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Friday, November 27, 2009
• SPENCER NEW LEADER 11
Leftover turkey can be terrific, too
If the day after Thanksgiving
the remains of Tom Turkey
are taking up half of your
refrigerator space, it’s time
to use up all the leftover meat
pronto or freeze it for future
meals. According to the Center
of Science in the Public Interest
(CSPI), the Thanksgiving turkey
can be eaten for four days after
cooking. This week’s column
will spotlight some delicious
meals perfect for last minute
suppers — or beyond, if you
have frozen the leftovers. ?_If
you think hot turkey sandwiches
and turkey noodle soup are your
only options, read on. With a few
extra additions, your post
Thanksgiving meals can be as
interesting as the memorable
main event.
LEFTOVER TURKEY AND POTATO CASSEROLE
•_This scrumptious recipe uses up turkey
and mashed potatoes, and even that extra can
of evaporated milk you have from baking!
•_Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter; 2 tablespoons
all-purpose flour; one (5-ounce) can
evaporated milk; 1 cup cold water; 1/4 teaspoon
salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 teaspoon
onion powder; 1 cup cooked, diced turkey
meat; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 2 cups
leftover mashed potatoes; 2 tablespoons butter;
1 cup finely crushed herb-seasoned dry
bread stuffing mix.?_
Do some financial planning as new year nears
The best financial decisions
are made with the benefit
of time, thoughtful consideration
and trusted professional
advice. As tax time
once again approaches, there
are many things you can do to
give you the flexibility to
make the best long-term
financial decisions and to
minimize expenses, taxes and
the headache of organizing
your finances at the last
minute.
• Get started on organizing
your tax records. In preparing
for this year’s tax filing,
begin to organize your important
2009 financial records.
These records include year
end investment statements,
capital gain and loss statements
from asset sales,
records from real estate
transactions, interest and dividend
records for the year
(1099s), payroll and withholding
statements (W-2s) and
records relating to deductible
expenses such as property
taxes and insurance, business
Toys for Joy starts
up for another year
TAKE
THE
HINT
KAREN
TRAINOR
As the holidays are almost here, it’s time to
think of those less fortunate. This year East
Brookfield/Brookfield Toys for Joy is looking
for donations again to aid in this cause.
To make donations, please send to Toys for
Joy, P.O. Box 575, East Brookfield, MA 01515
for both East Brookfield and Brookfield.
The only way that this program works is
due to donations from both businesses and
private donations. Anyone wishing to donate
toys can drop them off at the East Brookfield
Memorial Town Complex on Connie Mack
Drive or the East Brookfield post office.
Anyone wishing for an application can
contact Keith Audette at (774) 200-0949 or
Donna Lafleur at (508) 867-7828.
income and expense records,
etc. If you haven’t already
done so, place these records
in individual file folders so
everything will be organized
for you at tax preparation
time.
• Review your insurance
coverages. At least once a
year, it is a smart idea to
review your insurance policies
to be sure that the coverage
terms and amounts still
meet your needs. Be sure to
evaluate all of your insurance
policies, including life,
disability, homeowners or
renters, vehicle, liability,
health and long-term care.
• Safeguard your documents.
All of your difficult to
replace legal and financial
documents should be stored
in a safe and fireproof location.
Consider renting a safedeposit
box at your local bank
or purchase a fireproof lockbox
from an office supplies
store. Documents you should
put in safe storage include
wills, trusts, powers of attor-
NEWS BRIEFS
Instructions: Preheat oven to 350
degrees. For sauce: Melt 3 tablespoons
butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add
flour and stir until mixed. Slowly stir in
evaporated milk and water, then season
with salt, pepper and onion powder.
Stir over low heat for five minutes;
remove from heat. Place turkey in a
lightly greased 9-by-13-inch baking
dish. Pour sauce over turkey, then
sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Spread
mashed potatoes over cheese. Melt 2
tablespoons butter and add to stuffing
mix; sprinkle stuffing over top of casserole.
Bake, uncovered, in the preheated
oven for 45 minutes.?_
BBQ TURKEY SANDWICH
A twist from the conventional turkey
sandwich, this spicy BBQ version
serves as a quick supper when you add a
salad.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped onion: 1 tablespoon
butter; 3 cups of leftover turkey, shredded;
1/2 cup water; 1/2 cup ketchup; 1/4 cup
red wine vinegar or cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon
sugar; 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
sauce; 1 teaspoon prepared mustard; 1 teaspoon
paprika; six bulkie or kaiser rolls.
Directions: In a large frying pan, sautéÈ
onion in butter until softened. Add all other
ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer,
uncovered, for 15 minutes or until sauce
is thickened. Serve warm on rolls.
ney, titles of ownership (your
home, cars, etc.), Social
Security cards, birth certificates,
list of personal possessions,
etc.
• Review your estate plans.
Do you have a current will
and does it accurately reflect
your personal wishes for the
distribution of your assets?
Have the personal or financial
circumstances of your
beneficiaries changed significantly
over the past year?
Have you considered a gifting
program to move assets out of
your estate? Have you
reviewed your estate plan in
light of changing estate tax
laws or changes in your personal
financial position? An
annual review of your estate
plan and documents is a very
smart thing to do.
• Take steps to minimize
your income tax liability.
Estimate your federal and
state income tax liabilities
periodically to ensure that
your tax withholding levels
and quarterly estimated tax
Deadline nearing for
NBPA Toys for Joy
NORTH BROOKFIELD — Forms for the
North Brookfield Police Association’s Toys
for Joy are available at the town offices at 215
North Main St. or the North Brookfield
Police Department.
