1 Turkey
Yes, turkey sandwiches with gravy-soaked bread are delicious, but butter aficionado Emma Adamski (the baker behind Manual Food & Drink Co.) suggests you amp it up with a pot pie. Her go-to is to transform turkey stock into a rich velouté with a little white wine, root vegetables and some herbs. Load up a pie dish with shreds of turkey, veggies, velouté and blanket with buttery pie crust. Serve up a slice with cranberry sauce. Adamski suggests freezing the extras (if you have any) and you've got turkey pie in July.
2 Stuffing
There is no such thing as making too much stuffing. During holiday feasts, it's the star of the show. Matt Cowan, who cooks at Stillwell and Highwayman, suggests a recipe to further indulge in savoury, bready goodness—stuffing waffles. Pat your leftovers into a waffle maker, drizzle with hot gravy, maple syrup and garnish with sage. It's a simple-to-make, satisfying mashup.
3 Half-eaten cheese ball
Although highly unlikely that a cheese ball will have significant leftovers (unless you purchased copious amounts and we weren't invited) there are options for any chunks of Hickory Farms left lying around post-party. Crumble it over your turkey stew, stir it into a pasta sauce to boost the flavour or melt that ball down and reform as a fondue.
4 Vegetables
Brussel sprouts, sweet potato and carrots reheated in the microwave are not too tasty. Instead of nuking your veg into a pile of mush, don't underestimate the power of a good pureed soup topped with sour cream and cracked pepper. Cowan suggests tossing leftover veggies into a slow-cooker to manifest a stew or gumbo. Or, refry shaved brussel sprouts and beans in bacon fat and serve alongside a turkey frittata for breakfast.
5 Potatoes
Leftover mashed potatoes can be restyled into luscious little breakfast patties, crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. Toss in cooked bacon and green onion, pack the potatoes with your hands, fry up your creation and serve with soft poached eggs. It'll become a new brunch staple.
6 So many cookies
If you've found yourself at odds with your aunt's icebox and sugar cookies that are piling up in your freezer, melt them. That's right, melt them down and make a cookie butter. Crumble those neglected sweets and stir into a hot pot of melted butter and sweet condensed and evaporated milk. A velvety mixture will begin to take form, perfect for spreading on toast and/or diving in with a spoon. Adamski says if you tire of any dessert, it's simple to paddle in chunks of your treats into ice cream for a custom blend. She boasts broken butter tarts in vanilla bean ice cream as the way to go.
7 Cranberry
It provides a necessary tang to a savoury plate, but how do you repurpose a bowl of mushy crans? Stir in some cream cheese over light heat for a creamy yet tart dip for graham crackers or a spread for toast. It's kinda like a deconstructed cheesecake. Kinda.
