Turkey Day is almost here. Then comes the decision: should we go out for dinner, or should we have a truly special dinner at home. We usually choose the traditional method of eating at home. The wonderful aromas that emanate from the kitchen are reminiscent of childhood memories. My Dad would take us kids to the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia and Mom would stay home preparing the feast. After that Thursday meal, what do you do with the leftovers? I have a few suggestions that you might appreciate and use yourself.

  • Open-faced turkey and gravy sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry on the side—I like to use the nicest sliced breast meat for this favorite and a whole-grain wheat bread, lightly toasted, and then covered with steaming gravy.
  • Turkey club sandwiches with bacon, lettuce, tomato, stuffing and mayo are a good choice, too. Have you tried sliced black olives in the stuffing?
  • Turkey salad is another selection. Cube the turkey (you can use the smaller pieces for this) and add chopped celery, nuts, sliced grapes and mayo and fill an avocado half with the salad. This is yummy for lunch or dinner.
  • For reheated turkey slices, I wrap them in foil and warm in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Plate the slices and serve the stuffing, cranberry, yams, etc. on the side.
  • Last, but not least, is turkey soup. Save the carcass in the freezer until that cold day when soup seems the best item on the menu. Start by slicing carrots, celery, a little onion and cook in oil in your Dutch oven or large pot until they just begin to get soft. Add turkey or chicken broth (or some of each) to the vegies and let cook for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, cube some turkey to be added later; cook some rice (I use boil-in-a-bag) and have ready to add. Place the carcass in the liquid and add about three cups of water or enough to cover the carcass. If need be, break the carcass into a couple of pieces so they fit in the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a couple of hours. Remove the carcass and any bones that have broken off. Add the turkey and rice then cook some wide egg noodles and set aside until ready to serve. Then I place the noodles in a bowl and ladle in some of the soup. Be sure to get some of the turkey and vegies in each bowl. Serve with warm French rolls and butter. Dessert could be some lemon meringue pie. Yum!!

You may not have enough turkey for all these ideas, but you can pick and choose what sounds best for you. Sometimes I only make a 10-pound Butterball Turkey, so I don’t have too much left over. The hard part is choosing what I want to serve as a “leftover”. Whichever you select, ENJOY YOUR TURKEY DAY!!

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