Turkey Leftover Recipes

Time to find a use for all that turkey you have leftover!
This first recipe calls for corkscrew noodles and mini lasagna noodles, some broccoli, and some broth. Probably many types of noodles would work.
Oodles of Pasta and Turkey from Campbell's Kitchen

This next recipe is a cajun classic gone turkey. I love red beans and rice and this would be a great way to spice up a leftover. It calls for a can of red beans with chili sauce but depending where you live you could also find some canned cajun red beans.
Cajun Style Red Beans and Rice With Turkey from Butterball

How about spaghetti sauce with turkey as the meat instead of hamburger.
Turkey Spaghetti Sauce from the National Turkey Foundation

Kraft Foods hasa good way to use that left over turkey and stuffing along with some broccoli and cheese in a casserole dish.
Stove Top Easy Turkey Bake from Kraft Foods

This next recipe calls for a slow cooker. You've already cooked your turkey so instead of cooking the turkey and and sauce in the slow cooker I would just put it together in a skillet or a cooking bag in the oven.
Slow Cooker Turkey, Bacon, and Avocado Wraps from Betty Crocker

After all of these delicious ideas I have to say my husband's favorite is a turkey sandwich with lots of tomato and mayo!

A Depression in These Times?

I love this cartoon--now you get the bank with the toaster instead of the other way around!! All you have to do is turn on the news to see that our world is changing with bailouts, layoffs, high prices, and lack of medical insurance for many families in America. If you have wondered what a depression might look like today, here is part of a great article from the Boston Globe. You can click here to read the full article.

(1.) “Unlike the 1930s, when food and clothing were far more expensive, today we spend much of our money on healthcare, child care, and education, and we'd see uncomfortable changes in those parts of our lives.”

(2.) “The lines wouldn't be outside soup kitchens but at emergency rooms, and rather than itinerant farmers we could see waves of laid-off office workers leaving homes to foreclosure and heading for areas of the country where there's more work - or just a relative with a free room over the garage.”

(3.) “Already hollowed-out manufacturing cities could be all but deserted, and suburban neighborhoods left checkerboarded, with abandoned houses next to overcrowded ones.”

(4.) “And above all, a depression circa 2009 might be a less visible and more isolating experience... Instead of dusty farm families, the icon of a modern-day depression might be something as subtle as the flickering glow of millions of televisions glimpsed through living room windows… the cheapest form of distraction available.”

Pretty sobering stuff--the good news is that if you are reading this blog you are already searching out ways to live frugally. If times get tough, you have already acquired the skill set (hopefully) to keep your family comfortable. OK enough of this depressing stuff--let's cook turkey!

The Ultimate Pumpkin Pie

Time to start getting those recipes out for Thanksgiving. I found this pumpkin pie recipe at Razzle Dazzle Recipes. This site offers an entire section dedicated just to Thanksgiving recipes. I liked this one because it uses a fresh pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin. The process for cooking the pumpkin to soften it is simple. You could also cut it into slices and microwave it to get it soft. This is a method I use for sweet potatoes because they are always to tough to slice up and boiling takes too long for my busy kitchen time. Also note the wonderful addition of flavor by adding the whipped cream, cinnamon and pecans on top. This is a great idea for guest who may or may not like nuts.

The Ultimate Pumpkin Pie

1 medium sugar pumpkin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 9-inch frozen pastry for single crust pie
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup honey, warmed slightly
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Cut pumpkin in half, and remove seeds. Lightly oil the cut surface. Place cut side down on a jelly roll pan lined with foil and lightly oiled. Bake at 325° F. until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool until just warm.

Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Either mash, or puree in small batches in a blender. In large bowl, blend together 2 cups pumpkin puree, spices, and salt. Beat in eggs, rum, honey, milk and cream. Pour filling into pie shell.

Bake at 400° F. for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted 1 inch from edge of pie comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and store in refrigerator until ready to serve. To serve, add a large dollop of whipped cream on each slice, then add a light dusting of cinnamon and a pinch of the pecans over the whipped cream.

Yield: 9-inch pie

Freebie Time

I love freebies so I will be posting them from time to time. If you have a freebie you would like to add please send it in the comments section and share it with everyone!

Beautiful Baby Calendar From Right To Life

Christian Christmas Gift Tags

Thanksgiving Word Search Puzzle

Thanksgiving Scrapbook Freebie Kit from Kiss My Scrap

Receiving Blanket Quilt

To go along with our baby formula savings here is something I made a while back out of my kids receiving blankets. I made this after having three children so I had a pile of receiving blankets and added to what I had with a few more from yardsales.

A bed without a quilt is like a sky without stars.
~Author Unknown




Do you have a stack of receiving blankets somewhere? A receiving blanket is a great economical gift, so a favorite choice by many. Combine your receiving blankets into a comfy bed cover. This quilt fits a single bed and now you get to see those little blankets snuggled under once again! Here are some directions:
Cut 54 squares 8 1/2" x 81/2" out of your old receiving blankets
Cut borders 2" strips (Enough to go between each square and the bottom of each row) out of scrap material.
Sew the squares with a 1/4 " seam together by joining them with a 2 " by 8 1/2" strip between them until you have a long box car looking row. Then cut another 2" wide piece and lay it out the length of the row. For the top row attach one of these pieces on the top and bottom. For each row after that attach a piece onto the bottom.
Every exact measurement is not here. If you've never made a quilt before, you'll be surprised how easy piecing it together is. You are basically framing a bunch of squares with borders. Once I finished the quilt top I put an old blanket in the middle of the sandwich and then I put an old flannel sheet on the back. I tied the quilt, which means I took pieces of colorful ribbon and punched them through with a big needle and tied them. Some of the ribbon has freyed with the many washings the quilt has seen.
To bind the edges you can buy a wide binding at the fabric store (2") or you can cut your own and iron under each edge by 1/4 ". Sew one side of the binding on with your machine and then fold the other half down and slip stitch it around. Now you have a family heirloom you'll want to pass down to your kids and their kids.

Saving on Baby Formula

I love to read other people's blogs.  I have been writing and editing my own website for the last ten years or so http://www.tightwadtess.com and now I will give blogging a try.  Not sure if I will stick with it, but here goes.

     Every day we hear about more and more people losing jobs, prices going up and mortgage bailouts.  This Christmas will probably pretty tight for many families.  With that in mind I decided to try to establish a page that would list items a family would need or want and then alternative ways to purchase or make that item.  If you would like to see the page with all of the entries is is at http://www.tightwadtess.com/tightwadindex


When my kids were small one of our biggest expenses was baby formula.  There is a great article on Ehow giving pointers on how to save money on baby formula.  Use coupons, shop generic, and see if your formula manufacturer issues "formula checks".  The one thing you can't do is scrimp on baby formula so here is the full article with a list of suggestions to get what your child needs.