Creative meals with holiday leftovers

Everyone has them, the turkey, the ham, the mashed potatoes, miscellaneous vegetables, cakes, pies, and cookies. What you do with them depends on the people you share your holidays with. If you are sharing your meals with family and friends,  you will want to share your bounty.

There are several ways to make sure that all the leftovers are used and enjoyed. One way is to send everyone home with some of them. One of the best ways to do this is to use Chinese takeout boxes. These are available online and at local party stores and discount outlets. They are inexpensive and come in several sizes, one of which is sure to be perfect for every member of your party.

Within one box you can package a single serving of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. You can also pack a small container with cookies or candies. Ham and scalloped potatoes also make an excellent leftover container.

After you have given away as much of your leftovers as possible make sure that the rest of them are placed in containers in your refrigerator as quickly as possible to keep them fresh. When you open the fridge door, it can sometimes be overwhelming to look at all the containers and try to think of what to do with them. It is a good idea to look for recipes before the holidays for dishes to utilize the main items in your menu.

If you have items that were purchased and never opened such as dinner rolls and or pre-made pies and they are things that you won’t use on your own, you can make a call to your local soup kitchen. In my area, they will not take anything that has been opened or cooked. These days, they are obviously just as vulnerable to being sued as everyone else is. Any opened food is a liability that they are not able to take advantage of.

Casseroles and soups are two of the meals that are the best for using leftovers. One of my favorites is turkey pot pie. The pot pie uses leftover turkey, peas, creamed onions, gravy, and stuffing. The turkey carcass can be turned into a turkey soup. This will, of course, be after you have eaten as many turkey sandwiches as you can tolerate.

Ham is perfect for ham salad sandwiches, ham omelets and frittatas, ham and scalloped potato casserole and the proverbial ham sandwich.

With a ham bone, some dried yellow peas, an onion and some summer savory you can fill your crock pot with water, go to work and come home to a delicious pea soup.

If you have leftover rolls you have several choices. You can grind then up and make bread crumbs or you can just take the pieces and throw them outside for the birds. Another good use is to make a bread pudding. All you need is milk, eggs, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and vanilla extract and you have a very memorable dessert.

Mashed potatoes can be made into fried potato cakes. Pan fried in butter these are great for breakfast or as a side dish.

The next time you have a surplus of holiday leftovers, don’t panic. Pack it up, give it away and make enough meals to feed your family for several weeks. Everyone will have a happy holiday and beyond.

How to make a basic Bechamel

One of the most useful sauces in the world is the basic Bechamel. I am sure that mine is not traditional. Well, I should say, I always thought it was traditional since I learned it from my mom and she is French Canadian and a great cook. Looking at recipes online made me realize that everyone does not make their's as simply as I do. 

What you need:

• Butter
• Wondra
• Milk

I begin by making a roux. A roux is just butter and flour. You can make as little or as much as you want, all you need to know is the basic proportion. One tablespoon of butter, one tablespoon of flour (I use Wondra) and 1 cup of milk. 

I use a non-stick skillet. Melt the butter and add the flour, Stir until you have a thick paste. Slowly add in the milk. Cook on high but don't boil and still the entire time. It can take a few minutes to thicken up. After about 5 minutes it should be done and if you are making a cheese sauce, you can add it now and stir.

A basic Bechamel doesn't have cheese and is excellent on vegetables or things like canned salmon. We often ate this on Fridays when I was a kid. Creamed mushrooms, asparagus,  and salmon all found their way onto toast. My mother favorite was broccoli with Bechamel, she never added cheese. I use this sauce as the base for my mac and cheese. 

Heart Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Heart health is an issue that is on the mind of many people as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. Is it possible to create side dishes to enjoy on this special holiday that are both delicious and heart healthy? Yes, it is. It just requires that you keep the normal rules for heart healthy dishes in mind. Side dishes are the delicious extras that make that turkey really shine.

The Mayo Clinic has developed a heart healthy diet plan. By incorporating their suggestions into your Thanksgiving dining plan, you can create a dinner that is both delicious and heart healthy.

Stay away from processed food

Processed food is high in sodium so it is best to create as many dishes from scratch as possible. What that means is not opening a box or a bag to make stuffing and using fresh cranberries to make a delicious cranberry relish.

