Leftovers… now what?

So you made your turkey, stuffing and 9000 sides and everyone LOVED it! Congrats! But… as you open up the fridge this morning you see nothing but a barrage of leftovers. You need to use up them but you just don’t want to serve the same thing again. Here are a few suggestions that help me get through the leftovers and hopefully you as well.  I’ll be posting pictures and full recipes later.

1. Turkey Pot Pie – save some time and use puff pastry as the topping. Saute equal parts of chopped onions, celery, carrots and potatoes in melted butter. Season with thyme, salt and black pepper.  Add in some flour, stir and cook for a few minutes to ‘burn off that flour taste’, add in chicken stock and stir to combine/remove lumps.  Add in some cream and defrosted peas; simmer until it thicken Season to taste.  Remove from heat, butter the inside and 1″ down the outside of your baking dishes. Place your puff pastry on top, trim the top leaving a 1″ overhang.  Place a few slits in the top and brush with beaten egg.  Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
2. Thanksgiving Burrito – Yep, you read that right!  Lightly brush melted butter over a 12″ burrito, spread a thin layer of mashed potatoes in the middle (think a 3″ tall X 5″ wide, add 2 TBL corn, 1/4 cup of stuffing on top of that, 3/4-1cup turkey and top with 3 Tbl gravy. Roll from the bottom up turning the sides in as you get to other end.  It’ll be a beautiful little bundle.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the burrito is golden brown. Top with more of your thanksgiving gravy and serve with cranberry relish on the side.
3. Turkey Tetrazinni – Honestly, this one is fantastic http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/turkey-tetrazzini-recipe/index.html
4. Sheppard’s pie – Just use turkey instead of lamb and beef.
5. Veggie Fritters – Take those left over mashed potatoes, mix in some corn, turkey and other veggies, form them into a golf ball size ball, dip in flour, egg and panko bread crumbs.  Fry until golden brown. Serve with cranberry relish or gravy.
6. Casserole – Take that left over green bean casserole, mix in some chopped turkey, add chopped fresh thyme (you can also use tuna in place of the turkey and dill in place of the thyme).  If it looks too dry, add more cream of mushroom soup with 1/2 cup of cream. On top, add a layer of mashed potatoes and pats of butter.  Bake for 25 minutes and in the last 5 minutes broil for a crispy topping.
7. Potato Pancakes – Take those left over taters, add in some chives, an egg, cheese (optional). Form them into patties, dip in flour, egg and breadcrumbs.  Pan fry until crispy on both sides.  Serve with applesauce.
8. Cranberry Parfaits – Mix half of your cranberry relish with whipped topping. Add a piece of pound cake, layer of the whipped cranberry relish, layer some regular cranberry relish and then top with a dollop of whipped topping.
9. Gratin – If you’ve made cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini and other veggies like that, saute up some onion in butter, add in some nutmeg, garlic, salt/pepper.  Toss in the left over veggies and add in 1 can of drained, chopped water chestnuts.  Add in some flour and cook for a few.  Stir in some milk and cheddar.  Once it thickens slightly, remove from heat.  Butter a baking dish, pour mixture into dish and top with more cheese.  Melt butter and mix with panko bread crumbs, sprinkle on top.  Cook at 375 for 25 minutes or until the panko is golden brown and crispy.
10. Brussel Sprouts – Just throw them away; no one really likes them anyway.  Not even the dog!

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