Our turkey was nearly 14 pounds. We have loads of avian musculature leftover. Plus stuffing (Stuffing!), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, giblet gravy, and half of a large roasted sweet potato. Plus nearly half of the Birthday cake I baked Monday before the SO got up, half of the pecan pie I baked Thursday before I started cooking the feast, two of the four cupcakes one of the SO’s students gave her on Tuesday, and three quarters of the Marie Callender’s berry pie the SO baked last night. We did get through the four apple fritters I bought earlier in the week.
Yesterday I had a grilled turkey-and-cheese sandwich; a small plate (dessert plate) of turkey and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy; a turkey-and-tomato sandwich, a slice of pecan pie, and a slice of berry pie. Yesterday the SO had a plate similar to the one I’d had (without the green bean casserole), a slice of berry pie, and an apple fritter; and today she had a turkey sandwich.
And there’s still a ton of food left! I don’t know how we’ll get through it all. If I could find my crème brûlée bowls (I could always find them when I wasn’t looking for them) I could make turkey pot pies and freeze them. I could get some tomatoes and mushrooms and make turkey omelettes, but that won’t use much turkey. I keep thinking about a casserole, but I haven’t convinced myself.
Eighteen pound bird, but not that much left, since I was grudgingly forced to give some to our guest to take home. Yesterday I had a turkey, mayo, dressing and cranberry chutney on sourdough bread sandwich. Nom.
Midnight snack Thursday night/Friday morning was a turkey sandwich on homemade bread. Breakfast was Boy 2.0’s version of sweet potato pancakes with cranberry topping. (Highly recommended, BTW.) Noshed on leftovers all day yesterday, one turkey sandwich today. Sadly, all of the pie is gone…
Good news? Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Part II at the farm. Mmmm. More pie.
I’ve made two batches of Leftover Soup in two days. I’m in heaven.
The first was a diced onion, some garlic, the leftovers from the veggie tray: carrots, the single yellow pepper ring, some radishes, celery and a ton of broccoli, chopped. Sauteed in some butter and then added some leftover chicken broth and simmered until soft, added the overcooked mashed potatoes*, and some shredded colby jack. OMG. It was nearly a dead ringer for Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar, despite the fact that it had no cheddar in it.
Today was a pretty standard Turkey Soup. The rest of the carrots and celery from the veggie tray, leftover mushrooms, and another onion sauteed, turkey stock from the carcass and the leftover gravy, turkey meat, barley, spaetzle noodles and some leftover peas to finish.
*I cooked the mashed potatoes ahead of time, with butter, half and half, sour cream and cream cheese. it was so good. But then I put it in the wrong Crock-Pot to stay warm. I put it in the newer one, which gets too hot. They were golden and liquified and browned on the sides by dinner time. Delicious, but the texture was all wrong.
My leftovers were very much like my dinner Thursday. Delicious.
I did run out of gravy, so I had to make a new batch. Happily, I had the forethought to save the pan drippings that didn’t get used originally.
Yesterday I made turkey soup. It’s a little weak. I might reduce it some. Or I might just use it as the liquid in my lentil stew tomorrow. I’m going to try that first and see how it comes out.
I only made a turkey breast roast, since it’s just me and the husband (and four cats). Leftover dinner tonight was turkey tacos. I cooked some diced onion in peanut oil, with salt, pepper and dried diced garlic. Added the turkey meat, a small can of Hatch chiles, a splash of white wine and some water, and simmered for about 15 minutes. Served in store-bought taco shells with the usual taco toppings.
I was going to start a “How was your soup?” thread, but I can just steal thins one for a bit. As I said in another thread, I made two Cornish Game Hens, and ate most of the easy to get meat. I made broth with the carcass, added extra poultry seasoning, some shallots and mushrooms, then a bunch of cilantro. That really brightened the flavor. I chose bean threads as noodles. Those are nice and light.
I had leftover stuffing – mixed grains, with grapes and sour cherries. I can eat that tomorrow, it wouldn’t do to keep that too long, even if it wasn’t cooked inside the birds.
Neighbor lady gave us 1/4 of 5 separate pies. Which was great 'cause I didn’t make any. I’m glad Mom thought enough of me to finish the cheesecake herself. That’s not sarcasm, better she eats what she likes, than I eat loads of calories out of obligation. There was a traditional pecan pie, which simply confuses my mother – she’d never heard of one before. A decent apple crumb, and a typical pumpkin pie.
The neighbor also gave us a huge pumpkin, but I’m too lazy to make my pumpkin soup. Well, I’ll make one next week, I already have a ton of packaged chicken broth – Pacific brand, on 70 mg sodium per serving. That’s the lowest I’ve ever seen.
I’ve been consuming my leftovers in the form of a Shame Bowl.
In a bowl, add:
1 layer of mashed potatoes
1 layer of stuffing
1 layer of green bean casserole
1 layer of buttered corn
1 more layer of mashed potatoes
1 ladle-full of gravy
1 dollop of homemade butter
1 slice of cheddar cheese
3 minutes in the microwave
I call it the shame bowl because the first time my wife saw me eating it, she asked “Have you no shame?” I said no.
When KFC started offering something like that my reaction was, “Finally, a restaurant that serves the sort of food I make for myself!”
The leftover squash and sweet potatoes became a fabulous curry soup which my wife will never duplicate because she is always experimenting. “Next time I will use cow’s milk and apple juice instead of coconut milk.”
“But why? We still have a can of coconut milk and you can make it the same way.”
“And I’ll use less cayenne pepper or none at all because my family doesn’t like hot food.”
“That’s just crazy talk, especially since you’ve been milking your illness so you don’t have to see your family.”
No leftovers here, except for pumpkin pie. We joined the rest of the family for T-day dinner, our contribution was the pumpkin pies. One got eaten, and I got to bring the other one home.
I miss Thanksgiving leftovers. I’m quite fond of turkey sandwiches, when the turkey meat has just been sliced from a bird. Even deli turkey just isn’t the same, let alone the pre-packaged stuff in the grocery.
No leftovers here, except for pumpkin pie. We joined the rest of the family for T-day dinner, our contribution was the pumpkin pies. One got eaten, and I got to bring the other one home.
I miss Thanksgiving leftovers. I’m quite fond of turkey sandwiches, when the turkey meat has just been sliced from a bird. Even deli turkey just isn’t the same, let alone the pre-packaged stuff in the grocery.
Enright family tradition with turkey leftovers:
In a cake size pan put a layer of stuffing, followed by a layer of leftover turkey, covered with a delicious mornay sauce; sprinkle with paprika. Bake.
I think there might be some salsa in the fridge. I might try heating up some turkey in salsa, and putting it in a soft corn tortilla.
Actually, I had some luck a year or two ago rolling up taquitos with leftover chicken. Maybe I can make turkey taquitos and freeze them for quick snacks.
My dinner tonight may or may not have been half a brick of Neufchâtel cheese with the final cranberry (/apricot) sauce poured over it, smeared on crackers.
I think that does it for the leftovers. The weather got too warm on the back porch where the leftovers were being stored and the rest of the stuffing’s got to be trashed. I’m not even real sorry about that, to be honest.