The Best Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Casserole

Holidays are not complete without turkey and all the fixins'.  Over the years, our family has experimented with many ways to re-use the all too often abundance of leftovers.  Sure, you can fix many a sandwich, but sometimes you just want a little something different.

This recipe is a takeoff from a dish that my mother-in-law introduced to me the first time I had Sunday dinner with them at the young age of 15.  I remember how it melted in my mouth and the taste was heavenly.  Of course, I wasn't much of a cook at that age, but since Dean and I married, I have almost mastered this recipe.  Mom D. was an excellent cook, and to even get close makes me proud. 

Here is the recipe.  I substituted turkey for the chicken in this case, and it turns out just as good. 

Chicken (Leftover Turkey) Casserole

1  3 lb chicken (or leftover turkey)

1  can cream of celery OR cream of mushroom soup

1  can cream of chicken soup

2  soup cans chicken stock

1  stick margarine

1  small onion

1  small package Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing

Boil Chicken until done and tender.  De-bone and cut into chunks.  Mix soups and stock.  In separate pan, met margarine and add onion.  Cook until onion is tender.  Add stuffing and lightly mix with fork.  In a 9x13 baking dish, layer chicken, soup mixture and stuffing, ending with soup mixture.  Bake uncovered at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  

When using turkey, just cut meat into chunks.

When I mix the soups and stock, I do it in a pitcher or large measuring cup for easy pouring.

The recipe calls for margarine, but I usually use butter.   Shhhhh :)

You can use other stuffings, but for this recipe, I am partial to this one.  This bag made two casseroles...for one you will want the smaller size bag.

Mix butter, onion and stuffing together by lightly tossing.

Layer the ingredients in.  I usually end up with two layers.

This baking dish was given to us as a wedding gift 28 years ago.....I guess that makes it vintage now.....wow.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes....

Yummmmm......

We leave no leftovers with this dish. :)

You can serve this with any sides you wish, but the unwritten rule around here is that we must have mashed potatoes and sweet peas with it.  A healthier version can be made using lowfat/low sodium soups and better-for-you margarine. 

Our daughter has turned out to be just as wonderful a cook as her grandmother and I'm hoping to share some of her great recipes throughout the holiday season.

'til next time!

The Hutch Makeover

I've had this hutch for a LONG time!  It's a leftover display piece that we used in the old store.  Since we've closed, it's been in our spare bedroom pulling duty as the computer center and collecting a lot of junk. We finally brought it down last week because I needed a large piece to display on at The Vintage Home Market...plus I'm ready for it to go to a new home.

Good bones...but rather boring...(and please excuse the dust).

I've dreamed of painting this white since the day that I laid eyes on it about five years ago...and I finally got all my ducks in a row and did it.  

Voila!

 So much better!  I used my go-to paint....Valspar Ultra in Antique White (available pre-mixed at Lowe's).  I usually use flat for the distressed look, but will grab eggshell when I want a little more sheen.

It was the focal point of our booth at the show....

....and will be heading to it's new home the weekend!

2014 Lucketts Holiday Open House and Market Review

I am tired....to the bone!  Dean and I just finished a weekend as an outdoor vendor at the Lucketts Holiday Open House and Market.  It was cold and very windy on Friday and Saturday, making for excitement when we thought the tents were going to blow away and tales of broken tables, china cabinets and other things crashing circulated throughout the market.  We lucked out, but not without a few scary moments.  This wasn't our first run-in with annoying weather during an open air market, and this just may be our last.  You can never predict the rain or wind months ahead of time, and it never ceases to cause some problems.  

Nonetheless - we had a great time and had good sales.  Sunday ended up being gorgeous and warm and the crowds were steady all day.  There is just a special feeling of being a part of Lucketts that is unsurpassed and makes the hard work and patience worth it.  This year, we decided to travel back and forth from home each day, a 2 1/2 hour drive each way adding to the dedication we had.

We snapped a few pictures of our display early on.  We normally have more along the sides, but the wind was whipping too hard to chance it.  I think it still looked quite nice.  :)

The birdhouse was one of my favorites and it sold the first day.  Very unique!

I love these trees made by Dean and they also sold the first day.....as well as both of the sleds.  I didn't get a picture of that sweet tricycle in the background, but it also left on Friday. 

This was the first big sale we made!  Also constructed by Dean from an old Victorian settee that we bought in pieces.  Now, it has a chic, hip modern feel!  It was staged much nicer in the beginning, but some of the fluff had already sold. 

More handmade goodies!  

The bed sold and the desk will be heading to the shop this week.

By the last day, we were looking bare.

We always make time to goof off a little!

