Some of the best dishes only make an appearance one night of the year, but they don’t have to. With Thanksgiving being the holiday that produces the most food, it also creates an abundance of leftovers. While the typical reheating of everything is a classic, some of these special dishes could be entitled to more than just the microwave.
Senior Kira Lauta, offers some new spins on the classic dishes to spice up typical leftovers. “If there is some broth leftover, we use pasta and cover it in the broth and add turkey and eat it with pasta.” Lauta also says a fan favorite in her house is making turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce. A cold turkey sandwich is a simple option that can be advanced to include all leftovers in one dish.
A more advanced recipe that will take leftovers to the next level comes from English teacher Suria Ali-Ahmed. While she appreciates a good cold turkey sandwich, her family puts a more creative spin on their turkey leftovers. “I like to make slow-cooked taco meat with the turkey.” Ali-Ahmed’s family are big taco lovers. By incorporating their favorite holiday foods into tacos, she gets to enjoy both of her favorites in one dish. Ali-Ahmed replaces the shredded chicken she would normally use in her taco recipe with leftover turkey she makes in the slow-cooker.
It is hard not to associate the word feast with the size of the meal produced on Thanksgiving Day. To prepare for this, senior Grace Cueny spends the days before the Thanksgiving holiday cooking all the food she will enjoy on Thanksgiving with her friends and family. However, with the joy of the delicious meal also comes the excitement that comes with a bounty of leftovers. “Typically we divide them evenly among everyone who cooked and then we will make turkey sandwiches by taking the turkey and adding sharp white cheddar, a little bit of gravy and maybe some lettuce or cranberry sauce on there.” Cueny said.
The Thanksgiving season comes with new recipes each year, but it’s always the same thing when it comes to leftovers. While the plain reheating of everything does a quick job of clearing out those leftovers, such a special holiday should require more than just a simple warm in the microwave. With some dishes requiring days of work, their leftovers can require the same attention. As Thanksgiving is an important holiday to many families, why not let the leftovers feel equally important?
