I started this email several years ago, and keep adding to the list. Feel free to let me know if you have one that is not listed. I have seen some really good ones lately on FB and Pinterest.
Alexander Hamilton once proclaimed: “No citizen of the U.S. shall refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day.” Hamilton’s proclamation became reality, and according to the National Turkey Federation, about 45 million to 46 million turkeys are consumed each Thanksgiving.
Keep this in mind: A growing number of Americans are going hungry. In fact, 26 million now say they don’t have enough to eat, as the pandemic worsens and holidays near. Though I had no takers, I offered holiday meals or assistance to anyone, no questions asked. So did many of my friends. Please, if you are in need, let me know!!!!
Now, a word about leftovers in general.
In 1892, French chef Alfred Suzanne wrote that “there are dishes which, when reheated with art and discernment, transformed with taste and presented in an appetizing manner… can be as good as, if not better than, the first time they are served.” In the preface to his encyclopedic cookbook, “150 Ways to Accommodate Leftovers,” the former chef to British royalty declared that the “deep-seated prejudice that many people have” against leftovers was “an error.”
Suzanne’s colleagues and culinary connoisseurs concurred. French food critic Fulbert-Dumonteilpraised the chef for explaining “all the ingenious and charming ways to restore mutilated bits and pieces from epic feasts” and turn “cumbersome remains” into something that delights the palate.
So, I guess we owe it to the French for the leftovers, whether Thanksgiving or other meals. Personally, I enjoy most leftovers, and during my working career, enjoyed having a hot meal instead of a sandwich.
And more:
Thanksgiving leftovers led to the first ever TV dinner.
In 1953, the influential food corporation Swanson overestimated how much turkey would be consumed on Thanksgiving and had to get creative with the 260 tons of leftover meat. Using 5,000 aluminum trays and an assembly line of hand-packers, the corporation created a Thanksgiving-inspired meal with the aforementioned turkey, cornbread dressing and gravy, peas, and sweet potatoes, selling the whole thing for a grand total of 98 cents. In the first full year of production, they sold ten million of them, and birthed the prepackaged frozen meal industry.
New this year:Headliner: Fake News Turkey served at the White House. The latest is Trump Turkey, about to be impeached. Word is the turkey in the White House colluded with Turkey, simply for Kurds and whey!!! (But this will be the last T Day for the orange man)
New ones for 2020:
Assuming we have not lost our taste (due to covid) for turkey, here are a few new ideas. I also hear there will be a shortage of small birds, so that means lots of leftovers. Don’t forget to freeze some of the meat or carcass for future use.
Turkey stuffed shells
Turkey manicotti
Turkey Monte Cristo (please count)
Southwestern turkey soup
Turkey bacon panini (just eat the bacon)
Turkey Tex-Mex soup
Turkey tom kha gai
Grandma’s turkey pot pie
Hot brownTurkey
Cuban sandwich (The “Castro”)
Turkey wild rice soup
Turkey apple curry pita
Turkey spring rolls
Turkey broccoli bake
Pumpkin pot pie
Turkey stuffed portobello mushrooms
Coronation turkey (wait until Jan 20?)
Turkey sriracha strata
Turkey over stuffing and cranberry waffles
Turkey mustard bake
Turkey soba salad
Turkey dragon barf (not a typo, contains cherries and pistachios)
Turkey seafoam salad
And this year’s winner: Magic turkey tomato soup cake!!!
From 2019:
Sweet potato turkey hash
Turkey carnitas
Turkey pho me (and for you)
Turkey bi bim bap
Butter turkey
Creamy Turkey noodles
Turkey pozole soup
Turkey fondue
Turkey supreme crepes
Turkey en fricassee (from Suzanne’s 150 ways to make leftovers)
Turkey strata
Turkey tart
Turkey breakfast toast
Turkey ring
Turkey divan
Turkey crunch wrap
Turkey egg rolls
Turkey in a blanket
Turkey nachos
Turkey and stuffing peppers
BBQ turkey pizza
Turkey tamale pie
Turkey corn chowder
Turkey ramen
From 2018: (I try not to repeat previous)Turkey shawarma with crunchy vegetables
Turkey skillet pizza
Turkey cranberry hash
Spicy cabbage salad with turkey and peanuts
Turkey and stuffing fried rice
Turkey congee with crispy shiitake mushrooms
Grilled turkey Cubano sandwiches
Turkey delight
Turkey leftover lasagna
Turkey meatballs with tomato basil sauce
Turkey moussaka pie
Turkey apple cheese panini
Turkey corn chowder with bacon
Chipotle barbecue pulled turkey sliders
Turkey bao in cornmeal
Turkey pasta bake
Turkey dumpling soup
Crunchy almond turkey casserole
Turkey and cornbread stuffing rellenos
Lemon turkey rice soup
Paleo-vegan, fat-free, gluten free, 100% organic, fooled you!!!
Biscuit turkey bake
Turkey pozole
Turkey noodle casserole
Tex-Mex turkey soup
Cuban midnight sandwich
Turkey Christo sandwich
Turkey Taco soup
Hot brown
Turkey cranberry meatballs
Black bean turkey stew
Portobello turkey bake
Turkey mashed potato chimichangas
Turkey bean salad
Turkey pumpkin chili
Thai turkey pitas
Turkey Brunswick stew
Black Friday pie
Turkey Waldorf salad
“Adios” turkey casserole
Grandma’s leftover turkey pot pie
Baked ziti turkey meatballs
Turkey ala Oscar
Cheesy turkey rice casserole
Turkey and tortellini Alfredo
Turkey medley
Turkey tom kai gai
Turkey Stromboli
Mexican turkey rollups
Turkey stuffed acorn squash
Turkey verde
Turkey pho
Spatchcock Roast Turkey
Sheet Pan Turkey
Turkey gumbo (several versions)
Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
Bourdain’s Business Turkey
Porchetta-spiced turkeyPepperoni turkey
Turkey cornbread casserole
Turkey Sriracha strata
Turkey Dutch pot pie
**see previous emails if you want to review prior to 2018. I doubt it!
As far as my favorite leftovers, I like having a second turkey dinner a day or two later. Then, we like to make a hearty vegetable turkey soup with curry over rice for a day or two later. And don’t forget the inevitable post meal nap, one of the best naps of the year!!!
And if you have a better idea, please share it!!!!
- I try not to repeat previous lists*
Note to self: After many years of turkey leftovers, perhaps it is time for holiday appetizers or “sides”?
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