The Morning After
What is it about Thanksgiving that creates a warped sense of time? We get up extra early to turn on the ovens, we catch up with old pals at all hours, we start drinking at noon, we think it's 11 when it's only six.
I started my day off at Tranquil Space, a Washington yoga studio that has been organizing Thanksgiving charity yoga classes for the past few years. There's nothing like a bunch of down dogs to get the blood moving and the mind centered.
I was joining good friends, who had just tied the knot, at his folks's place in Arlington, and my job was to add to the dessert offerings. I decided on my Dark n' Stormy pear crisp, which turned out just how I like -- crunchy on top, juicy on the bottom.
We were a group of seven, including two vegetarians and a 15 or 16-pound turkey. The veggies brought their first Tofurky, with some of the trimmings. Their report: Overall not bad, but it gets cold quickly, which makes it less palatable. They were hoping to get their hands on a Celebration Roast, but they were nowhere to be found.
I was home by eight, just in time for "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." The wind was howling that not even a blanket or a few glasses of red wine could warm me up.
I've got a turkey sitting in brine waiting to roast, so maybe I'll do that today. But really what's on my mind is how to deal with all those leftovers, not in my fridge but in yours. If it's turkey you're looking to revise, have a gander at a turkey salad that may help lift you out of a culinary coma. Marinated in a Vietnamese-style dressing of lime, chiles, garlic and fish sauce, the turkey gets a much-needed spritz after T-Day helpings of fat and sugar. You can do with or without the Asian cellophane noodles.
I don't know 'bout you, but I love cranberry sauce on toast and in my breakfast oatmeal. As for those leftover mashed, think of adding an egg and breacrumbs and forming little patties for some time in a skillet. Great for breakfast over the long weekend.
Do you have a tried and true way of dealing with leftovers beyond the ole turkey sandwich? Share away, please. I'll check in over the weekend and file a new report on Monday. December coming right up...
By kimodo |
November 25, 2005; 12:04 PM ET
| Category:
Thanksgiving
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Posted by: fran | November 25, 2005 03:58 PM
Just two words for what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers: Turkey Gumbo.
The one on gumbopages.com isn't bad, but I perfer to cook the sausage in the same pan as I did the roux, then saute the trinity with them.
Posted by: Katie | November 26, 2005 06:59 PM
In terms of using the leftover turkey, these are a couple of suggestions that I tried over the weekend (and so far, I've used 50% of the leftovers)
a) If you want to have Italian, make spaghetti bolognese but use chunks of turkey instead of meat. Though my only suggestion to this idea is that you should add the turkey to the sauce at the last minute - you only want to warm them up.
b) Get some crusty bread like ciabatta or french rolls, slice them open, then spread one side with cold gravy and the other with cranberry sauce. Pile pieces of turkey, stuffing, and veggies. Then you can heat it up in the oven (or in my case, used a George Foreman grill) to heat it up.
c) Use the turkey for fried rice or a simple stir-fry.
d) If you got alot of gravy, make turkey stew. Just toss in any extra veggies you had (carrots, potatoes, peas), then just season it accordingly and thin it out with chicken broth or stock. Just serve it with bread or some rice...
Just a few ideas. Trust me, can't stand opening the fridge and starting at the leftovers for the next couple of days!
Posted by: Janice | November 28, 2005 09:52 AM
I think I make turkey just so I can make turkey pot pie. A couple of cans of cream of chicken, celery, or mushroom soup, a can of chicken broth, a pack of Birdseye frozen soup veggies, a few spices, some biscuits, crescent rolls, or puff pastry are all you need for a really delicious pot pie. Or skip the crust and serve the filling over rice or those leftover mash. Shoot, eat it plain and it is still satisfying.
Posted by: Alicia | November 29, 2005 10:11 AM
I made a turkey shepherd's pie, absolutely wonderful! Also a fantastic way to use up a lot of your leftovers. Cream of chicken, chopped turkey, mixed veggies, some basil and thyme, with leftover mashed taters on top and cooked at 375 for 40 minutes. Put a couple of butter pats on top for good measure. Heaven...
Posted by: Amy | November 29, 2005 12:37 PM
Turkey pot pie is one of our favorites and it's much better made from scratch. Start with onions/carrots/celery diced and sauteed, add some peas and chopped parsley and the leftover turkey. Add gravy -- flour/butter roux plus turkey broth -- and cover with pie crust. Really, really delicious.
Posted by: Margaret | December 1, 2005 08:26 AM
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Why does anyone buy Tofurky when no one likes it? Total lack of imagination? Inability to cook beans? What?