Thanksgiving Foods: The Sequels

Every year we make a crap ton of food and every year we have a crap ton of leftovers. This year I wanted to be sure to reinvent our leftovers so we wouldn't grow tired of them and we would use a vast majority of them. Of course the first post night we ate simply left overs, the second turkey sandwiches with nice Italian bread. After that the creative juices were a flowing.

 My mom and grandpa have been using my homemade cranberry sauce as a jelly. So on toast, bagels, sometimes they add a little butter or cream cheese. My mom even used some as a topping for a bowl of ice cream.

My dad took the shredded turkey that is peeled off the bird and turned them into croquettes. I made a very tasty turkey, vegetable and orzo soup in the crock pot. My hubs which is not a huge soup fan loved it. And he bragged so much about it that several co-workers of his asked for the recipe. Here is the recipe I created:

16 oz Organic Chicken Stock (next year I will make my own)
carrots
celery
can of diced unsalted tomatoes rinsed
2 cloves of garlic
half of a large onion
green peppers
salt and pepper
oregano
basil leaf
cumin

I threw it all in there. I wish I had more specific amounts to share but I don't really roll that way. It was on high for 4 hours and then I clicked it down to low for another 2. Once we were ready to eat I cooked the orzo separately and added it to the soup. Awesome. Seriously my mom even loved it!

Often I make chicken enchiladas with the extras of a rotisserie chicken the next day but this time I had turkey. The key to enchiladas to me is cilantro which I was out of. So I rolled up turkey in my tortillas with cooked onions, garlic, and tomatoes and placed them into a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish. Since I was out of cilantro I squeezed a fresh lime over the entire pan until I could see some liquid in the between the crevasses of the rolls. I poured a can of red enchilada sauce  and covered it with shredded cheese.I put it in the over for 30 minutes at 350. I served it with sour cream and salsa. Always easy and always tasty.

I had one last big idea this time but sadly didn't get to try it out because the leftover window closed in on us rather quickly. There are empanada shells that are sold in the freezer section which are bakable which is better for you than fried. I thought it would be great to make some with turkey, mashed potatoes and peas, sort of like a perogie and others with sweet potatoes and turkey. I was going to experiment a bit but didn't get a chance. Next time.