Question: what cheery holiday dish also happens to make use of last night's leftovers? Answer: a turkey and cranberry wreath! This baked number is not only the perfect showstopper to bring to a Christmas party, but it also comes together in well under an hour. It's our favorite way to use leftover turkey (or chicken) without it feeling like leftovers. Watch the video to learn how.
You've probably picked through the last of your Thanksgiving leftovers, but what about the pie dough? I know I have at least two buttery mounds lying in my fridge awaiting my next move. Rather than letting the dough go to waste (or sending it to freezer purgatory), there are several ways you can make use of the dough this week.
We get it, bountiful Thanksgiving leftovers may be ultra-enticing on day one, but they get old fast. Thankfully we've come up with creative, and generally simple, ways to give everything from dark-meat turkey to zingy cranberry sauce a new lease on life.
P.S. If you have leftover gravy, just slather it on everything (leftover gravy solution — check!)
Can you imagine watching a container of your mom's famous cranberry sauce being thrown into the garbage? Me neither. After all, many of us think leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving.
If the plane ride home from your Thanksgiving destination is quick enough that leftovers will survive the travel time, it's a given that you'll want to take that home-cooked goodness back to your own kitchen table. Don't let your giddy anticipation of a day-after feast get squashed by TSA regulations; learn which items will pass safely through security.
When it comes to Thanksgiving leftovers, the turkey and cranberry sandwich is a classic, but the duo work just as well layered between two tortillas. These cheesy, addictive quesadillas are a delicious snack or light meal. Use my recipe as a guide and adapt the filling to suit your family's liking.
Stir minced jalapeños and chipotles in adobo with leftover sweet potatoes and slather on the tortillas instead of using cranberry sauce. Substitute monterey jack, brie, or parmesan for the white cheddar cheese. Enjoy with sour cream, sliced avocado, salsa, or alone. Get the quick and easy turkey quesadilla recipe.
When it comes to Thanksgiving leftovers, generally I'm a purist. A simple carb-on-carb sandwich might slip into the mix, but otherwise my plate is fully loaded with reheated turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, all the fixings (heavy on the gravy), and nothing else. Don't get me wrong, this strategy is less on principle, and more a matter of practicality; if someone (wink wink) set before me a turkey pot pie or the like, I'd gobble it up with glee. But after a marathon day in the kitchen, I have little desire to repurpose leftovers in any ambitious manner.
This year, the proverbial light bulb went off: why not simply sub shredded turkey for chicken in ultra-simple hot-sauce-laden tacos? Little more than a reheat-and-assembly job, these tacos are easy as can be, immensely craveable, and might even fool family members into thinking you put forth more than the bare minimum of effort.
Keep reading for the turkey tacos recipe.
Happy Thanksgiving! The smell of turkey in the oven and the sound of football on TV can only mean that the Thanksgiving feast is about to begin! We're grateful for you, our readers, the whole year through and wish you and your families a wonderful holiday!
Once the meal is through, and your dishwasher is humming, a mama's thoughts often turn to all of the leftovers crowding her fridge. Don't fret. We've got seven kid-friendly Thanksgiving leftover recipes that will keep everyone full throughout the weekend (and free up some space before the school week resumes on Monday!).
Call me crazy, but when one's trying to juggle cocktails, appetizers, turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, and pumpkin pie at the same time, a shortcut or two is definitely in order. When I serve up the usual favorites tomorrow, I'll do so with a twist: expect my guests to (quite literally) savor the meal in their cocktails.
No need to buy extra ingredients for this cocktail; it makes use of what's on hand by calling for cranberry sauce to add sweetness and heft. It's the perfect example of hitting two birds with one stone. That, my fellow cooks, is definitely something to be grateful for.
When you've finished carving your Thanksgiving turkey, whatever you do, don't toss out the bones! Instead, use that concentrated flavor to make a quick stock: As soon as you've carved the turkey, place the bones in the largest stock pot you own (seven to 10 quarts), and fill it with filtered water. Add any skin pieces, too; the fat will help give the stock more body and richness. Feel free to toss in a few teaspoons of dried herbs or parsley stalks, as well.
Otherwise, keep it simple. The turkey bones have enough flavor and seasoning as is. Allow the stock to simmer for three hours (roughly how long you'll be at the table anyway). Then remove the large bones, and strain the liquid through a mesh sieve or chinois. Allow the soup to come to room temperature before storing it in the fridge or freezing it for a later date. You'll be glad to have the stock around for a quick leftover turkey soup!
Every fourth Thursday in November, do you make a surplus of sweet potatoes each year, or never enough? Does cranberry sauce linger at the table, or is it always the first thing to go? Here at YumSugar, as we plan ahead for the inevitable — lots of Turkey Day leftovers! — we want to know what you need the most help reinventing. So tell us: what dish is always left over at your Thanksgiving table?
