Ahh. Good ol’ Thanksgiving leftovers. We love them and then we hate them. Why? There is soooo much left. How many turkey sandwiches can one person eat?!  Plus there are other parts of Thanksgiving dinner:  Cranberry sauce, Stuffing, almost empty bottles of wine, the list goes on and on and on.  Below I am offering some fun solutions for the turkey leftover blues. Check them out!

Stuffing Waffle Turkey Sandwich

Lets start with stuffing. Heck – let’s also start with turkey. What is the number 1 leftover meal? Those good turkey sandwiches! But, what if we took the bread out and made the “bread” a Stuffing Waffle?! Do I have your attention? Now, what if I told you, you can make this is less than 5 minutes?! Well ladies and gents, this is what I have below. A DELICIOUS stuffing waffle – turkey sandwich.  You can just call it the Thanksgiving version of Chicken n’ Waffles.

Want them for breakfast?  Add a fried egg on top and you have yourself a delicious brunch item.  YUM

Directions:

Turn waffle maker on and coat lightly with a nontick spray

Add stuffing, eggs, and broth in a bowl to make a batter.  Once waffle maker is hot, add batter to lightly cover the base of the waffle maker.  Cook for 5 – 7 minutes or until waffle is golden brown. Place waffle on a plate and allow to cool.  Add turkey, cranberry sauce, and/or any other favorite turkey sandwich items on top of one piece of waffle. Make a sandwich with the other half and enjoy.

Leftover Turkey Chili

When Autumn comes, there is one thing I get especially excited about; No, not pumpkin spiced lattes…. Football!

And when I think of football, I think of a big bowl of chili that’s been slow cooked for hours.

And that’s where the turkey comes in.  Turkey leftovers are perfect for a big batch of chili. So many think you should use ground meat in a chili, but actually, you can throw leftover turkey into a chili pot and the meat will start to shred and fall apart on its own. No dicing, no slicing, just throw it in. Easy, right?

Directions:

In a large pot on medium high heat, add grapeseed oil, onions, cumin, half the chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent in color.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add Garlic, diced carrots, celery, diced peppers. Mix until incorporated and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and cook for an additional 5 minutes.   Add tomato sauce, remaining chili powder aned leftover turkey and give a good stir. If the chili seems to thick, add another cup of vegetable stock (keep in mind, the chili will reduce when simmering).   Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid.  Cook for minimum 30 minutes. The longer you cook, the better it tastes.

Note: Spice as much/little as you like. I, personally, am aggressive with spices and add them in throughout the cook. The joy is to taste along the way and add as you see fit.  Use the above measurements as a guideline. Play around and have fun with it!

To Serve

Scoop into desired bowl. Top with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with cheddar cheese and green onion.

No Churn Leftover Cranberry Ice Cream

Okay, I admit, I’m not a fan of cranberry sauce. It’s not my jam. So I was trying to find a way to use this stuff as I ALWAYS have way too much leftover from hosting.  Well, why not transforming it into a no-churn ice cream? Wouldn’t hurt to try.  My boyfriend ended up being my taste tester. The verdict; ” Tastes like Strawberry Ice Cream”.  Sold.

This recipe is 3 ingredients. You heard me, t h r e e  ingredients.

Directions:

In a  large bowl, whip heavy cream until fluffy. In another a bowl mix cranberry sauce with condensed milk until well blended (about 5 minutes).  Lightly fold in the whipped cream with the cranberry mixture until combined.  Place in a container ( I use a bread pan ) and cover with saran wrap. Put in freezer for about 4-6 hours until frozen.

Note – Make sure to mix the cranberry sauce first until smooth to avoid jelly lumps in the ice cream.

Winter Sangria 

Is there really leftover wine? Well, when you have multiple bottles opened at a party, you usually end up with bits of wine leftover.  That, or you are gifted homemade wine which is typically left collecting dust for all the wrong reasons.

What do I do? I throw them all in a jug and make sangria.  Yes, people tell me I should mix wines. Do I care? No.

If you have ever had mulled wine and enjoyed it, you may as well try this Winter Sangria.  All the flavor but a little more refreshing.

Directions:

In a medium saucepan on medium high heat add mulling spices, cinnamon sticks, sugar and water.  Allow to boil then reduce heat to medium low.  Cook for about 10 – 15 minutes then strain and allow to cool.

Add wine, brandy, blood orange, apple and ginger ale into a large jug and stir until well combined. Slowly add spiced syrup 1/4 cup at a time to desired flavor.

To Serve

Pour into desired glass and add apple/orange slice and top with pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!

Note – If you want the mulled flavor but don’t want to make the syrup, just boil the spiced in 1 cup of water, allow to cool, strain and add to mixture. 

Happy Thanksgiving!