November 18, 2023

WEEKLY MENU 11.19.23

We’re rushing towards the biggest meal of the year during the Weekly Menu 11.19.23!

The Weekly Menu 11.19.23 includes the biggest meal of the holiday season – Thanksgiving! Sure, we’ve got multiple menu plans (and detailed instructions) for the big day, but today, we’re actually looking at a slightly more exciting food event that ties in: leftovers!

The only problem that I run into with Thanksgiving dinner is how everything we eat stays pretty much the same – everyone has their favorite sides (even if they don’t adore the main event) and cries if we don’t include them. Around here, that means creamy mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, marshmallow-y sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn casserole plus pecan, apple and pumpkin pies.

Geesh. How about a little variety??

I kid. I love every one of those things. And I look forward to our standard Thanksgiving dinner because we know that some variety can happen in the days after the big eat.

Leftover ideas literally abound. They are everywhere, and unlike the main event, we change them up every year. DOLD made turkey soup with the leftover turkey legs one year. It was so god-awful we still talk about it. Soup is a great use of leftovers though – those roasted bones (usually) make for a hearty broth as a base.

For starters, any recipe that calls for rotisserie chicken can usually be modified for the leftover bird. After that, go wild with “cooked turkey” recipes:

Honestly? I’m planning on turkey sliders (using the leftover dinner rolls) with Cranberry Mayo. Just mix the mayo and some leftover cranberry sauce for the topper. Add some freshly cracked black pepper to zest it up a bit. If we’re in the mood, we might add in a little deli ham – it really changes the flavor of the turkey sammie, and for those that don’t adore turkey, it provides an out.

No turkey left? grab a rotisserie chicken to supplement.

Ah. The almighty spud.

We’re using the leftover potatoes in a crazy Pizzeria Uno copy-cat: Pizza Skins. We’ll use a frozen pizza shell, the spuds and add bacon and cheddar cheese. And we’ll serve it up with a tiny bowl of sour cream. Yup. THAT’s a good use of potatoes. Another family favorite is potato croquettes – balls of mashed potatoes that are pressed into dry bread crumbs and sautéed in a butter/oil combo until golden brown and delish. Do you think having both is too much?

Maybe, because I’m planning on a poutine too: I’ll bake up some frozen fries and smother them with leftover turkey gravy and cheese. I’m thinking swiss – it’ll elevate the whole dish. Plus, sadly, we don’t have any cheese curds at our normal market. I better make enough mashed potatoes!

The corn and/or green bean casseroles make an interesting addition to the turkey soup, if you are so inclined (and haven’t been scarred for life): they’ll thicken it up a bit and add some texture. Enough said.

Dessert time!

On the run up to Thanksgiving, Bert has been “taste-testing” pumpkin and pecan pies that he’s picked up at various places, so I’m thinking he’ll have no problem actually finishing any desserts we have just laying about after Thanksgiving, but just in case, might I suggest a pumpkin pie eggroll? Scoop out the pie innards and roll into an egg roll or wonton wrapper. Seal it up with a little bit of aqua then either fry or bake in a really hot oven (450 degrees) until brown. We’d dip these into a little caramel sauce.

Warmed up cranberry sauce with a splash of Chambord makes a stupendous topping for ice cream. It’s festive and easy!

Anticipating leftovers makes them more of a treat~

So we’ll take a night off between Thanksgiving and “leftover night” and make a party of it. The place is already clean, and Monopoly isn’t going to play itself. (And how can we get a rip-roaring argument going if we don’t play?) (Affiliate links precede and follow. See Disclaimer Page for Details.) On second thought maybe we should play Uno. Er, no. We need something a little less contentious. Sorry? Huh. Maybe we’d be better off discussing religion and politics.