Already tired of turkey sandwiches? The Thanksgiving leftover dilemma is inevitable. Piles of turkey sit in your refrigerator and everyone in the family grows tired of the same meal day after day - some stuffing, maybe some cranberry sauce and all the other sides that your house guests brought over.
Instead, spice up those leftovers. First, it's a cheap way to repurpose the meal, and second, it's really quick.
Let's start with the sandwich. This recipe, from the Pioneer Woman, combines jam, Swiss cheese, turkey, pecans, cranberry sauce and dijon mustard, all between two slices of bread. The only thing you may not have in your refrigerator is the Swiss cheese, but that's easy enough to pick up at the store on your way home from work. If you have a panini press, that works, but otherwise, treat it like a grilled cheese sandwich - just throw it in the skillet and go to town until the bread is a nice golden color.
For a more substantial meal that stars turkey, try the Pioneer Woman's turkey pot pie. The pie crust is incredibly easy - truly foolproof - and is perfect for one of the cold nights that is bound to happen sometime this week. It's easy to toss in some vegetables, as well, but the herbs make it. Or try making turkey chili - just substitute the turkey for beef. Find this writer's surefire chili recipe here.
What about those cranberries? If you made your own cranberry relish, you may have a handful of cranberries left over. Try the Cranberry Cobbler cocktail from Bon Appetit. Sugar, cranberries, lemon, orange, gin, sherry and mint - how could you go wrong?
But, truly, what do you do with that leftover pumpkin purée? Pick up some shrimp and make a soup - specifically, the Pumpkin Shrimp Curry soup. It requires a little work, but it's another dish perfect for the approaching chilly season. You can make a large pot and freeze some for the rest of the winter.
Find other ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers from Bon Appetit here and the Pioneer Woman here. Do you have a favorite way to prepare your leftovers?