Happy Football Friday. Today we have Football Friday Tailgate Recipes: Thanksgiving Leftovers Edition. Did you save last week’s Thanksgiving Inspired Treats? Since it is the Friday after Thanksgiving I thought using up those leftovers would be perfect for tailgating. Also, included this week are some NON Turkey day recipes because sometimes you just need something besides leftovers. I hope you enjoy the tasty treats and the all games this weekend.
Football Friday Tailgate Treats: Thanksgiving Leftovers and Bonus Recipes
Ultimately, this is one of my all-time favorites to whip up after Thanksgiving. Turkey Potato Chowder. I don’t actually have a recipe for what I make. However, I found a recipe similar to what I think mine is. Although, I always add some leftover stuffing for a little extra flavor. You can make a big batch and feed the entire tailgate party.
All The Thanksgiving Leftovers: Turkey Potato Chowder
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- 2–3 cups cooked turkey, shredded or cubed
- 1 cup half and half cream
- ½ cup corn, frozen
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- cheddar cheese, shredded (optional, for topping)
Directions:
- In a large stockpot or 5.5-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat, until it starts to bubble, about 1 minute. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft and tender and starting to brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add flour and mix well until evenly combined with the onion mixture and continue to cook for another minute. Pour in the stock and Italian seasoning and mix well. Bring the mixture to a simmer, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in mashed potatoes, and stir until all the potatoes have broken up. Let the soup simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Add turkey and half and half cream. Cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in corn and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bacon Wrapped Stuffing Bites
WOW! These look amazing. Honestly, bacon-wrapped anything is pretty tasty.
Ingredients:
- 9 strips Wright Brand Bacon
- 3 cups prepared stuffing (either package or homemade)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375° degrees.
- Line baking tray with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cut slices of Wright Brand Bacon in 1/2.
- Form stuffing into balls, approximately golf ball size.
- Place stuffing ball onto the center of bacon piece. Wrap bacon around the ball bringing both sides together and securing with a toothpick.
- Bake approximately 20-25 minutes. Remove tray when bacon is fully cooked.
- Place bites onto paper toweling prior to serving.
The recipe author recommends Wright’s bacon for this reason…
Wright Brand Bacon at Kroger in the Applewood flavor is hand-selected and hand-trimmed. You get bigger, better bacon in every package. Big thick slices are perfect for this recipe, okay all recipes use bacon, but in this recipe especially you want the sturdy bacon to hug tender stuffing.
Sick of Leftovers?
Bacon Bourbon Meatballs
Ingredients:
- 6 slices bacon
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- ½ cup beef broth
- 3 tbsp bourbon
Directions:
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Blend: Place the uncooked bacon into a food processor and process for about 1 minute or until bacon is finely ground up. Add in the onion and process until onion is finely chopped and mixed in.
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Meat Mixture: Spoon bacon and onion mixture into large bowl. Add ground beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, egg, chili powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
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Form Meatballs: Scoop out the meat mixture and roll into balls using your palms, should make about 24 1 inch meatballs.
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Saute: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Place the meatballs into the sauce pan and cook, turning every couple minutes to ensure all sides cook evenly. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until fully cooked.
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Grease: Remove the meatballs and set aside. Remove the pan from the heat and pour out the excess grease.
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Simmer: Add the barbecue sauce, broth and bourbon to the saucepan and return to heat. Stir to mix the sauce together. Add in the meatballs and allow them to simmer in the sauce for at least 10 minutes.
Easy Ham & Cheese Sliders
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (12-ounce) package Hawaiian sweet rolls, such as King’s
- 12 slices Swiss cheese (about 7 ounces), divided
- 12 thin slices deli ham (about 10 ounces) or leftover Thanksgiving ham
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Directions:
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
- Place 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, 20 to 30 seconds. (Alternatively, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.) Add 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and whisk to combine.
- Without separating the rolls, cut 1 package Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Place the bottom half of the rolls in a 9×13-inch or 7×11-inch baking dish.
- Arrange 6 slices of the Swiss cheese on the rolls, overlapping the slices as needed to completely cover. Fold and arrange 12 thin slices ham over the cheese, arranging a slice on each roll. Layer the remaining 6 slices Swiss cheese over the ham. Place the top half of the rolls over the cheese.
- Brush the butter onto the top of the rolls, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon poppy seeds. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake until the sandwich is heated through and the cheese melts, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the rolls are lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the slab to a cutting board, then cut into individual sliders with a serrated knife before serving.
On The Menu
Next week we will have more tasty tailgate treats. Hope you had a relaxing Thanksgiving. Enjoy the rivalry games this weekend. Hope your team wins and gets a great bowl game.
Main Photo: House of Yumm dot com