Heart healthy cranberry relish

This is a simple very basic recipe for cranberry-orange relish. It is not cooked but to develop the flavors it should be made at least 24 hours in advance. You will need:

One bag of fresh cranberries washed and drained

1 large thin-skinned seedless orange (you can manually remove the seeds) cut into pieces

1 cup white sugar

½ cup walnuts (optional)

Food processor

Place the cranberries and orange into the food processor and chop until the pieces are small and it looks well incorporated. Add the walnut and give the mixture a few additional chops.

Place in a glass bowl, add the sugar and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

Use whole grains

When you are making your stuffing, this is the place to add the whole grains. Instead of white bread, use whole grain bread. Be sure to check that the fiber content is at least 2 grams per slice, more is better. One good way to add additional fiber to your dish is to add ground flax seeds. If you must use a bagged or boxed stuffing mix, be sure to check the sodium content. 

Pepperidge Farms Herb stuffing mix has 600mg of sodium and a small amount of fat but it also has 3g of fiber. By adding lots of veggies and the flax seeds you can turn this into a much more heart friendly side dish. Don’t however; cook the stuffing inside the bird as this will really raise the fat level.

Avoid the fat

Thanksgiving is all about being indulgent but indulgence does not have to include a lot of bad fats. By using low and no fat additions to your dishes you can keep the taste high and the fat low. Roast butternut squash in the oven with just a drizzle of olive oil.

Mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a side dish that is found on most Thanksgiving tables. The typical recipe calls for milk and butter. In order to make the dish more heart healthy, use no-fat milk or for a nice twist how about buttermilk. The addition of no or low-fat sour cream and chives also makes for a tasty dish where no one will notice that missing butter. Many people enjoy garlic and by roasting it and adding it to the mashed potatoes there will be a complex flavor profile with the added health benefit of garlic.

If your family loves sweet potatoes, using them in place of the white potatoes is a very heart healthy option.

Green veggies

No Thanksgiving feast is complete without the green veggies. Green bean casserole is a staple of many American households on Thanksgiving. It is such an iconic dish that changing it would be unacceptable to many people. The best thing to do is to try to find a low sodium cream of mushroom soup and use skim milk. While this may not make it exactly heart healthy, it will make it healthier.

Broccoli is one of the super foods. Adding it to the Thanksgiving feast is a very good idea. Creating a light cheese sauce with skim milk and low-fat cheddar cheese makes if feel and taste luscious without all the fat and calories.

These are just a few of the heart-healthy side dishes you can add to your Thanksgiving table. Visit the Mayo Clinic website for additional ideas for how to make your favorite dishes heart healthy.

Traditional Thanksgiving favorites

What could be more traditional than Thanksgiving dinner? The foods that can be found on Thanksgiving tables across the country are filled with the bounty of the season. The reason for Thanksgiving is to celebrate a good harvest and the foods that we eat reflect items that are local and seasonal.

Turkey is the traditional meat of Thanksgiving. It can be a huge bird if you have a large family or it can be a simple turkey breast for two or three. There are many ways to prepare it. Deep frying has become very popular in the last few years and it makes a delicious and juicy bird.

You can also cook it on a rotisserie or grill it if you want something a little less traditional. The traditional method is in the oven, roasted to a golden brown. If you want to guarantee a juicy flavorful turkey consider brining it before you roast it.  Some families wouldn’t think of eating it any other way.

Dressing or stuffing is also one of the most traditional of Thanksgiving foods. Made from bread, this is the starch that the protein needs. The bread is mixed with liquid and vegetables, chestnuts, fruit or even sausage. Some people prefer to use bread cubes and others use cornbread. Deciding whether to cook it inside the bird or out is a decision every Thanksgiving cook must make.

Making homemade biscuits or rolls is another Thanksgiving tradition. These days it is often easier to use store bought rolls that you just warm up. You can use frozen ones or one that you crack open from the refrigerator case.

In order to have a groaning sideboard, there needs to be a wide selection of side dishes to tempt the appetite of all the guests at the Thanksgiving table. Some of the most traditional vegetables are potatoes, yams, turnips, butternut squash, pearl onions, and green beans. 

These days if your family is more health conscious, you may use less butter and salt but the basic vegetables are the same.

Fill out the meal with salads and of course cranberry sauce or relish. These along with rich, smooth turkey gravy are the traditional foods that many families have feasted on for generations. However, there is nothing saying that you can't start a new tradition with any additions that your family enjoys.

When the table has been cleared, it is time to bring out the desserts. The most traditional dessert for Thanksgiving is pies. Pumpkin, sweet potato, pecan, and apple are the most popular pies. If you are a little less traditional, you can add lemon meringue or chocolate cream.

