10 tips for a frugal thanksgiving dinner

By Valerie | November 26, 2009

Make turkey broth with your leftover turkey carcass
Save the celery tops and celery leaves from your stuffing to use in your turkey broth
Save the skins you peeled from your onions to use in your turkey broth (they add the color)
Take all other vegetable scraps and add to your compost bin (or start one!)
Freeze any leftover wine in ice cube trays to have on hand to add to soups and sauces (measure your ice cube tray so you’ll have an idea of the volume for later)
Freeze any uneaten vegetables to add to soup (you can make it with your broth)
Make potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes
Use leftover cranberry sauce on turkey sandwiches (trust me on this, it’s fabulous)
Save the crusts from sandwich bread over the year in the freezer and dice up to use to make stuffing (a bit late for this tip!)
Chop and freeze any turkey meat that you won’t use in the next few days. Portion into 2-cup quantities and vacuum seal or use zippable sandwich bags (suck the air out with a straw). Most casserole dishes (turkey a la king, turkey enchiladas, etc.) call for 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey. Be sure to mark them, a Sharpie® marker works great.