# 2014 Thanksgiving Leftovers



## Steve Kroll

So the feast has passed and now all we have are the memories - and lots of leftovers. I'm just curious how everyone is planning to use them.

I brought home a turkey carcass and two ham bones, as well as a couple of large ziplocs full of meat. There was also some root vegetables. This morning I made stock from the bones and veggies. Now I am making soup. Some will be eaten tonight, some will be frozen, and some will be sent home with daughter.

Soup #1 is sort of a mock Pozole stew. To the turkey stock, I added 2 cups of shredded turkey and a can of tomato sauce. Rather than hominy, I subbed a bag of frozen cauliflower florets that was unused from a cauliflower dish I made. I chopped it into hominy sized pieces and if you weren't paying close attention, you would not know it wasn't the real thing. I seasoned with a couple of tablespoons of ground ancho chile, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, and Mexican oregano.

Soup #2 is ham and broccoli cheese soup. This was made using the ham stock, cream, and cheese for the base. I added chopped ham, a head of broccoli (chopped), green onions, and crumbled bacon.

We also had brown and wild rice pilaf left over. Daughter mixed it with some of the turkey and a can of cream-of-something soup and that's what she and a friend had for lunch. She called it "risotto." I wouldn't call it that, but I have to admit it looked pretty appetizing.

What are you doing with YOUR leftovers?


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## Aunt Bea

I'm pretty boring, my plan is to plow through most of the leftovers by reheating a plate in the microwave.

This morning I did make stock and tomorrow, after I remove the fat, I will freeze it for soup.

I also sliced one side of the breast and popped it into the freezer for future meals.

By Monday I will be ready for something that goes _*moo*_!


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## Dawgluver

We scored a smoked turkey carcass and a small container of leftovers from my cousin's, and are currently enroute home.  I also have a packet of turkey gravy mix that in hindsight I should have mixed up for the gravy-less dinner.  I'll make a layered casserole for a July surprise, and will cook up the carcass for stock.


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## powerplantop

I used the stock and some dark meat to make a soup like yukgaejang. Wife thought I was crazy until she tried it (she went back for seconds).


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## Addie

My grandson sent home a plate for The Pirate after he returned from the hospital. He went with me in the ambulance. They piled the plate high. He said the white meat was so tender and juicy. All the food was really good. Well, at least one member of the family got to eat their delicious food. I need to call and see if they will send me a plate of leftovers.


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## ShannaLee83

Since we went to his cousin's we don't have any leftovers.


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## Dawgluver

I can't believe it.  We must have left the leftovers in BIL's car from when he drove us to and from my cousin's yesterday.  DH and I just got home from a 3 hour drive, have torn everything apart, and can't find the little container anywhere.  Drat.

We should probably let BIL know that there may be food in his car, at least sometime before July.


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## Kathleen

I always have to make my turkey stew from the carcass.  Also, turkey sandwiches, sometimes a casserole, and turkey salad can always manifest at some point.

Sometimes I think the leftovers are the best part!

~Kathleen


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## bakechef

My mom will likely make turkey soup from the carcass tomorrow.  The rest gets heated up as a repeat of thanksgiving dinner, we eat the leftovers until gone and love every minute of it!


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## salt and pepper

Today I made Turkey Soup:


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## Cooking Goddess

SIL sent us down the street to our house with enough turkey and stuffing/dressing/fill for supper tonight. I emptied out two partial bags of French green beans into a pot (gotta keep tract of my inventory better...), and heated up the turkey with a jar  of turkey gravy. That, plus two slices of pumpkin pie that were included in our care package, and we were happy and full.

SIL kept the carcass. She had better make stock!


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## Addie

I was looking over the Land of Lakes site. They have a recipe for leftover turkey pizza. In fact they have a lot of recipes for leftover turkey and other foods from Thanksgiving. But I liked the idea of the pizza. You can use flat bread for individual pizzas or regular dough for a large pizza. I didn't take the time to read the recipes but the pictures looked interesting. I would think you could use the cranberry sauce spread out for the sauce and then place your left over veggies, turkey, stuffing, gravy and other foods on top. Or even just use your gravy as the base sauce. 

Looking for a family night in the kitchen? Let each family member make their own pizza with the flat bread. Take a look at the LOL site and see what they suggest.


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## lyndalou

I'm making a leftover Shepherd's Pie with the leftovers I took from my friend's party.


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## Dawgluver

Got the smoked carcass in the pot along with roasted carrots, onions, celery and garlic cloves.  Since we misplaced our leftovers, I will make GRAVY, some Stovetop stuffing and Idahoan mashed potatoes later.