Pumpkin should be included in at least one of the desserts. It can be a luscious pumpkin cheesecake, a pumpkin flavored pudding or a pumpkin nut cake. Add some pumpkin flavored whipped cream and you have the perfect dessert. Finish with some coffee or tea, some dessert wine or some apple cider and you have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that should provide memories aplenty and meals for several more days.

The turkey sandwich is the finale of the Thanksgiving celebration. Often it is the last thing that is consumed later on Thanksgiving Day and it is a universal favorite.

Thanksgiving is all about family, great food, and tradition. If you haven’t started your own yet, this might just be the year to do that.

Traditional Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Thanksgiving is the most American of holidays. The first Thanksgiving set the tone for sharing the bounty of the earth with family, neighbors, and friends. In some ways, not much has changed over the years. These days the food may not be home grown but families still take great pride in putting a bountiful spread out on the dining room table on Thanksgiving.

It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the turkey. A turkey is the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table. While turkey is delicious and there is nothing quite as delectable as a crispy brown turkey, it would be a pretty sad meal without all the wonderful side dishes.

Every family has its own traditional side dishes to make the Thanksgiving meal complete. The ones that you consider to be the best depends a great deal on your family expectations and also where in the country you live. There are dishes which are more common in some areas of the country than others.

Cranberries in some form are almost always on the table. It may be that you like the cranberry jelly with or without the whole fruit or it may be that you prefer to make a cranberry relish that combines orange with the cranberries. No matter which form your cranberries are served under, they add a fruity tartness to your Thanksgiving meal.

Potatoes are also an almost universal side dish. Potatoes especially mashed or whipped ones are the perfect accompaniment to turkey and gravy. The potatoes beg to be enjoyed with a ladle filled with rich turkey gravy. If you prefer something a little more decadent, potatoes dauphinoise, scalloped or au gratin would all be delicious.

Turkey without gravy would be a sad meal. There are many ways to prepare gravy, some families prefer a more golden gravy while others a darker color. The table would be incomplete without the gravy boat.

Turnip is a perfect side dish at Thanksgiving. Turnip is a root vegetable that is at its best in the fall at just around the time that you will be celebrating Thanksgiving. It is usually served mashed with a knob of butter melted on it.

Creamed pearl onions are a rich and delicious side dish for Thanksgiving. The little onions are cooked separately and then placed in a white sauce with a light dusting of ground pepper.

Sweet potatoes are a traditional side dish as well. They can be simply baked and served half or whole or they can be candied and have pecans and brown sugar added. Candied sweet potatoes can be served mashed in a casserole. 

For many families, it isn’t Thanksgiving without the green bean casserole. These beans are mixed with a creamy soup and onion rings and baked in the oven. You can add a variation with green beans and bacon.

Butternut squash is another of the fall vegetables that are a perfect complement to the turkey and the other sides.

Salad has a place on the Thanksgiving table. It can be a simple green salad, a wedge, or the classic Caesar. The more modern salad with fresh pear, Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts is a perfect side dish to add a lighter touch.

Don’t forget the bread or the rolls for those guests who love to eat their turkey in the form of a sandwich and if the commercial is true you really must have crescent rolls.

The last but not the least important side dish is the dressing. Every family has their own dressing recipes, some like a cornbread stuffing and others like to add things like chestnuts, giblets, potatoes or sausage to the bread. Fruit can also be added as well as nuts, whatever your family enjoys. It can be cooked in the bird or out according to your preference.

Thanksgiving is a day to serve the bounty of the season to the ones you love and all of these side dishes will add to the feeling of a feast. Try to save room for some of the desserts that are waiting on the sideboard, it’s not Thanksgiving without the pumpkin pie and whipped cream.

Gluten free holiday dishes

More and more people are either finding that they are gluten intolerant or are making the choice to follow a gluten-free diet. In order to produce gluten-free holiday dishes, it is important to understand exactly what gluten is and what products are likely to contain gluten. It is usually best to use only products that have not been processed in order to be sure that no gluten has been added.

Gluten is a protein that is found in many grains including wheat and barley. It is also used in many processed foods as a binder, thickener or preservative. That is why it is important to know and understand what names are used to identify gluten and to stick as much as possible with fresh, unprocessed products.

Potatoes are gluten-free. Butter, milk, and sour cream are gluten-free. Garlic and chives are also gluten-free. As you can see, you have the basics for some wonderful mashed potatoes. 

