Traditional Thanksgiving dinners usually consist of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, candied yams and the usual condiments and desserts. Every one is left with excess food from the big dinner. Sure turkey sandwiches are good but why make just sandwiches? You can re-heat everything but that is just like watching a re-run of your favorite TV show. Why not create some new dishes from what is left.
Years ago I became tired of the same old leftovers after the holiday dinners. So I decided to be creative and I practice my craft on my family. They are my guinea pigs a few times every year, which is good because they turn out to be the harshest critics. If something is not tasty they let me know in no uncertain terms. Blunt and straight to the point is their motto. I demand that from them.
One easy dish is to make a pie. Layer dressing, turkey, and gravy in a baking pan. Thin mashed potatoes with milk and pipe rosettes on top and bake until the peaks of potatoes have a slight brown tint to them.
Another way with turkey is to grind up the meat, mix 2/3-part turkey, 1/3-part dressing together. Mix it well with a beaten egg or two depending on how much you have. Form into patties, dust with flour and fry until brown. Serve on a toasted bun with a slice of tomato and a leaf of lettuce.
How about potato patties, just mash up leftover yams, mix with mashed potatoes, cracker crumbs and a beaten egg. Form patties, dust with flour and fry in a bit of butter. The kids like these with syrup. I prefer them plain with a little salt and pepper.
Whole cranberry sauce I turn into bars. Just make a crumbly mixture of flour, oatmeal, brown sugar and butter. Press 2/3rd of it into a greased pan, pour the cranberries over and sprinkle the 1/3 mixture on top and bake. Yummy served warm with ice cream.
They will wait in line for this Mc-Sandwich. Make a barbecue sauce out of the cranberry sauce, put sliced turkey on a toasted bun, top with the hot sauce, sliced raw onion and dill pickles. Definitely tasty and not as calorie laden as the original.
These all have the families approval, so try them. I generally use whole wheat buns and make my own barbecue sauce, but bottled sauce added to your cranberries will work fine. Enjoy!
Everything I write about is from personal observation and life experiences. I love to cook and prepare foods in different ways. I like sharing my experiences about food and cooking. My website http://www.pothaven.com was created because of my interest in quality cookware and cooking. |
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