La-La-La-La-Leftovers
Recently, at Sunday dinner with our extended family, my five-year-old called me over to the kids’ table just after we’d gotten settled with our plates. By her knit eyebrows and gaping mouth, I felt certain a pterodactyl had just landed on her lap. Standing beside her I realized the offense was much more horrific from her point of view – the creamed spinach on her plate was touching the mashed potatoes (dum-dum-dum-duuummm).
Clearly my husband didn’t get the memo before he styled her dinner plate; clearly he was unfamiliar with the demands of his oldest little diva. She looked up at me and said, "There was a mistake. Can you please take this off my plate?"
I didn’t take it back, and she barely choked it down. My only regret is that she was ever served the spinach in the first place; I much rather would have eaten the leftovers the next day. When you find yourself with a fridge full of leftovers at the end of this week, get excited. Unmistakably, the glory of Thanksgiving dinner is all the ingredients – not just leftovers, but perfectly seasoned ingredients – it yields for the rest of the week. Dig in.
Turn the bones of the Whole Roasted Turkey into stock with the video here. Stack it on a Pumpkin Waffle Sandwich, pass it as a Smoked Turkey Appetizer, or smother it with a fried egg in Morning After (Thanksgiving) Hash.
Revamp a lump of leftover ham into Mini Hot Browns, a Ham and Lemon Stilton Waffle Sandwich, or the filling in this Stuffed Shrimp.
Roll and pan-fry leftover stuffing into Thanksgiving Arancini to dip in your favorite barbecue sauce.
Puree the leftover carrots from your Roasted Root Vegetables into Carrot and Ginger Soup. Transform leftover corn into hearty Corn Soup. And enjoy leftovers of the perfect Asparagus as Cream of Asparagus Soup for lunch next week. (Of course, with all these deeelicious soups, you must have the grilled cheese to match. Try a Brie and Grape Grilled Cheese or a Greek Grilled Cheese with fresh Mint Pesto .)
Stir leftover Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce into hot oatmeal, layer it into a Yogurt Parfait, pour a sparkly drink over a small dollop in the bottom of a champagne glass, or spoon it over ricotta and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds for Sweet Cream and Cranberry Phyllo Cups.
Turn Moan-Inducing Mashed Potatoes or leftover mashed sweet potatoes into Homemade Gnocchi you never thought you’d be able to make. Enjoy with melted butter and fresh parmesan or your favorite marinara.
Toss leftover creamed spinach into a pound of hot linguine with a couple ladles of cooking water for a creamy insta-meal, or smear it like a dip on toasted chunks and wedges of leftover bread. Pulse leftover peas into a Green Pea Hummus. (If they were already seasoned with dinner, skip the mint in the recipe, and be careful not to add too much salt. Taste as you go for optimum results.)
Watch leftover Pumpkin Cream melt down the side a stack of hot pancakes, or run a Croque Madame right on through it.
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Gift Yourself First
With all the repurposing you’ll be pursuing, you deserve to gift yourself first. Bust out soup after glorious soup with this Immersion Blender. And while you’re roaming the aisles of Shop CWC, pick up this Slotted Spatula for the ultimate in grilled cheese flipping. (Lovingly referred to as a "fish spat" in the CWC kitchen, this baby will revolutionize your technique. You’ll be flipping anything that’ll sit still in front of you long enough.)
DON’T FORGET: Shop Amazon.com through cookingwithcaitlin.com This Holiday Season
Click here to learn just how cookingwithcaitlin.com’s affiliate marketing program works. Then, start your shopping (for anything) by linking through Shop CWC’s Amazon store. With just a click, you are helping to grow our small business. Thank you.
Where You Can Find Us
Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also…
November 29th – What’s Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. TOPIC: Polly Campbell on Food as Gifts
November 30th – cookingwithcaitlin.com’s Foodies’ Night In (#fni) Twitter event with Alouette Cheese, 4-6 EST
December 17th – Third Thursday at The McAlpin. Register here.
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