Drowning in Thanksgiving Leftovers

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We had a decent sized Thanksgiving dinner this year - six adults and nine children.  Unfortunately, it seems that I cooked for at least twice as many.  We have leftovers of everything, and lots of them.  Yesterday, I had the pleasure of taking one kid to the ER and didn't get any leftover processing done, so today is the day.  If you have been ignoring your leftovers as well, join me as I turn them into useful meals.

First, make stock.  Fill up a pot with goodies and fill your house with yummy smells and warmth.

Second, check out last year's list of Ten Things to do with Thanksgiving Leftovers.  I have enjoyed looking over this list and seeing which recipes I am going to make.  Definitely the white chili and I am going to try the leftover casserole - heck, I'm probably going to make it all except for the sweet potato soup, as we didn't have sweet potatoes this year.

Third, check out these articles for more good ideas:


If you have gobs of mashed potatoes, as I do, try these ideas:

  • Cream of Potato soup:  heat water or stock, then stir in mashed potatoes until the desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper, if necessary, and you can sprinkle with a bit of cheese if you'd like.

  • Frosted Meatloaf:  make your favorite meatloaf recipe, but a little shallower than usual.  Add a generous layer of mashed potatoes on top when there is about 15 minutes left in the cooking time.  Sprinkle with cheese just at the end.  This was a huge hit in the cafeteria at one of my jobs - people line up early to make sure that they got some before it was gone.

  • Shepherd's Pie (yes, you can make it with turkey, too, but sometimes my family gets a little sick of the turkey)

  • Bubble and Squeak (calling it by its fancy name means that potato pancakes are even more attractive to the kiddos, plus you can sneak some veggies in as well.)


I would love to hear your favorites in the comments.  Please share - I can never have too many leftover recipes. Story Continues
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