Holiday Leftover Ideas

Here are some ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers. We skipped the traditional turkey sandwiches this year, which my kids really don't like anyway, and ate really well for days!

Turkey Hash
The morning after Thanksgiving, I made this easy turkey hash for a hardy breakfast before we went skiing. The hash, made from diced potatoes, red onion, grated carrots, and leftover dark meat, made a tasty side dish to scrambled eggs.

Rustic Oven-Baked Apple Pancake
Leftover apples that didn't fit into the tart on Thanksgiving were the main ingredient in this simple rustic oven-baked apple pancake for breakfast another morning. Use your favorite recipe. I found this recipe in a cookbook I have in New Hampshire.

Turkey Shepherd's Pie
For dinner one night, we had this delicious turkey shepherd's pie with some of the leftover turkey, green beans with leeks, and mashed potatoes. I added hamburg and corn to make my kids happy! There wasn't enough mashed potatoes leftover to complete the pie, so I just made another batch and blended them together. To keep the turkey from drying out, I added a little chicken broth to the bottom of the casserole dish.

 

Four-Grain Pancakes
For another breakfast, we had these four-grain pancakes (whole-wheat flour, rye flour, oat flour, and cornmeal) made with extra pumpkin puree.

Sausage, Broccoli, And Stuffing
The leftover stuffing made a nice addition to this simple sausage and broccoli dinner one night. The sausage also came from the farm where I bought our fresh turkey.

Turkey Soup
I immediately made a lovely stock on Thanksgiving eve from the bones and meat of the turkey. From that stock, I made this comforting turkey soup with bok choy, one of the fresh greens I purchased at the local farm when I picked up my turkey. I kept it simple by cooking the chopped vegetables right in the stock. The turkey was added last, once the vegetables were tender. The pasta was cooked separately and added to each individual bowl just before serving.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Turkey Hash
Leftover turkey hash was made with the leftover turkey. We ate it with leftover brussels sprouts from another meal. It made a very nice light lunch one day.

Cranberry Salsa

A great snack that my family really loves this time of year is this festive cranberry corn salsa. I make it every year and sometimes from the leftover cranberry sauce. When I started my blog last December, I posted the basic recipe here. I'll be posting my new fresh version of the recipe this weekend.

A Quiet Thanksgiving ~ Just The Four Of Us And Good Food

The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving kept the family busy such that we hardly saw each other so it was a blessing to get away, just the four of us. 

The Pemigewasset River

We headed to New Hampshire after hearing about all the snow the White Mountains were getting.

Even though I've made Thanksgiving dinner there for the past couple of years, I always forget what it's like since I make the meal only once a year. The pantry is pretty basic so it forces me to cook simply. We brought up all the food I had purchased back at home, including the fresh turkey that came from a local farm (story here). In the end, the simplicity worked in our favor and I made a very fresh and flavorful meal. 

The Meal

Stuffing

It started with drying cubes of multi-grain bread, one loaf, overnight which turned into the delicious and flavorful stuffing, or dressing, the next day. Below, the stuffing was made from fresh bread crumbs, fresh sage, chopped celery, onion, chestnuts (jarred), apples, and low-sodium chicken broth.

Cranberry Sauce

Making the fresh cranberry sauce was next with local cranberries I found at the grocery store (there are many beautiful bogs in nearby Cape Cod), oranges, and sugar. The aromas developing were amazing! It raised our holiday spirits.

I love serving cranberry sauce in a glass dish. It looks so pretty and sparkly.

Roasted Butternut Squash With Parsnips And Apples

This is a simple side dish of coarsely chopped squash and apples (of equal size), chopped parsnips (of smaller size), butter, and freshly grated nutmeg. I roast them in the oven until tender in this cast iron pan, but they roast nicely in a baking sheet also. I like to give them a rustic mash.

If we were home, this dish would have looked as pretty as the picture below. Below is the same side dish idea, without the parsnips, and with roasted butternut squash seeds that I made in late August for a kidney nutrition newsletter.

  

Roasted Green Beans And Leeks

Next, and my favorite new dish creation, was this side dish made by simply roasting green beans with leeks and extra virgin olive oil at 400 degrees for just a few minutes. In the past, I've made roasted green beans with almonds. But this was more savory. A great healthy alternative to the processed canned green bean casserole - which I've never made but have eaten a few times growing up and really never liked.