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## Kayelle

salt and pepper said:


> Today I made Turkey Soup:


That's some *beautiful* soup! Are those home made noodles in there?


We didn't bring home any turkey and I'm feeling deprived. I planned ahead though, and I'll be cooking this little baby tomorrow.


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## PrincessFiona60

Had enough leftovers to make myself a plate for my lunch at work yesterday.  Perfect!  Shrek has enough breast meat for a few sandwiches.


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## Roll_Bones

I have eaten turkey and the trimmings for every meal since Thurs.
I have the carcass in the fridge with plenty bones and some dark meat. (my sister took all the white meat when she left and we did not know until the next day when I wanted a sandwich).  This has happened before and i always say I'm going to immediately put half the breast away for us. I forgot and we have no white meat left.
Tomorrow i will make stock.  What I do with the stock is not decided.


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## salt and pepper

Tonight I made a panini w/ pizza dough. Turkey,mayo,cranberry sauce & swiss cheese. Also a shrimp cocktail.


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## Andy M.

We had leftover turkey dinner last night.  Then I felt the need for red meat tonight.  Back to leftovers tomorrow.  I'll be making stock with the carcass and stock into turkey noodle soup for dinner.


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## PrincessFiona60

I ate Shrek's leftover portion, he really does not like leftovers, so I knew I would throw it away before he ever thought of eating it.  He's having a turkey sandwich with half a can of cranberry sauce.


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## CWS4322

My favorite way to enjoy leftovers from a turkey dinner is to make poutine with turkey, turkey gravy, cranberry/lingonberry salsa, handcut French fries, and grated gjetost (or cheese curds if I have them on hand). If I don't have any salsa, I'll layer jalapeno peppers 1/2 way up and put more on top, but pickled banana peppers work, too, I always have a block of gjetost (Ski Queen) in the fridge and love it with the salsa. 


Other ways to enjoy leftover turkey is to make a turkey hotdish (casserole)--I make mine like this:


900 g bowtie pasta, cooked al dente (although I cook the entire bag, I don't always use the entire amount)
1 tub of sour cream
1 can evap. milk
about 1/2 c leftover gravy (or stock if you prefer)
2-3 ribs celery chopped
3-4 c leftover turkey, diced
1 sm onion diced
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
1-2 diced jalapeno peppers
1 c frozen peas
4 oz grated white cheddar cheese. 
1 -2 T oil


1. Cook the onion until it starts to soften in about 1 T oil. Add mushrooms. celery, and jalapeno peppers. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
2.Mix the sour cream, evap. milk, and gravy together. Adjust S&P levels.
3. Drain the pasta, toss with a bit of EVOO, and mix all the ingredients together, reserve about 1-2 oz of the grated cheese (I use a microplane, so 4 oz of cheese is about 1 cup grated--but grate to your heart's desire). Determine if it is moist enough, if not, add some stock or more sour cream or more evap. milk or a dollop or two of mayo. 
4. Place in a LARGE casserole dish (I have one of those huge Corningware dishes that I use--I think it is 12 cups, or I divide it between 2 or three Corningware dishes and put 2 in the freezer, bake one--depends on if I've got anyone joining me for dinner. I usually give it a swipe with a paper towel and some veg. oil).
4. Cover and bake at 350 for ~30 minutes.
5. Remove lid and sprinkle top with reserved cheese and dashes of Frank's hot sauce,. 
6. Bake for another 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted.


Notes: If this is something you want to make for the freezer, omit the sour cream and use 2 cans of evap milk (evap. milk won't separate when you freeze the casserole, undercook the pasta). You could use cream of mushroom soup instead of the sour cream and evap. milk. I'm guessing you'd need at least 2 cans of cream of mushroom/chicken/celery soup.  


How much sour cream and evap milk? I sometimes add more because I don't want the dish to be dry when it is done. I like it to resemble a well-dressed pasta salad when I put it in the oven. When in doubt, I'll add a bit of turkey stock or a glob of mayonnaise. I use the bow-tie pasta rather than rigatoni so that it doesn't absorb all the "sauce." I like it creamy, not dry. Sometimes I take 3 strips of bacon, cook and drain those, and add crumbles of bacon to the top with the cheese.


Variations: When cooking the onions, add 2 tsp of your favourite curry powder and omit the Frank's. Adjust curry powder amount to suit. 


Add grated/chopped carrots. Add 1-2 c chopped swiss chard or kale.


Omit hot sauce and jalapeno peppers, add dried cranberries.


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## Addie

My daughter was supposed to send me a plate today since I went to the hospital instead of getting to eat dinner. But it never arrived. Hopefully tomorrow.


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