Slips should be mailed or delivered in person
to the North Brookfield Police
Department's Toys for Joy, 13 Summer St.,
North Brookfield, MA 01535 by Friday, Dec. 4.
Toy pickup will be on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at
the Town House, 185 North Main St. (ramp
entrance). The program covers children up
to age 15.
For more information, please call (508) 867-
0206.
CREAM OF TURKEY SOUP
Forget boring clear leftover soups, this one
is rich and delicious!
?_Ingredients: 1 quart turkey broth; 1 cup
diced, cooked turkey; 1/2 cup diced, cooked
carrots (optional); 1 cup light cream; 4 tablespoons
butter; 4 tablespoons flour; 1/4 teaspoon
salt; 1/8 teaspoon white pepper; 1/8
teaspoon nutmeg or mace; 1 tablespoon
minced parsley or chives?_.
Directions: Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a
large heavy saucepan over moderate heat
and blend in 4 tablespoons flour. Add broth
and cream and heat, stirring constantly, until
thickened and smooth. Mix in all seasonings,
turkey meat and carrots; cover, let mellow
over low heat for about 10 minutes, Serve hot.
Makes about four servings.
SLOW COOKER WHITE TURKEY CHILI
This Mexican crock-pot dish that uses up
lots of leftover turkey, is an award-winning
recipe from Mary Torell with the Nebraska
Department of Agriculture.
Ingredients: 1 chopped onion; 1 cup
chopped celery; 4 cups cooked turkey
chopped; two 15.5-ounce cans Northern
beans, drained; two 11-ounce cans shoe peg
corn, undrained; one 4-ounce can chopped
green chilies; 1 quart turkey broth; 1/2 cup
Mozzarella cheese, grated.
Directions: Place cooked turkey and all
other ingredients in a slow cooker. Mix well
and cook on low for six to eight hours.
For a thicker sauce, remove the cover for
payments are
appropriate. This
is especially
important if you
sold or plan on
selling significant
assets during the
year or experienced
large swings
in your income
level. Consider YOUR
ways to lower your
taxes by maximizing
your
MONEY
deductible expenses,
making chari-
MATTERS
table gifts and
ANNE O’BRIEN
increasing your
savings in qualified
retirement plans.
• Review and improve your
personal balance sheet.
Consider increasing your
long-term saving and decreasing
your debt. If you are not
maximizing your taxdeferred
contributions to
your employer-sponsored
retirement plan and/or your
individual IRA or Roth IRA,
evaluate your monthly cash
flow with a focus on increasing
your monthly savings. Be
sure to also pay attention to
the other side of your balance
sheet — the liabilities side, as
it is equally important in
maintaining a healthy personal
financial position.
Make every effort to eliminate
the need for short-term
debt as evidenced by
outstanding credit and
debit card balances. If
you have any long-term
debt, such as a mortgage,
be sure that you
are managing it effectively
by making payments
on time
• Simplify your finan-
the last hour. Sprinkle with Mozzarella
cheese.
WIN DINNER FOR TWO AT THE PUBLICK
HOUSE
Your tips can win you a great dinner for
two at the historic Publick House Historic
Inn in Sturbridge! Simply send in a hint to be
entered into a random drawing. One winner
per month will win a fabulous dinner for two
(a $60 value) at the renowned restaurant,
located on Route 131 across the town common
in historic Sturbridge. Because I’m in the
business of dispensing tips, not inventing
them (although I can take credit for some),
I’m counting on you readers out there to
share your best helpful hints!
Do you have a helpful hint or handy tip that
has worked for you? Do you have a question
regarding household or garden matters? If so,
why not share them with readers of the
Spencer New Leader? Send questions and/or
hints to: Take the Hint!, c/o the Spencer New
Leader, 25 Elm St., Southbridge, MA 01550. Or
e-mail KDRR@aol.com. Hints are entered into
a drawing for dinner for two at the historic
Publick House Inn.
For more great hints, tune into “ìTake the
Hint!Ӕ one-minute snippet tips aired twice
daily on WORC-FM Oldies 98.9. And for more
tips and talk, be sure to listen to my live hourlong
show that runs from 9-10 a.m. each
Friday on WARE-AM 1250.
cial life. Simplifying
how you manage your
finances can eliminate
much of the drudgery
of financial record
keeping. Designate one
credit card for primary
use and put the others
away — that way you’ll
only have one statement to
deal with each month. If you
have several small checking
or savings accounts at different
banks, consider consolidating
these at one bank.
Again, you will have fewer
statements to review each
month and it will be much
easier for you to keep track of
your cash flow. If you have
opened more than one IRA
over the years, consider
rolling these together into
one account, as there is seldom
any real advantage in
maintaining multiple IRAs.
The same holds true for Roth
IRAs.
• Give your investment
portfolio an allocation checkup.
Review your total investment
portfolio — all of the
investments in all of your
accounts, to be sure your
portfolio is allocated appropriately
to meet your needs,
your goals and the level of
risk that you are comfortable
with. Reallocate your portfolio
if it has gotten out of balance,
replacing non-performing
and overlapping assets.
Although you may be able
to think of more exciting
ways to spend your time,
organizing your financial
records and planning your
financial future will pay huge
dividends in the long run. Do
what you can on your own
and seek professional advice
and assistance from a
Certified Financial Planner
where additional work needs
to be done. Information on
local Certified Financial
Planners is available on the
Internet
at
PlannerSearch.org, a consumer
website developed by
The Financial Planning
Association, or cfp.net, the
accrediting organization for
the CFP® professional designation.
Anne O’Brien is an independent,
fee-only Certified
Financial Planner, located
in North Brookfield. She can
be reached at anne@obrienassociates.net
or (508) 867-8123.