Mashed Potatoes And Gravy

Mashed potatoes and gravy were the last to be made. I never got a chance to photograph the gravy because that's when it got a little crazy and the entire meal was put together. The gravy was simple, slowly whisking a little flour with strained pan drippings and adding low-sodium chicken broth as needed. 

Meanwhile 
The fresh turkey had been roasting in the oven.

And the kids played.

White Friday

We skipped Black Friday and skied. I never really liked Black Friday anyway. I prefer to rest or decorate for the holidays.

Feeling exhilarated by the snow, the mountain, and gorgeous scenery, I kept calling the Friday after Thanksgiving our White Friday.

Cannon Mountain

View of Franconia Ridge

Fresh Tomato Sauce With Olives Over Pennette | Meatless Monday

This pasta dish is fresh and easy.

~ Prepare the ingredients while the pasta water comes to a boil.

~ Cook the sauce while the pasta boils.

You're done.

~

I started with a large pot of water and while waiting for it to come to a boil, I prepared these ingredients:

Fresh garden tomatoes that I had just picked were used because some split on the vines and would spoil if left out. Ugly garden tomatoes make pretty tasty sauce! Farmers' market or good grocery store tomatoes (even a pint of grape tomatoes halved) would work well. I also used one large shallot. I just love shallots and always have them on hand. But half a red onion would work. 

I would have used garlic if I'd had some.

Fresh basil and parsley added amazing flavor. I gave everything a rough chop while chatting with my kids doing their homework nearby.

Fresh mozzarella was in the fridge so I decided it would taste lovely with the fresh tomatoes and basil in this meal - almost like a basil-mozzerella salad but over pasta. Shaved or grated parmesan would make a nice substitute.

Then, while the pennette boiled (any pasta can be used and I would use whole wheat but it scares my family away), I sauteed the shallot in some extra virgin olive oil until soft. If using garlic, add at the end so it doesn't burn.

When the shallot was soft, I added the chopped tomatoes, brought everything to a boil, immediately turned off the heat, covered the pan, and let it sit until the pasta was cooked. This way, the tomatoes softened a little and maintained their freshness.

Before draining the pasta, I scooped out half a cup of pasta water.

Fresh parsley and basil were added last - just before serving.

I added half a cup of the pasta water that was saved, about half to one teaspoon white balsamic vinegar (start with a little and slowly add more to taste), Kalamata olives in an amount that made me happy. I broke them up with my fingers.  The olives provided the salt for this dish.

I kept the pasta and sauce separate because there wasn't enough for the whole pound of pasta. We set up 4 individual bowls of pasta and ladled the sauce over each serving.  The leftover pasta and sauce were stored in the fridge separately.

~ * ~

~ * ~

A little bread on the side would have been nice to sop up the remaining sauce!

Recipe ~ adjust to taste


Pennette, 1 package, or other pasta

Extra virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
1 large shallot, or half a red onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
Roma tomatoes, about 5; Heirlooms, about 2, roughly chopped
  or about 4 medium-sized tomatoes
  or 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
Paster water, 1/2 cup
White balsamic vinegar, about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon
Kalamata olives, drained, about half a jar or to taste, broken up with fingers
Fresh parsley, a small bunch, chopped

Fresh basil, a small bunch, chopped

  

Fresh mozzarella, sliced, or parmesan, shaved or grated

Italian bread (optional)

Method: Start with bringing water in a large pot to a boil and cook pasta according to directions on package. While water comes to a boil and while pasta cooks: chop tomatoes, onion (and garlic, if using), and herbs. Slice mozzarella. Break up olives. Saute shallot (garlic) in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add tomatoes, bring to a boil, immediately turn off heat, cover and let sit until pasta is done. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain pasta. Add pasta water to tomato sauce, white balsamic vinegar, Kalamata olives, parsley and basil. Set up individual bowls with pasta. Ladle desired about of sauce over top, garnish with cheese. Serves about six.

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9/24 Update: here's an article with a similar recipe I just found while searching through old magazines that I thought you'd like, "Great Tomatoes Don't Need Cooking to Become a Great Sauce" http://www.finecooking.com/articles/great-tomatoes-no-cook-sauce.aspx