Ivy says:
Now is a good time to start planing a Thanksgiving leftover party. When I have one, I plan it for the Saturday after Thanksgiving when everyone’s all shopped out and too tired to cook. The premise is this: everyone brings their leftovers and you eat what’s there. Any leftover leftovers are packaged up and given to someone else. I don’t know what is so awesome about other people’s leftovers, but I have noticed that other people’s leftovers are a lot more appealing than your own leftovers.
This probably won’t save you from the litany of turkey pot pie, turkey sandwiches, turkey ala king, turkey ala mode, turkey lurkey, turkey soup, etc. But it does at least give you something new to look forward to eating.
Tell me, Home Eccers, how do you deal with all the leftovers?
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This is my favorite recipe I use for turkey after Thanksgiving (and chicken at other times). It’s on my recipe blog, which is the sister to my regular blog. Hope this link works:
http://coffeeteabooksandrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/10/chicken-and-dressing-casserole.html
I usually buy just enough bird to feed us two or three meals – for the two of us that means a smallish turkey breast. This year, however, I have a chest freezer and that is changing my equations on how food I make at once, and also with recipes I choose to make. With a real oven this year also, a BIG turkey is a definite possibility, with the leftovers going into other forms amenable to freezing for later use. Finding time to cook with my schedule is a real issue, and multiple food sensitivities means no commercially pre-prepared or convenience foods – so the big ol’ turkey will be a good way to stock up the freezer with homemade versions of pre-prepared foods (stock, soups, cubed meat, etc.) for days when there’s limited time or energy to cook!
Wow, I can’t type…changing the equations on how MUCH food I make at once, and also WHICH recipes I choose to make…
I take the leftover turkey and shred it and freeze it. That way if I’m making say … chili I just grab a handful and throw it in. Quick, accessible, and precooked.
Also, I’ve been known to make a shepard’s pie type casserole with turkey on the bottom, butter, veggies, butter, potatoes, butter. All the butter is because you don’t have the grease from the ground beef.
Eat at In-laws. Leave extra there.
Our family all brings something to the Thanksgiving meal, and then we divide up what is leftover after. We usually have a leftovers day on Monday, (I LOVE thanksgiving food, so we have it again), and then whatever else is left is used as sandwiches or snacks.
Share my leftovers, no way! I can live on hot turkey sandwiches with bread and gravy for a week. And there is never enough candied sweet potatoes left. We go to my sisters house, and I have a niece and nephew that live on their own, so we usually don’t have tons of leftovers after we share with them.
I try to keep our turkey leftovers to a minimum by purchasing the smallest turkey possible and we only have about three side dishes, green bean casserole(my husbands favorite), candied yams with marshmallows(my favorite), and stuffing. My favorite leftover is turkey sandwiches with mayonaise and grape jelly. Then anything else can be used for turkey stalk for future soups, frozen in the freezer up to a month.
We have 4 generations plus extended family and friends at our
home. I send leftovers home with everyone…..and we take
everything else to the on duty security folks who work on the university campus where my husband works…..there are always
folks working on holidays there……PS last year we had lots of
desserts left over and we took those to the local fire station and those people really appreciated being remembered.
We usually have just the 3 of us, so I generally do cornish hens instead of a turkey. This year we may have the opportunity to get together with some of our family. If so, I may actually do a whole turkey! We’ll see.
Thanks for your comment on my blog. It is really satisfying to have meals in the freezer. Makes menu planning and rushed nights so much easier! Come visit anytime!
leftovers? With 3 children, if i don’t freeze it right away there are no leftovers!