Turn Thanksgiving leftovers into tasty dishes

#Middlebury

Ah, Thanksgiving – cleaning, shopping, cooking and entertaining guests for hours! While Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, I’ve embraced the days that follow, too. I start with my traditional after-Thanksgiving breakfast of leftover turkey, ham, corn and dressing with cranberry sauce.

In my opinion, Thanksgiving leftovers are a national treasure. If you handle and store your leftovers properly, you can enjoy them in a variety of ways for several days.

During mealtime, do not let the turkey sit out for more than two hours after it has been cooked. For safe storage, remove the stuffing and de-bone the turkey. Store the turkey in shallow containers in the refrigerator because shallow containers allow the turkey to cool faster, preventing growth of harmful bacteria.

Unless you freeze the leftovers, be sure to use the turkey and stuffing within 3-4 days. Leftover gravy should be used within 1-2 days. Other cooked dishes can be stored up to 4 days.

Frozen leftovers should be stored at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below and used within 3-4 months. Turkey in gravy or broth, or other cooked turkey dishes can be frozen for 4-6 months. Stuffing and gravy can keep up to 1 month in the freezer. Marking your leftovers with the date and name of the item will help you keep better track of them.

Here are a few ideas for using the leftover dishes from your Turkey Day feast:

Turkey Wrap

2 flour tortillas (whole wheat, flour or flavored)
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon cranberry sauce
4 pieces of turkey (about 3 to 4 ounces)
4 slices cooked bacon
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
2 to 4 slices of tomato
2 to 4 slices avocado
1/2 thinly sliced, red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Spread each tortilla lightly with mayonnaise and the cranberry sauce.
2. Evenly divide turkey and put half on each tortilla. Add two slices of bacon, and evenly divided the lettuce, tomato and/or avocado slices and onion to each tortilla. Sprinkle each wrap with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly and serve. Serves 2.

Thanksgiving Potatoes Au Gratin

This retro casserole is a great way to use leftover turkey and ham, and cooked vegetables. Serves 4-6.

1 cup cooked turkey or ham (or a mixture of both)
1 cup cooked white or sweet potatoes, chopped, or 1/2 pound frozen hash brown potatoes
1 cup cooked vegetables
1 (10-ounce) can cream of broccoli, chicken or mushroom soup or 1 1/2 cups leftover gravy
1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1-1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Cooking oil spray

1. Heat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, combine all ingredients, leaving out 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Pour into an 8 by 8-inch pan sprayed with oil. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
2. Cover and bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes until the cheese on top is browned and bubbly.

Turkey Chili

Use your Thanksgiving leftovers to make this hearty turkey chili. (Depositphotos photo)

This is a great dish for a cold day. If you prefer to prepare it in a slow-cooker, omit the cooking oil and the recipe step where you cook the spices and vegetables in a pan on the stovetop. Place all the ingredients except the cooking oil in a slow cooker, mix well and then cook on low for 4 hours.

2 teaspoons cooking oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes, chopped
1 (11-ounce) can white corn or hominy, drained
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies
2 cups cubed, cooked turkey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Heat the oil in a heavy, deep pot over medium heat. Add the onions, chili powder, cumin, tomato paste, celery and garlic. Cook until onions are clear.
2. Pour 1 can of the drained and rinsed beans into the pot. Using a large spoon or a potato masher, mash the beans to break them down and thicken the chili.
3. Add the remaining can of beans and the rest of the ingredients to the pot and stir well. Cover and simmer, stirring after 10 minutes, cook 15-20 minutes.
4. Serve with sliced limes, chopped onions, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips or cornbread, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.

Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children’s author, culinary historian and the author of seven cookbooks. Her new cookbook is “The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook.” Her website is www.divapro.com. To see how-to videos, recipes and much, much more, Like Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva! on Facebook. Recipes may not be reprinted without permission from Angela Shelf Medearis.

© 2018 King Features Synd. Inc., and Angela Shelf Medearis