Thanksgiving is just around the corner. You've called up your friends and relatives, put up festive Thanksgiving decorations, and even picked out a plump and healthy organic turkey to make sure everyone's appetite is satisfied. Everything is set and you're sure they'll all praise you for the hearty meal you cooked. You know everything is going to turn out fine, but there's one problem that's bugging you: the leftovers. A Thanksgiving turkey is pretty big, and no matter how hungry everyone is, you're sure to end up with scraps hanging off the bones. Why not whip up something delicious, filling and extraordinary with those scraps? Test your skills in the kitchen and try these ideas to banish those Thanksgiving turkey leftovers once and for all. Turkey Soup For The Soul Nothing is more relaxing than a bowl of warm, steaming soup on cold day, and since it's pretty chilly during the Thanksgiving season, why not make some for everyone? Transform that pile of turkey scraps and bones into something hearty and delightful for your family. Here are a couple of easy turkey soup ideas to get you started. Hearty Turkey Soup Ingredients:

• Two medium onions
• Six pounds of leftover turkey breast
• Three celery stalks
• 1/2 pound of pastini
• 1/2 teaspoon of sage
• 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary

• 1/2 teaspoon of tarragon
• One teaspoon of thyme
• One teaspoon of basil
• 1/2 teaspoon of marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• Pepper

Put the turkey breast in a six-quart dutch oven. Cover with water until the pot is three-quarters full.

Slice the celery and cut the onions in large pieces. Add these to the soup pot and let it boil.

Lower the heat, then simmer the turkey stock for at least 2 1/2 hours.

Remove the carcass from the soup and let it cool, then divide the stock into smaller containers and put inside the refrigerator to cool.

Remove the fat from the top of the cooled turkey stock. Then remove the turkey meat from the carcass while the stock is still cooling.

Dice the turkey meat.

Mix the herbs, meat, and spices to the cooled stock and let it heat again.

Let the mixture boil, then add the pastini. Lower the heat and let it cook until the pastini becomes tender.

Easy Turkey Noodle Soup Ingredients:

• Two cups of cooked and diced turkey meat
• One medium diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups of sliced celery
• 1 1/2 cups of sliced carrots
• 1 1/2 cups of cubed potatoes
• Water
• Chicken bouillon cubes, one for each cup of water you use
• Two cups of egg noodles

Get a large pan, and place the celery, onions and potatoes in it.

Cover with water and add the bouillon cubes.

Let it cook on medium heat for 20 minutes or until the vegetables become tender.

Add the egg noodles and let them cook for 10-12 minutes.

Add the turkey meat and serve.

Bake A Filling Turkey Casserole If you really have a lot of turkey meat left over from your Thanksgiving dinner, maybe you can make something more filling and heavy from it, rather than just settling on a simple soup. Make a delicious casserole. You can serve this all by itself for dinner to satiate your family's big appetite. If there's a special potluck event coming up, you can bring it as a wonderful addition to the banquet. Try this casserole recipe for your turkey leftovers. Tasty Turkey Rice Casserole Ingredients:

• Two cups of cooked and diced turkey scraps
• One teaspoon of curry powder
• 2 1/2 to three cups of cooked rice
• 1/2 cup of grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 tablespoon of finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of milk
• Six sliced, pimiento-stuffed olives
• One can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup of cornflake crumbs or other type of crumb topping

Mix the onion, rice and curry powder in a shallow baking dish.

Top the mixture with diced turkey and sprinkle with olives.

In another bowl, mix the mushroom soup with milk and pour over the turkey and rice mixture.

