Ru and Possibly My Last Leftover Recipe: Turkey Pot Pie with Gravy, Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce

Today is the day that we pick up our newer used Forester. This is a bittersweet event for me because I have been known to attach myself to inanimate objects and pretend they are human with emotions. Therefore, my car will be sad and yelling at me to come and get it as I look back when leaving the dealership. Perhaps, Ru as I called it (neither male nor female), will say something about leaving it in Minnesota when it’s from Indiana.

I haven’t had it for long but was thrilled when my high school/college car didn’t want to live anymore and I received Ru from my parents. We’ve been on a few long distance trips with Ru and have moved several times using it. When it was working well, it was wonderful but when more and more issues came up, the last being the AWD towing incident of ’08, we knew Ru would eventually have to go. Well, that trip to crazy town was neat but let’s talk about last night’s Winter Walk that I mentioned in yesterday’s post.

We went to the pet adoption which had been placed in a small room with 3 cats and 2 dogs, the cats in cages and the 2 dogs being held captive by a few workers so no way to interact with them. The other pets were displayed in a binder. Needless to say, I was fairly disappointed. If you’ve been reading my posts, you know that I am a huge lover of animals but cannot have a pet in the apartment. Greg, my husband, knows I need my animal time so events like this help me get my fill but not this one. Though I was accosted by a man trying to sell bandanas and t-shirts with Bible verses and dogs on them for a sum much more than I would spend ever on a t-shirt, plus I’m not religious.

After an hour, we were ready to get out of the crowds but not before snapping a few pictures. We didn’t get a picture of the draft horses, Percherons I believe, since we saw their reaction to another photographer’s flash. We didn’t want a wagon with twenty or so people screaming down the streets in a half-blocked off town (maybe a little). It’s my opinion that asking the drivers, both grumpy-looking men, works best for everyone. I know growing up with draft horses that it’s common courtesy to ask about a photo, especially if a wagon full of riders are present.

This is perhaps my last leftover recipe. Greg tells me that his company is handing out a turkey on the 16th so my wish has come true for more, not quite sure what to do with all of it but you can expect more turkey dishes. The original pot pie recipe came from Urban Spork but I added a few things, changed the directions and whatnot to make it my own turkey pot pie.

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie with Gravy, Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 tsp herbes de provence-optional
3 tablespoons flour
3-4 cups stock (turkey or chicken)
¼-1/2 cup leftover gravy-optional
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups shredded turkey
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
½ cup leftover cranberry sauce-optional
add in any leftover stuffing-optional
1 prepared puff pastry, breadcrumbs with butter or pie crust (here’s my recipe)
egg wash – 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

Preheat the oven to 350 and melt the butter in a saucepan, cook the chopped onion until tender. Stir in celery and carrots and cook for a few minutes, then stir in herbes de provence (optional) and flour, cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the stock and gravy (optional) and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes and simmer until tender. Then, stir in the turkey, parsley and peas. Pour mixture into baking dish or 4 ramekins and top with optional stuffing and cranberry sauce.

Top the mixture with puff pastry (or pie crust), with edges hanging over the side and brush with egg wash. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until crust is golden.