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I want to share a few ideas that I have had for using leftover food from Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving and enjoyed my family day- the food, the fellowship, and watching Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving and Mayflower Adventure. One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving though, is remaking the leftovers into delicious meals for my family.
Pie Day
First, growing up, it was always a family tradition that the day after Thanksgiving was pie for breakfast day. I think my mom did this for several reasons. Besides just being a fun change up, she wasgetting the sugar out of the house as soon as possible… AND by eating it in the morning, we had ALL DAY to wear off the affects of the sugar. Ayuh, she is a smart lady!
That being said, my family carries on the tradition with the day after Thanksgiving as being “Pie day”. We added to the tradition, however, when we added our own pie for dinner- Turkey-Turkey Pizza Pie. We topped our sourdough crust with sauce, cheese, leftover turkey, and some turkey pepperoni! YUM!
Basic Leftover Ideas
First idea is the most obvious use of leftovers- just reheat them! I LOVE reheated stuffing, turkey, gravy, potatoes… I could go on… But you get the idea! I enjoy leftover Thanksgiving dinner every way I have had it! So the simplest way to use them is to simply reheat and enjoy!
Second idea- the turkey sandwich! I love a nice turkey sandwich on sourdough bread! This year when I made it for my family, we had a few variations all on homemade sourdough. (1) Hot turkey (dark meat) with cheddar cheese and mustard (2) A swiss turkey melt (white meat, mustard, and swiss cheese) (3) turkey and gravy open faced sandwich (4) cold turkey (white meat), spinach, cheese sandwich
Add the Leftover Layers
Next let’s talk about all the LAYERS of Thanksgiving! One great way to use leftovers is in a Thanksgiving Shepherd’s pie! Take your baking dish and add in turkey. Layer on veggies- corn, peas, carrots- and cover with gravy. Top with your stuffing and mashed potatoes! Bake in a 350′ oven until hot and the top starts to brown! Serve with cranberry sauce and enjoy!
Step it Up
So now we have used most of our turkey meat. Pick off any remaining meat and save it for the next steps… but first- What to do with the carcass? The easy answer- Bone broth! Through all the bones, skin, fat, etc into a pot on the stove (or in your crock pot!) and add water. Simmer and simmer until you are ready to use! Then strain off the broth and discard the bones! Now you can enjoy a warm cup of broth and use it in the next two steps.
Next step is to use your broth for Turkey soup or stew! Add in veggies, potatoes (or rice), meat, and whatever else you want! Yum! You can thicken your soup into a stew by adding tapioca starch or instant mashed potato flakes!
Have leftover soup or stew? Take it up another step and make it into a Turkey pot pie! Simply make two crusts, thicken your stew, pour into your crust, cover with top crust, cut your steam slits, and bake! So easy and So delicious!
In Conclusion
In the end, however you end up remaking your leftovers, I hope you truly enjoy them! I know my family surely did! Today I finished the last of the bone broth with homemade rice pilaf. YUM! Have fun, experiment, and enjoy your leftovers!
