Remains of the Day

 'Twas the night of Thanksgiving,
but I just couldn't sleep...
I tried counting backwards,
I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned...the dark meat and white,
but I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation,
the thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
stuffing with gravy, green beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
with a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees...
Happy eating to all -- pass the cranberries, please.
​Author unknown

It’s a good bet that Blondie never worried too much about cleaning out the leftovers in her fridge. Dagwood’s penchant for midnight snacks pretty much took care of that. I have wondered occasionally if his services were available for hire. It’s always a race to use all those delicious post feast bits in time. At our place there is usually a massive day after Thanksgiving lunch of the remains. Creative sandwich combinations abound, sufficient to challenge the size of mouths and the ability to squirt the softer materials all the way into a siblings’ dish. Isn’t it strange that there is never the slightest worry about leftover desserts?

Sandwiches, however splendid, have their limitations. It is possible that as much creative thought and effort go into the consumption of leftovers as went into the original meal. Though apparently one is allowed to be less concerned for the visual presentation. Among the favored leftover dishes are: turkey tetrazzini and other pastas, open-faced turkey sandwiches with gravy, mashed potato pancakes as well as sweet potato pancakes, tacos with green beans, turkey stuffing and cranberry sauce, turkey enchiladas, turkey pot pies, turkey stews, casseroles, turkey, potato, vegetable and stuffing hash, Shepherd’s pies, and soups.   

As always, you will find many recipes on our website http://www.litchfieldfarmersmarket.org/ to inspire your dealing with leftovers, including a Creamy Turkey Tetrazzini: Likewise one can simply create on the fly, like spreading a warmed tortilla wrap with cranberry sauce, a few pieces of turkey, a heaping spoonful of creamed onions and rolling it up. Or how about making fresh crêpes (See Mushroom Crêpes for basic crêpe recipe), sprinkling it with some leftover turkey and gravy. For today, we’re offering up a Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Stoup. That is not a typo, it is almost a stew, so I mixed the words stew and soup together. When you’re finished eating the stoup, please go make something else with leftovers.