Thanksgiving is that wonderful holiday that comes just as quickly as it leaves. Unfortunately, when the holiday leaves it doesn’t take its massive amounts of leftovers with it. That means that for the next five weeks you’ll be eating some combination of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. Wondering how you can enjoy this food without going nuts? We’ve got some great ideas on how you can repurpose your Thanksgiving leftovers.
Turkey
Now, turkey doesn’t have much flavor and unless the person who cooked the thanksgiving turkey seasoned it well your leftover turkey is probably flavorless. No worries! Seasoning it post holiday is easy. Here are some ideas on what you can do to make it tasty:
- Grilled cheese with turkey – sprinkle some salt, pepper and maybe some cayenne for a little spice
- Fajitas – Combine a packet of fajita seasoning with lemon juice, sliced onion and bell peppers and mix, enjoy with tortillas
- Salad – throw some shredded turkey on a bed of spinach, red onions, feta and dried cranberries
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are quick to disappear. They’re everyone’s favorites. Now, if you have an exceptionally large amount of leftovers you can freeze these in a storage bag. Here are some other ideas on how to use them:
- Turn into patties, dip in egg and then breadcrumbs and fry
- Use to top shepherd’s pie
- Puree into a potato pancake mix
Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce can easily be thickened and sweetened and used as a jam to top pancakes, waffles or toast.
Stuffing
Stuffing is best when fresh. If you need to reuse it try the following:
- Puree and turn into savory pancakes
- Mash into muffin tin and bake
- Make a fritatta
The bottom line is, repurposing your leftovers is easy. Get creative, break out your favorite spices and try something new. You have nothing to lose.
Photo Credit: By Suzette – www.suzette.nu from Arnhem, Netherlands (Vegan pumpkin pie) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
