Remember the $13 turkey? Even with two extra guests, we still had quite a bit of leftovers. Knowing we were going out of town soon, we bagged up the remaining turkey and put it in the freezer. So guess what we’ve been eating this week? (Hint: The same thing 95% of Americans eat the week after Thanksgiving.)

TURKEY!

But I’ve been bound and determined to make it as interesting and unique as possible. We’ve yet to eat straight turkey.

On Monday we had barbecue turkey pizza:

Actually, half was turkey with pizza sauce. Josh wasn’t as confident in the barbecue idea as I was. But when all was said and done, he agreed my half tasted better.

(And the reason for the dark circles on half of the pizza is because I used some leftover pepperoni on the side with the pizza sauce. Apparently putting pepperoni underneath the cheese can cause the cheese to burn a smidge.)

The crust was a new and different recipe, and while the yeast didn’t behave like the instructions said it should, I still preferred this crust over my previous one.

This meal is extremely cheap when you 1) make your own crust and 2) already have a half-used bottle of barbecue sauce in your fridge and a half a block of mozzarella in your freezer! I spent nothing on this meal this week!

Ingredients:
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 c water in a bowl (it didn’t say warm, but I may try it warm next time.)
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1. Combine yeast, sugar, salt, oil, and water. Set aside for around 10 minutes, or until frothy (this is why I’m going to try warm water next time – my yeast mixture didn’t “froth.”
2. Place flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center, and add the yeast mixture.
3. Combine by gradually incorporating the flour into the yeast mixture, adding a little extra water if necessary.
4. Transfer the dough to a floured board and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place th edough in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and palce in a warm, draft-free place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size (turn oven to 200 degrees for 5 minutes, then turn off to make a “warm, draft-free place.”)
5. After the dough has risen and has been removed from the oven, preheat to 450, with a pizza stone (empty) inside.
6. On a floured surface, presss out the pizza dough using your fingertips into a 12-in circle (always pressing from the inside of the dough to the outside).
7. Place the pizza dough on the heated stone. Spread the barbecue sauce (about 1 c) over the surface. Place turkey on sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 – 3/4 c mozzarella cheese.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, or until pizza is golden on the edges and crisp underneath.

On Tuesday we had Turkey and Broccoli Ring:

Ingredients:
1 pkg (8oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 c coarsely chopped turkey
3/4 c coarsely chopped broccoli
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c diced red bell pepper
2 Tbs mayonnaise
1 tsp dill mix (or dill weed)
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 Tbs slivered almonds

(Luckily, I make this meal often enough with chicken that I had everything but the red pepper, crescent rolls, and broccoli on hand! And I only used 1/4 of the pepper, leaving the rest for another meal later this week. I also still have most of the bag of frozen broccoli. So if I calculated correctly, the amount I spent on this meal was under $2!)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll crescent rolls; separate into eight triangles. Arrange triangles, slightly overlapping, in a circle on a pizza stone. Roll wide ends of dough toward center to create a 3-inch opening.
2. In a medium bowl, combine turkey, broccoli, cheese, bell pepper, mayonnaise, dill, garlic, and salt. Mix well.
3. Scoop filling evenly over dough in a continuous circle. Bring points of tranlges up over filling and tuck under dough at center to form a ring. (Filling will show.) Lightly brush dough with eggwhit.; sprinkle with almonds. Bake 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Yeild: 4 servings (Which translates to 2.5 servings for us. So we eat it with veggies and baked potatoes to help fill us up.)

On Wednesday we ate Mushroom Turkey with Ramen Noodles:

Ingredients:
2-3 c chopped turkey
16 oz. frozen stir-fry
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 Tbs soy sauce
2 pkgs ramen noodles

1. Pour 1 3/4c water into skillet. Add soy sauce and seasoning packets from ramen noodles, stir to mix. Add mushrooms, vegetables, and turkey. Bring to a boil.
2. Break up noodles and add to boiling mixture.
3. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to separate noodles. Add extra water as needed (Because I didn’t measure the turkey, I ended up having to add about a 1/2 c of extra water as the noodles expanded.)

This meal cost me $1 for the veggies, $0.15 for the ramen noodles (I buy in bulk), and perhaps $0.60 for the mushrooms. Everything else I had on hand. Not a bad meal for $1.75! (And we always have leftovers, too!)

Well, hopefully these are some turkey recipes you haven’t seen before and you’ll have fun experimenting with them in your kitchen! What are some of your favorite leftover-turkey recipes? (I still have frozen turkey to use up!)

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For more frugal tips, see Crystal’s site.