BY EMMA NAILLE (’18)

Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays of the year and all for one reason:  the food. The only problem is that you cannot eat all of the food in one day. Then you are stuck eating the same food for the next five days. We all hate to admit it, but leftovers can get a little boring. But Thanksgiving leftovers have potential for so much more, with these five recipes you can re-use your Thanksgiving leftovers to make four whole new meals and a dessert. Prepare to never settle for regular Thanksgiving leftovers ever again.

Breakfast: Potato Cakes with Fried Eggs and Turkey-Red Pepper Hash

Time:

• Approximately 50 min

Serves:

• 4 people

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed potatoes at room temperature
• 5 large eggs
• ¼ cup milk
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon finely chopped sage
• Coarse salt
• Black pepper
• 5 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, stemmed,seeded and chopped
• 8 ounces (or 2 cups) of diced leftover turkey meat
• ½ cup gravy
• ¼ cup cooked corn kernels
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley

Directions:

To begin, preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Then mix the potatoes, egg and milk in a bowl until combined. Next, add the flour, a pinch of salt and pepper and mix until smooth. Heat 2 teaspoons of the extra-virgin olive oil on a non-stick griddle over medium heat and pour ⅓ cup of the liquid mixture onto the griddle once warm. Spread the batter into a circle about 4 inches wide and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer your potato cake to the oven to keep it warm and then repeat with the rest of the batter. Next, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium low heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook this for about 5 minutes until tender. Add the red pepper and cook for about 4 minutes longer, until softened. Mix in the turkey, gravy, and corn and cook until the turkey is heated through. Season this with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley and lower the heat to keep it warm. Heat the last teaspoon of oil on the griddle with on medium-high heat. Crack the eggs onto the griddle and cook to desired texture. Last, top each potato cake with a fried egg and divide the hash evenly among the four servings.

Lunch: Open-Faced Turkey Sandwich

Time:

• 15 minutes

Serves:

• One person

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of turkey
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 1 tablespoon gravy
• 1 dinner roll or 2 pieces of bread
• 1 cup of stuffing

Directions:

This sandwich is super simple to fix for lunch. Simply heat the the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy in the microwave until desired temperature. Then layer the turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing over the rolls and top with gravy. This lunch is ideal for a quick meal and to take to school or work.

Dinner:  Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole

Time:

• Approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes

Serves:

• Eight people

Ingredients:

• 4 cups stuffing
• 4 cups turkey cut into cubes
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• ½ cup chopped sweet onion
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups 2% milk
• 1 can (8-¼ ounces) cream-style corn
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ⅓ cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:

To make this dish first preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by inch pan and layer the first six ingredients into the pan. Whisk the flour, eggs, and milk in a large bowl until smooth. Then, mix in the corn, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the ingredients already in the pan and then let it stand for 15 minutes. Cut the butter into small pieces and then add this and the chopped pecans to the top layer. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Then, take off the foil and bake it for 30-35 minutes longer, until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Dinner:  Turkey Pot Pie

Time:

• Approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes

Serves:

• 4 people

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups shredded turkey
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 prepared pie crust
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the chopped onion until softened. Stir in the celery and carrots and then cook for 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another 2 minutes before stirring in the chicken stock and bringing the mixture to a simmer. Then, add the potatoes and let simmer until they are tender. Add the turkey, parsley and peas. Pour this into a baking dish and top with pie crust. Brush the top with egg and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Dessert:  Pumpkin Pie Crunch

Time:

• Approximately 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 15 ounce can of pumpkin
• 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• Butter Golden cake mix
• 1 stick of butter (½ cup)
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• Leftover pumpkin pie

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 6 ingredients and mix well with a mixer. Pour this mixture into a 9 by 13 inch pan. Sprinkle the cake mix over the top and then drizzle the melted butter over the cake mix. Use a knife and make zig zags in the mixture to mix in the cake mix slightly. Last, sprinkle pecans on top and bake for 50-55 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

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