Sprinkle the cheese and cornflake crumbs over the top, then let it bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Toss A Healthy Turkey Salad While many people like to make something scrumptious and filling with their turkey leftovers, there are others who want to watch what they eat. Soups with heavy cream and fatty casseroles are a no-no, so what they do is make light, yummy dishes with their leftovers, like salads. Not only are these easy to make, but they're also healthy. The taste of turkey combined with fresh fruit, vegetables, greens and other ingredients certainly makes those meat scraps more interesting. Try these salad recipes for your turkey leftovers. Turkey And Apple Salad Ingredients:

• Two cups of cubes and cooked leftover turkey
• Two apples, cored and cubed
• One cup of thinly sliced celery
• Two tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2/3 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup of slivered almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• Salad greens

Combine the apple and turkey in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Add the other ingredients and toss until mixed well.

Serve on top of salad greens.

Cold Turkey-Egg Salad Surprise Ingredients:

• Six cups of leftover cooked dark and white meat turkey, chopped
• One tablespoon of celery seed
• Six chopped, hard-boiled eggs
• 1 1/2 cup mayo or salad dressing
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 small, finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of sweet pickle relish

Get a large bowl and mix the onion, eggs, dressing, relish and celery seed.

Stir in the turkey gently and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

Make A Turkey Sandwich They say that turkey is best served big and whole on a large platter with lots of side dishes to choose from. Many will agree to this, but there are some who enjoy eating turkey in an easy, more laidback way, without having to use any utensils or even a plate. If you're looking for something flexible to do with your turkey scraps, then you should make a turkey sandwich. This is recommendable if you're always on the go, or if you're just tired of the usual tedious meals you prepare. If you don't want to use typical bread: you can also make a burrito, a panini or a tortilla wrap. Here are a few ideas to help you out. Turkey Reuben Sandwich Ingredients:

• One pound of leftover roasted turkey breast, thinly-sliced
• Eight slices of rye bread
• 1/4 cup of softened, unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup of sweet honey mustard
• Eight slices of Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup of well-drained sauerkraut

Spread butter on one side of every bread slice. On the other side, spread some sweet honey mustard.

Top the bread slices with mustard with four ounces of sliced turkey, a slice of cheese and two tablespoons of well-drained sauerkraut. Put the remaining cheese and bread over the sandwiches.

Get a large skillet and put over medium-high heat. Grill one side of the sandwiches until browned, then flip and grill the other side. Make sure the cheese is melted properly.

Serve with pickles and French fries.

Yummy Turkey Burrito Ingredients:

• Three cups of cooked, bite-size turkey piece
• One large onion
• One cup of leftover gravy
• Two quarts of turkey broth
• One cup of prepared stuffing
• Three pieces of sliced jalapeno peppers
• Eight ounces of cheddar cheese
• 10 10-inch flour tortillas
• One tablespoon dried parsley
• Three tablespoons of pickled jalapeno pepper juice
• Salt and pepper

Get a large pot and combine the mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, onion, gravy and broth. Bring to a boil and let cook until the onion is soft.

Warm the tortillas over medium heat, in a dry frying pan. Spoon the mixture onto the tortilla, sprinkle with cheese and roll into a burrito.

Add cheese and a spoonful of turkey mixture over the burrito. Sprinkle with jalapeno juice, season with salt and pepper and garnish with jalapeno slices before serving.

Turkey and Jarlsberg Panini

• Eight thick sourdough bread slices
• Eight ounces of thin turkey breast slices
• Four ounces of Jarlsberg cheese
• One small red onion, thinly-sliced
• One jar of roasted red peppers, drained well
• Chutney

Heat a nonstick skillet, stove top ridged grill pan or electric contact grill.

Lay the bread on a clean cutting board, then coat with non-stick spray and turn over . Spread four slices with a scoop of chutney each.

Top the remaining slices with two ounces sliced turkey (each), sliced onion, roasted peppers and an ounce of cheese. Cover with the other chutney-spread bread slices.

Grill between four to five minutes, or until the cheese melts. Cut each panini crosswise before serving.

Nobody wants to see a good turkey go to waste, so if you have lots of leftovers from your festive Thanksgiving dinner, try these yummy ideas. You'll be delighted with the delicious transformation and get rid of the leftovers at the same time. Happy Thanksgiving!

Related Resources

• Monsterguide teaches us how to bake a turkey