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With Thanksgiving, Holiday parties and Christmas coming up, I already know that we will be spending more money than usual at the grocery store. And while I budget for and don't mind the extra shopping, it can add up. The upside of all the cooking and entertaining is that we usually end up with a lot of leftovers which can make for great meals the days after we have people over. After our annual Christmas party we usually don't have to cook for a few days and just eat leftovers for most meals.
I am pretty sure we end up with more leftovers than your average person because Justin and I have something I like to call "fear of never enough food" syndrome. I don't know if it's that he is use to cooking for a firehouse full of hungry men or if it is my love of cooking and baking that leads us to over prepare but somehow we always end up with way too much food. Not that any of our friends and family ever complains.
We just get so carried away. Why have two appetizers when you can have five? Are six dessert choice enough? How many rolls should we buy per person? Do you think our guests will eat three fourths of a pound of meat each? (For reference, the answer is no.) These are the types of questions we ask each other as we prep for our annual Christmas party. Our friends and family always joke that no one goes hungry at the Tobins' House.
And even though no one goes hungry, our fridge still ends up full of leftovers at the end of the night. Neatly sealed, wrapped and organized leftovers I might add because our mothers have what we like to call "can't stop, won't stop cleaning and organizing" syndrome. We have stopped trying to get them to stay out of our kitchen, you don't want to get between them and their cleaning products. It might actually be their favorite part of the party. (If they are reading this they know I say that with love.)
Usually we end up eat the leftover chicken, turkey or pork as is with sides or maybe as sandwiches the first night after a party. But by the second day of leftovers, I am ready for a change. One way to mix it up is to shred or dice up the meat and use it in a casserole or soup or on top of a salad. But it needs to be simple because I am still not up for anything difficult in the kitchen two days after a major party.
This Bruschetta Turkey Bake is a little twist on the chicken version I think my mom got from a Kraft Food & Family magazine back in the day. I love it because it only takes minutes to put together and you can make it with all your leftover holiday turkey.
Be sure to grab an extra box or two of Stove Top and some Kraft cheese next time you are at Walmart so you can be ready to spice up your holiday leftovers too. If you need more inspiration, check out the Cooking Up Good website. They have recipes, sweepstakes, loyalty programs, coupons and more! What's not to love? If you're looking for a new dinner idea or a chance to win some awesome prizes, be sure to check it out!
Bruschetta Turkey Bake adapted from THIS recipe
- 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for turkey
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 to 1 1/2 cup cooked shredded turkey
- 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
- 1 cup Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2) Layer turkey in a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with basil and cheese.
3.) Top with stuffing mixture. Sprinkle on a little more shredded mozzarella. Bake 20 min. at 400 or until browned,
