Thanksgiving leftovers

I'm just finally getting around to posting my favorite Thanksgiving leftovers recipes now that all of the leftovers are gone. Sorry about that, folks! I like to make soup with the leftover turkey on a cold evening along with some warm homemade French bread. I'm also including a link to a delicious recipe for sweet potato casserole from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse that we had for Thanksgiving with no leftovers since it is that good. We'll be having it for Christmas, so many of you will have something to look forward to-other than just our visit home to Utah! As usual, these recipes are all borrowed from somewhere else.

You can find the yummy sweet potato casserole here:
http://www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/29458
Try it (even if you don't usually go for the sweet potato and yam action) and love it!

Turkey Wild Rice Soup
3 cans (10.5 oz) chicken broth
2 c. water
½ c. chopped green onions
½ c. uncooked wild rice (I often just use brown rice)
8 slices bacon
½ c. butter
¾ c. flour
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 c. half and half cream (I usually use milk)
1 ½ c. cooked, diced turkey meat
Carrots (about 3 diced)
Celery (a couple of stalks, diced)
In a large pot over medium heat, combine chicken broth, water, green onion, wild rice, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until rice and vegetables are tender, about 35 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Allow to cool and then crumble. Set aside. (I use the precooked kind so just cook it in the microwave and then cut in small pieces.) When rice is tender, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper all at once. Cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbly. Stir in half and half and cook until thickened, 2 minutes. Stir half and half mixture into rice mixture. Stir in bacon and turkey. Heat through and serve. I'll just go ahead and admit here that I'm lousy at making a roux to thicken things. Sometimes this one works for me, and sometimes it doesn't. Then I end up using old-fashioned water and flour or cornstarch to thicken it.

French Bread
1 Tbsp dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. hot water
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 Tbsp. salt
2 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 c. flour
Dissolve yeast in 1/4 c. warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Combine 1 c. hot water, sugar, salt, oil, and half of the flour. Beat well. Stir in dissolved yeast. Stir in remaining flour. Mix well. Rest for 10 minutes. Stir vigorously. Rest again 10 minutes. Stir again. Repeat 3 more times. Roll the dough (with flour) into a 9x12 inch rectangle. Starting at long edge, roll loosely as for a jelly roll. Seal edge. Place roll, seam side down, on a large greased baking sheet. Gash top of loaf diagonally several times with sharp knife. If you like, brush with beaten egg white (thinned with water if needed) and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.