Turkey Day Casserole

During my first pregnancy, I fell in love with The Food Network.  While on bed rest, I watched episode after episode.  Semi Homemade with Sandra Lee stood out to me as food I might be able to make.  She had tons of shortcuts for busy people.  My dad and I take turns talking up her recipes.  Recently, he found a new discount store near his home; they had an entire section of Sandra Lee stuff.  He bought me two new cookbooks.

I chose to try this recipe because many of the ingredients are on sale as Thanksgiving approaches.  My favorite local grocery store had a special on ground turkey for $1 a pound.  This was super easy to put together and tasted wonderful.  I plan to make it with my Thanksgiving leftovers in a few weeks, substituting turkey leftovers and homemade mashed potatoes. I can't wait!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 container (24 oz) mashed potatoes
• 1 pound uncooked ground turkey
• 1 box stuffing for turkey
• 1 can (16 oz) whole cranberry sauce
• 2 jars home-style turkey gravy
• 2 T butter, cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit   Microwave mashed potatoes, uncovered in container on high for 1 minute.  Stir to break up potatoes.
2. In a medium pan, brown ground turkey; drain.
3. Spread dry stuffing mix in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Top with cranberry sauce.  Layer turkey and 1 jar of gravy.  Spread mashed potatoes over layers in dish.  Dot with butter pieces.
4. Bake in oven for 30 to 40 minutes
5. Serve; heat remaining gravy (I suggest trying the dish before opening the second jar; we didn't need one).  Serve with casserole.

This version is made from leftovers, so the turkey is not ground.  Not a totally photogenic meal, but delicious!

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 15 minute prep; 40 minutes baking time

Source: Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes

Joyce's Menu Plan 11/4 - 11/9

The upcoming weeks are the busiest of the year for me.  As assistant director for our fall play, which opens on November 13th, I will be spending a great number of hours at rehearsal in the evenings after work and on Saturdays.  I am already feeling the effects of not planning well this past week.  Fortunately, we had leftovers two nights, but we did end up eating hot dogs one night and pizza another - definitely not one of our better weeks.  So, I am determined to make a meal plan this week and get to the grocery store ASAP.

Sunday - Chicken Divan

It has been a while since I made this delicious casserole.  It always serves me well when I need leftovers later in the week.  Plus, it has broccoli in it and my kids still love it.

Monday - Sausage, Tomato, and Spinach pasta

This is one of my family's all-time favorites.  I love how easy it is and how quickly it comes together; it literally takes the time to boil water and cook pasta.  And with such healthy ingredients (and so few of them), it is definitely a winner.

Tuesday - Hearty Taco Stew

You can't go wrong with a slow cooker meal that is guaranteed to have leftovers.  I will serve this with cornbread and salad.

Wednesday - Leftover Chicken Divan

It will just be me and the kids for dinner this night, so the leftover chicken divan should be plenty for the three of us.

Thursday - Leftover Hearty Taco Stew

As I said, this needs to be a low-maintenance, quick prep kind of week.  I am maximizing the leftovers.

Friday - Zesty Pork Chops

It is time for me to use the pork chops in my freezer and the apple left in my fruit bowl!  This is a tasty recipe that brings a little variety to the table.