of Belmond, Iowa, told me about her tasty sandwich creation when the two of us met during a tailgate luncheon before the ISU v. Nebraska football game in Ames earlier this month. 

Special thanks to Julie Jensen, Pam Larson and the Iowa Turkey Federation for providing the following recipes. Enjoy!

How are you showing thanks for the food we enjoy this Thanksgiving season? #foodthanks

Easy Turkey Salad

Recipe from: Pam Larson, Ellsworth, Iowa

Makes 8 servings

Pam Larson

Ingredients:

2 cups diced cooked turkey

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup salad dressing

2 ounces shell macaroni, cooked and drained

1 cup diced celery

1 cup halved green OR red grapes

½ cup slivered almonds

1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

Directions:

1. Wash hands.

2. In a large bowl toss ingredients together except the mandarin oranges.

3. Add the mandarin oranges and gently stir until combined.

1 serving: calories 239, protein 13 g; fat 13.3 g (saturated 1.9g), cholesterol 36.6 mg; sodium 577.9 mg, carbohydrate 16.8 g, fiber 1.6 g

Home-Made Turkey Reubens

Recipe from: Julie Jensen, Belmond, Iowa

Ingredients:

1 head of red cabbage, diced (cook down with about 1 T. white vinegar, a pinch of salt, ¼ c. or less of sugar, and a small amount of water; sweat out the moisture)

Marble Rye bread

1 package of Oscar Meyer® rotisserie turkey (or thinly sliced turkey left from your holiday meal)

Swiss cheese

Grey Poupon’s Mild & Creamy Dijon Mustard made with white wine

Directions:

1. Spread Dijon on a slice of bread and layer with turkey, a cheese slice and cooked cabbage.

2. Wrap all sandwiches in foil and place in 350-degree oven for 30-45 minutes. Turn up the heat to 425 degrees for the last 10 minutes to toast the bread.

 

Turkey Reuben

Some Turkey Facts: 

  • Turkey sandwiches account for 48% of all turkey consumption.
  • Hormones and steroids are not used in any turkey production. It is illegal. Their use for any turkey production was federally banned in the 1950s.
  • A newly hatched turkey is called a poult.

(Source: Iowa Turkey Federation)