Five Days of Thanksgiving Turkey
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Other than fish, poultry is our main source of protein. We like turkey… a lot. So much so, we bought a 20# turkey for Thanksgiving for just the three of us. We had our Thanksgiving Day feast (Day 1), then just heated plates of leftovers slathered in gravy on Day 2. Of course, we still had several pounds of turkey left, so we got creative.
On Day 3, we tossed raw broccoli, carrots, onions, mushrooms and pea pods in a wok and stir-fried them in sesame oil. I added a clove or two of fresh minced garlic, a bit of ginger, a teaspoon of Chinese five spice, a little soy and Teriyaki sauces, then added bite-sized chunks of turkey to the mix. Voila… Teriyaki Turkey served over brown rice.
Day 4… Hot turkey sandwiches… easy peasy… along with some leftover veggies, stuffing and cranberry sauce.
Day 5 – Turkey barley soup… I used leftover broth and turkey gravy as the liquid base and added chunks of raw carrots and turnip, minced onion and garlic, a bay leaf and since I didn’t have sage and couldn’t find any at the grocery store, I substituted a teaspoon of poultry seasoning. When the veggies were nearly cooked, I added a cup of barley and let that simmer about 10 minutes before adding leftover butternut squash chunks and once again, chunks of white and dark meat turkey. Perfect on a chilly day (about 45F in Las Vegas). I warmed up some leftover rolls from Thanksgiving which David found quite adequate for dunking in his soup.
We’ve got lots of other recipes for turkey leftovers… Turkey Tetrazzini, Turkey Curry, Turkey Pie, Turkey Divan, Turkey and Rice Salad… the list goes on and on and the Internet abounds in so many more. But…
On Day 6… we had salmon. As Aesop said, “It’s possible to have too much of a good thing!” No more turkey till Christmas!
What do you do with your leftover turkey? Got any good suggestions? We’ve got a 21-pounder in the freezer just waiting for Christmas dinner and I imagine there will be more leftovers.