Cheese is also gluten-free, but of course, flour is not, so making scalloped or au gratin potatoes requires that the recipe be tweaked to make it work. Substituting rice flour or corn starch for wheat flour works very well in either of these recipes.

Cooking a roast is a holiday tradition and since most meat is gluten-free, it is not an issue. Just be sure that if you are going to marinate or flavor the roast in any way that the flavoring is gluten-free. Salt and pepper are fine as are freshly ground spices or fresh herbs.

Brussels sprouts are a great dish to serve during the holidays. They roast up deliciously and can be cooked in the oven along with the roast. When they are roasted, the flavor changes from savory to sweet and they show up on many holiday tables. Some of the traditionally used flavoring for Brussels sprouts need to be considered carefully before being used. Bacon is delicious crumbled with Brussels sprouts; however, not all bacon is guaranteed gluten-free. 

You need to check the labeling of any bacon you might be considering. One brand, Boar’s Head, guarantees that it is free of even trace amounts of gluten. Another season often used with Brussels sprouts is balsamic vinegar and while the vinegar itself is made from grapes, the wooden casks may be sealed with wheat glue, which could result in a trace amount of gluten.

Vegetables and fruits are gluten-free in their natural state. It is important to consider very carefully what is being added to the dish to guarantee that it stays that way. The simple addition of butter and salt and pepper will keep things gluten-free, but especially during the holidays, everyone likes to ramp things up a bit.

Lasagna is a traditional dish at many holiday meals. Regular pasta is not gluten-free. There are several manufacturers who are producing gluten-free pasta, but some are much more successful than others. If you have not found a pasta that you like then substituting zucchini or eggplant is an option in lasagna. The veggies should be lightly grilled and need to be sliced thin and then layered with the traditional tomatoes, meat, and cheese that is usually found in lasagna.

To begin the holiday meal there are many appetizers that are gluten-free including shrimp cocktail, cheese, veggies, and homemade dip or hummus, deviled eggs and much more.

For dessert, a crust with crushed nuts, baking soda, salt, and butter allows the possibility of a pie. Any kind that you like is possible just be sure there is no gluten in the filling.

There are almost limitless possibilities for holiday dishes that are gluten-free. Many traditional dishes can be adjusted to make them gluten-free and maybe it is time to try something totally unexpected and different. Just because you are eating gluten-free it doesn’t mean that you will be eating flavor-free.

Accommodating vegetarians on Thanksgiving

With the growing popularity of vegetarianism and veganism, there is hardly a family in the country that doesn’t have at least one person to cater to at Thanksgiving. Unless the entire family is vegetarian, turkey and all the fixings will be served and a few special dishes to make sure that everyone has enough to eat.

If you enjoy the feeling of serving a vegetarian turkey there is Tofurkey. According to their website, they have been producing the loaf which has been a part of many family celebrations since 1995. Theirs is a soy based loaf that can be purchased as an entire meal with gravy and sides, a roast and gravy, just a roast or just the gravy. It has made it much easier for vegetarians and vegans as well to feel comfortable at the Thanksgiving feast while not eating meat.

If you are not in the mood to cook a Tofurkey roast in addition to your turkey, that’s okay, most vegetarians won’t expect it. A good idea is to be sure they have something that they enjoy and fits their dietary requirements. To guarantee this, why not ask them to bring a dish to share with everyone. Most vegetarians will have a bevy of recipes that are perfect to share and will show everyone that in order for food to be delicious; it doesn’t require either meat or dairy. 

When it comes to preparing the traditional Thanksgiving meal, try to make sure that there is more than one dish available for the vegetarian or vegans at your feast. Keep in mind that for vegans it isn’t just about the meat, it can be dairy and eggs. What this means is that you can use a non-dairy spread and soy milk in your mashed potatoes. It is a small change that most likely no one will notice but it can make all the difference to the vegan.

Another alternative to butter is a flavored oil such as sesame or walnut on the green beans. Be aware of the hidden meat products that may be lurking in any of your processed food. If you use marshmallows with your sweet potatoes, that is not vegetarian. Gelatin can also be found in some products and that is meat based. Just read the labels and educate yourself ahead of time.

Try to handle the whole process as casually as possible. It isn’t necessary to let everyone know that you have had to change your recipes because Susie is a vegetarian. Chances are everyone already knows and if you happen to actually cut down on some of the fat while you are adjusting your recipes that will be a welcome change for everyone.