It is just so much fun spending the weekend with wonderful people and friends new and old. :)

Next stop....The Vintage Home Market in Richmond, Virginia Nov 22 & 23!  Thankfully, that is an indoor show and just a short drive from home! :)

'til next time!

Meet Me at the Garden Gate

Changes are never ending with me.  However, I have to affirm that life would be pretty boring without them.  Both personally and professionally, I'm working towards a happy balance.  Baby steps.  With that, I have made changes with Stone Creek (again) and am now located in only one location.  However, we are not giving up doing shows! 

I had these visions that the more spaces I had, the more money I could pull in.  For me, that wasn't the case.  It always seemed that one of them did better than the rest - then the extra money I made off of that one booth seemed to be needed to cover the rents for the other booths.  Steadily churning.  It finally dawned on me that I needed to focus all energies on one space and one rent - one permanent place.  THAT was not a hard decision to make!

We've been in Through the Garden Gate Antiques for a little over six months and I am further honored to be able to work there part-time.  Why even try to be somewhere else?  I absolutely love it there....my definite happy place.  Pam and Ronnie are wonderful people and they run their business like no one else. Beautiful souls.

So now, please meet me at the Garden Gate!  We've been busy stocking and will be changing over to Christmas very soon. 

Their Christmas Open House is November 8th!!  Just a few weeks away!  We'll be doing the Luckett's Holiday Design House and Flea at the Old Lucketts Store, so we won't be there -- but our booth will be brimming with a ton of holiday goodness!

'til next time!

What a Little Paint Can Do....

It's truly amazing what paint can do.  We had this great 1980ish Thomasville bookcase in our space at Unique Antiques in it's raw form.  I was asked at the onset of taking this booth to not bring in painted furniture (other than old original painted), so I decided this would be a good candidate while serving as a much needed display piece. However, there it sat for months unsold. When we moved out a couple of weeks ago, there was no way that I would take it to our space at Through The Garden Gate Antiques unpainted.

So, the only decision I had was what color(s) to paint it.  No question, white is what sells at TTGG, but I really like to create things a little more interesting and give my pieces a bit of personality.  Wanting to keep this piece clean while showing off the great lines and cottage details, I went with an antique white with a khaki backboard and trim. 

What a transformation!!

Now it has a sweet cottage look and perfect for displaying so many things.  I think even the most die-hard painted furniture critics would have to agree with this one...

You can see a bit of another of my favorite new pieces in the "after" picture above....this repurposed frame with words to live by!

With that, 'til next time!

French Gray Cedar Chest - A Primitive Twist

Happy Sunday!  I hope your weekend has been wonderful!

I'm on a roll!  Three posts this week...not bad for me. :)  I'm starting to get back into creative painting again, beginning with this awesome cedar chest.  In fact, I almost decided to keep it for the house.  

I didn't take a picture of the before...but just imagine it as a standard cedar chest.  Nothing fancy, but in nice shape.  I knew I wanted to do something different than the flat colors I've been using lately, so I pulled out my Real Milk Paint in French Gray (my all-time fav!).  

No prepping was needed....just a couple of coats of paint and a top coat of General Finishes Flat Top Coat after I sanded it to the time-worn look I wanted. 

The inside is super clean!

The sun was super bright during the time I took the pictures, but this really shows the soft grey blue that it is.

A little insight to it's history!

I just love my milk paint!  This entire project only took me about an hour (max).  I seriously appreciate the ease of the paint and the top coat finishes it off just beautifully.

This will be heading to our space at Through the Garden Gate Antiques tomorrow, along with a few other pieces!  

Now, off to painting a gateleg table....

'til next time!

A Vintage Fall Market at Snow Creek Farm

No doubt...this is my favorite time of the year!  This morning, my Mom and I made our yearly trip to the Vintage Fall Market at Snow Creek Farm just a few miles up the road from me.  Donna's shows are what I, and so many others, look forward to every year!

Using her own home and farm as the venue, it is nothing short of fabulous.  Every inch and corner of the downstairs living space is filled with so much goodness (and sweet goodies).  Not only is there so much to chose from, but her genuine hospitality is so welcoming as she takes the time to chat with each and every one that enters her home.

If you are in the Fredericksburg area, I highly recommend this trip!  Located at 4355 Fredericksburg Turnpike, Woodford, VA 22580 (look for signs), they are open this weekend only.  If not, please enjoy the pictures I took this morning!  You can also see my post from last year's fall market here.  You can also follow her on her FB page at https://www.facebook.com/snowcreekfarm

She even decorates the bathroom with lots of goodies!

I plan to make at least one more trip this weekend with the hubby. :)  

'til next time!