Blast From Leftovers Past

It's been nearly a week since Thanksgiving--do you still have leftovers in your fridge?

We sure do. The inventory: cranberry sauce, stuffing, turkey, and mashed potatoes. Then there's the turkey carcass my mother-in-law bequeathed me, which I already turned into two gallons of broth.

The carnage [pic credit: whatscookingamerica.net]

Therefore, it's time for the annual what-to-do-with-the-leftovers post, in which I link to oldie-but-goodie suggestions from posts past.

First off, the turkey. We've already made these recipes for Turkey Tortilla Soup and Turkey Enchiladas this week. Then there are the Fancy Turkey Sandwiches that have gone into lunchboxes. With my last few cups of meat I'm thinking of this Turkey-Wild Rice Casserole adapted from my Betty Crocker's Best Christmas cookbook:

And this would be Betty's pic of it

Turkey-Rice Casserole (cuz the kids hate wild rice)
3 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1-1/2 cups turkey or chicken broth
2-1/4 cups milk
8 ozs mushrooms (I mince these in food processor to disguise)
1 2-oz jar diced pimientos, drained
3 cups chopped, cooked turkey
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 13x9 dish.

Melt butter in big pot over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk, then heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Mix in cooked rice and remaining ingredients and transfer to baking dish.

Bake uncovered 40-45 minutes, or until center is hot.

Variations: add leftover french-fried onions, frozen peas, or bell pepper.

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Then we have the cranberries and mashed potatoes. Check out these suggestions from a few years ago. That post also included the link for this Stuffing Frittata, which I was looking for just yesterday.

Hey! Robin Miller's kitchen looks exactly like mine, and I look like Robin Miller!

And finally, supposing your roasted an enormous butternut squash for Thanksgiving, and only used half the pulp for that candied-topping recipe, so you still had roasted squash puree in the freezer. May I recommend this recipe, which I adapted from a Deborah Madison one in an old magazine?

Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque
About 2 cups roasted butternut squash
1 Tbsp butter
1 peeled, chopped apple (I used a Collins Honeycrisp)
1-1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
2 cups water
1 cup apple cider (I used Martin Family)
4 cups turkey broth
2-1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup whole milk or cream

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high. Add apple and onion and saute 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Add squash, water, cider, broth, and spices. Bring to a boil; partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes.

Blend in blender in batches, or use an immersion blender to make it smooth. Add milk or cream and reheat on low until thoroughly heated.

Mind you, this soup is luscious. I paired it with a chard frittata, but it'd go great with that Stuffing Frittata above. The kids wouldn't touch it, naturally, but that just meant more for me!