Leftovers

I'm no "freezer queen" by any stretch of the imagination, and yet there is something extremely satisfying in creating new meals out of food that otherwise might get fed to the dog or (gasp!) thrown away.

Turkey Leftovers Rule #1 is never, never throw away the bones! If you do you are throwing away valuable nutrition. Pick all the meat you can off of them (what to do with the meat will follow), put them in a big stock pot, and cover them with water. Add a dash of something acidic- vinegar will work, but I use EM's for added benefit. The acidity helps leach the minerals out of the bones. Bring this to a boil, skim off the foam, and then turn the stove down as low as you can without turning it off. The stock should be just barely and gently bubbling. Let this stay on the stove for at least a couple hours and up to a day or two. Really, the longer the better. You will then want to strain it into another pot. Let the stock cool before putting it in the fridge. After it has been in the fridge long enough to get cold take it out to remove the fat. The fat forms on the top, and your broth will hopefully resemble jello.

You have now made three products out of those bones. First, is the stock which is much better and more healthful than Campbell's. Second is the fat which you can use to make turkey gravy. Melt the fat in a saucepan and mix in an approximately equal amount of flour. Heat this up until it starts to bubble and then pour in stock, or if you want a creamy gravy use milk. The amount of liquid you use will depend on how much stock and flour you had, but generally 3 Tbsp fat and 3 Tbsp flour will thicken 1 Cup of liquid. Whether you use stock or milk it is extremely important to stir the whole time! When it starts to bubble it is as thick as it gets. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sage. The third product is the bones themselves which will probably be extremely soft. These bones can be mashed and fed to your cats and/or dogs, or at least composted into the garden. Turkey Leftovers Rule #1 still applies!

Here is something I invented a few years that I call "Leftovers Casserole". Like many families, mine has come to love and expect the Green Bean Casserole so cleverly marketed as a traditional Thanksgiving dish (although I don't remember ever seeing it until a few years ago). If you have leftover green beans, mix in turkey and the fried onions that were on top. You could top this with more fried onion, but I top it with leftover stuffing. Heat in the oven until hot.

Another good turkey casserole is a recipe that I got from a book Eat Well for $50 a Week and improved, if I say so myself. I'll give you my version. It is a casserole in four layers, first stuffing pressed in on the bottom, then pieces of turkey, then broccoli, then a cheese sauce. I prefer to make my own cheese sauce, but you could also use melted velveeta if you must. Just be sure to grease the casserole dish well or you'll never be able to lift it out.

Other options for leftover turkey are soups, stir fry, creamy salad and sandwiches. Personally I love a turkey sandwich with honey mustard and pickles on homemade bread! Yum!

In my oven right now I have the leftovers casserole and a sweet potato something that I just invented. I whipped three eggs with some milk and honey (I love cooking without measuring- it's so adventurous!), then mixed in my leftover sweet potatoes with some pecans. I sprinkled cinnamon over the top. It's in the oven right now, so I'll have to let you know how that turns out.

Happy Thanksgiving, and God bless!