ASHLAND — Getting ready to deal with leftover turkey?

If so, get your scissors. That’s what today is all about and we’re getting right down to business.

Nothing tops a cold turkey sandwich with salt, pepper and mayo on white bread. But this is the next best way to use up the bird, a recipe presented by Organic Valley.

TURKEY POT PIE

4 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons flour

3 cups turkey or chicken broth

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 to 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

1 to 2 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

3 medium carrots, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 celery rib, diced

2 cups cooked, cubed turkey (or more as desired)

2/3 cup peas

1 recipe baking powder biscuit dough

To make sauce: Melt butter in large, heavy saucepan over medium-low flame. Stir in flour until smooth; cook over low flame, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Whisk in warm broth, parsley and basil. Let it simmer slowly, stirring often, about 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken into a sauce. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep sauce warm.

To make vegetable-turkey mixture: Add water to a depth of 2 to 3 inches to medium saucepan; bring to boil. Add diced carrots, onion and celery to boiling water; cook at a strong simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and stir cooked vegetables, turkey and peas into sauce. Simmer 2-3 minutes, then lower heat to lowest flame and keep mixture hot.

To make biscuits: Heat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch dish, one that is at least 3 inches deep. Prepare biscuit dough according to recipe directions. Cut biscuits into 10 or 12 three-inch rounds with a sharp knife and a cup, or with a round cookie cutter.

To bake: Spread hot turkey-vegetable mix in baking dish; top with biscuits and bake until sauce is bubbly and biscuits are high and golden, about 20 minutes. Serve hot from the oven.

Serves 10

SOURCE: CULINARY.NET

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The following two recipes were published in a Pillbury holiday cookbook in 1989.

JENNI’S FAVORITE TURKEY SOUP

Bones and trimmings from a 9 to 10-pound turkey

2 ½ quarts water

1 tablespoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup converted rice

3 large carrots, thinly sliced

9-ounce package Green Giant Harvest Fresh Frozen Baby Lima Beans

1/8 teaspoon thyme leaves

1 small bay leaf

1 16-ounce can (2 cups) tomatoes, undrained, cut up

Break up turkey to fit five-quart Dutch oven. Add water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 ½ hours. Remove bones and meat from broth; cool. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside and discard bone.

In small skillet (without oil) toast rice over medium-high heat until golden, shaking skillet frequently so rice does not burn. Set aside.

Skim fat from broth. Add rice, carrots, lima beans, thyme bay leaf to broth over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until rice, carrots and lima beans are tender. Add turkey and tomatoes to soup. Simmer until thoroughly heated. Remove bay leaf.

12 servings

TURKEY-ASPARAGUS

 DIVAN

9-ounce package frozen asparagus spears, thawed and drained

4 thick slices cooked turkey

¼ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 teaspoon lemon juice

10 ¾ ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup

¼ cup dry bread crumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted

Arrange asparagus in 8-inch square baking dish. Top with turkey slices. In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice and soup; pour over turkey. Cover with waxed paper. Microwave on High for 8 to 9 minutes, rotating dish once during cooking. In small bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and margarine and mix well. Sprinkle crumb mixture over soup mixture. Microwave on high for one minute.

4 servings

THANKSGIVING

CASSEROLE

1 (16-ounce) package Mrs. T’s Potato & Cheddar Pierogies

1 (6-ounce) package stuffing mix (or 2 cups of leftover stuffing)

2 cups leftover (cooked) turkey, shredded

1 (16-ounce) container prepared roasted turkey gravy

1 (14-ounce) can whole-berry cranberry sauce

Boil pierogies as package directs. Drain.

Meanwhile, prepare stuffing mix as package directs.

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Grease 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Spoon stuffing on bottom of baking dish; top with turkey and gravy. Arrange cooked pierogies in single layer on gravy. Cover with foil; bake 30 minutes.

Remove foil; top pierogies with cranberry sauce. 

Serves 4.

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Here’s an easy way to make fresh cranberry relish to accompany poultry.

FRESH CRANBERRY

RELISH

One 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries

1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier or Triple Sec

2 to 3 tablespoons orange marmalade

If using fresh cranberries, wash, pick through, and dry them thoroughly.

In a medium saucepan, mix 1/3 cup of sugar with the cranberries and the remaining ingredients. Taste to adjust sweetness and add more sugar if desired.

Place over medium-high heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the berries pop.

You may serve hot or cold.

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The makers of Splenda don’t want anyone to be left out at Thanksgiving. The company shares this dessert recipe.

CRANBERRY APPLE PIE

1 package refrigerated pie crusts

1/2 cup SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener with Fiber, Granulated

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 each large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1 cup chopped cranberries

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Fit one pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions.

Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well and spoon mixture into pie crust.

Unfold remaining pie crust and roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Place crust over filling; fold edges under and crimp. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden. Cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning, if necessary. Cool on a wire rack one hour before serving.

Nutrition information: Calories — 310; Calories from fat — 130; Fat — 14g  (Saturated 6g); Cholesterol — 10mg; Sodium — 200mg; Carbohydrates — 46g;  Fiber — 7g; Sugars — 14g; Protein — 2g.

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While I don’t claim to be an expert cook, I do like to cook and love to eat. Readers are encouraged to send questions about food and cooking; I’ll try to find the answers. Also, if you’re looking for a specific recipe, send your request, or if you can offer a recipe to someone looking for something specific, please send e-mail to lward@dailyindependent.com.