Food Recipes: What to Make or Do with Leftover Turkey

I never actually eat the turkey on Thanksgiving Day. I know, I know, that's supposed to be whole point of the meal. But there's always so much good food that comes before the turkey - the mashed potatoes, the cranberries, the salad, the green bean casserole - that I'm always as stuffed as the bird before it gets time for it to be carved. And it doesn't bother me a bit. Because leftover turkey is, in my humble opinion, even a better treat than the turkey fresh out of the oven.

Come on, you know that those turkey sandwiches you're still eating days after the holiday are as good as sandwiches get. But if your family is anything like mine, there's so much leftover turkey that those sandwiches start getting old after a few days. If you're looking for what else you can make with your leftover turkey, you've come to the right place. Here are just a few things that I've found out over years of eating turkey days after it's been made:

• Turkey Stir Fry. Everyone tells me that I'll make stir fry out of anything but they also tell me that they love my turkey stir fry. You can use whatever vegetables you happen to have around along with any stir fry sauce that you've got (oil and spices will do in a pinch if there's no sauce in the house). Just fry up the turkey first, using the sauce to saturate it, and then add in the vegetables and you've got a nice hot meal.
• Turkey Omelet. Turkey can be eaten in the morning even though most people don't think to do it. Just cut the turkey into little tiny pieces and add it to some eggs for an omelet. You can add bacon, too, because a turkey and bacon omelet is delicious.
• Turkey and Cheese on Crackers. This is such a simple snack but since most people don't eat fresh turkey on crackers, most people miss out. Get your favorite crackers and your favorite cheese (cheddar goes best with turkey, I think, but get what you like).
• Creamed Turkey and Rice. If the turkey is starting to get to dry, add some moisture to it by making a cream that goes well with it. Add some rice to that creamy turkey and you've got a home cooked meal that would make any mom proud.
• Breaded Turkey. Get out the flour, bread the turkey and fry it up. Get some barbecue sauce or ranch dressing for dipping and you've got something like chicken strips but even tastier.
• Turkey Casseroles. I'm not a big fan of the casserole myself but I've been known to eat a good one now and then. Find the recipe that will wow people into eating casseroles again and use it when the turkey is getting too dry to eat on its own.
• Turkey Soup. Any soup recipe that you have that calls for chicken can be supplemented with turkey.
• Turkey and Noodles. You can take that leftover turkey and warm it up, adding some butter to the top of it. Then toss some buttered noodles on top of that. Add gravy to taste.

Of course, the best thing to do with leftover turkey is to slice some up so it's easy to grab and then put it in an accessible place in your fridge. Add a dash of salt to cold turkey slices and you've got a snack or a light lunch that doesn't require any fixings.