The Frugal Gourmet: how to use, re-use, recycle and recondition your ktchen staples...

Bit · 01-01-2011, 11:30 PM

Well, I procrastinated a while, but I finally got a turkey in the oven tonight. I made my own bread for the dressing--from the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day recipe, SO easy--and broke it up a couple-three days ago, so it was good and dry. I sauteed the celery and spices with butter and then added broth from the last turkey (I had frozen the broth in peanut butter jars), to get the dressing moist enough. It smelled really good in the skillet; hope it tastes as good in the finished dressing! If it does, I'll just do that from now on.

iamkeri1 · 01-02-2011, 04:48 AM

I keep a plastic container (with lid) in my freezer. If I have any leftovers too small for a second meal, I throw them in the plastic container to make a future batch of "refrigerator soup." Into it goes corn, beans of any kind, spaghetti (with sauce) macaroni and cheese, meat scraps, mashed potatoes (IMO other kinds of potatoes get mealy when frozen) sloppy joe, etc. In short I add anything but processed meats like bologna or polish sausage - which seem to dominate every other taste. Then, usually when I have made a pot roast or baked chicken and have lots of good drippings, I use the pan I cooked it in to make soup. I also clean out the refrigerator and add to the soup pot everything that needs to get used up... half a tomato or onion, garlic cloves that are starting to dry up, cabbage, that last flower of broccolli or cauliflower, the zucchini I cooked last night. I cover everything with water and then add one 15-16 oz can of tomato sauce and seasonings (Bay leaf is a must for any soup I make) and cook for at least half an hour till everything is tender.

Delicioso!!!

Smooches,
Keri

Bit · 01-02-2011, 10:51 AM

I am soooo bummed to tell you that turkey and dressing without onions is just... flat.

Onions cause a kind of pernicious anemia in dogs, and I planned to use part of this turkey to make dog treats, so I left the onions out. Even using turkey broth in the dressing did no good... since, yanno, the turkey broth was also onion free.

Gryph sprinkled onion powder on his serving and says it made a big difference. Maybe I'll sautee some onions later and add them to the dressing, now that it's out of the bird.

Lady's still begging for turkey, even though she has GOT to be full at this point..... I guess keeping it onion-free is worth it.

Sorta.

Maybe.

01-01-2011, 11:30 PM	#1
Bit Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Stonefemme Relationship Status: married to Gryph Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 2,177 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,126 Thanked 3,770 Times in 1,264 Posts Rep Power: 10778871	Well, I procrastinated a while, but I finally got a turkey in the oven tonight. I made my own bread for the dressing--from the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day recipe, SO easy--and broke it up a couple-three days ago, so it was good and dry. I sauteed the celery and spices with butter and then added broth from the last turkey (I had frozen the broth in peanut butter jars), to get the dressing moist enough. It smelled really good in the skillet; hope it tastes as good in the finished dressing! If it does, I'll just do that from now on.

01-02-2011, 04:48 AM	#2
iamkeri1 Member How Do You Identify?: femme woman Preferred Pronoun?: she Relationship Status: solo Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Central Florida Posts: 905 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 302 Thanked 2,153 Times in 659 Posts Rep Power: 16642920	I keep a plastic container (with lid) in my freezer. If I have any leftovers too small for a second meal, I throw them in the plastic container to make a future batch of "refrigerator soup." Into it goes corn, beans of any kind, spaghetti (with sauce) macaroni and cheese, meat scraps, mashed potatoes (IMO other kinds of potatoes get mealy when frozen) sloppy joe, etc. In short I add anything but processed meats like bologna or polish sausage - which seem to dominate every other taste. Then, usually when I have made a pot roast or baked chicken and have lots of good drippings, I use the pan I cooked it in to make soup. I also clean out the refrigerator and add to the soup pot everything that needs to get used up... half a tomato or onion, garlic cloves that are starting to dry up, cabbage, that last flower of broccolli or cauliflower, the zucchini I cooked last night. I cover everything with water and then add one 15-16 oz can of tomato sauce and seasonings (Bay leaf is a must for any soup I make) and cook for at least half an hour till everything is tender. Delicioso!!! Smooches, Keri

01-02-2011, 10:51 AM	#3
Bit Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Stonefemme Relationship Status: married to Gryph Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 2,177 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,126 Thanked 3,770 Times in 1,264 Posts Rep Power: 10778871	I am soooo bummed to tell you that turkey and dressing without onions is just... flat. Onions cause a kind of pernicious anemia in dogs, and I planned to use part of this turkey to make dog treats, so I left the onions out. Even using turkey broth in the dressing did no good... since, yanno, the turkey broth was also onion free. Gryph sprinkled onion powder on his serving and says it made a big difference. Maybe I'll sautee some onions later and add them to the dressing, now that it's out of the bird. Lady's still begging for turkey, even though she has GOT to be full at this point..... I guess keeping it onion-free is worth it. Sorta. Maybe.