The Yum Diaries

Remaking Thanksgiving leftovers

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving is all that leftover food. But if you have a big surplus, it’s easy to get tired of eating the same thing for days after the big feast. Here are a couple of experiments I’ve undertaken the past couple days that yielded good results.

Sweet Potato (Yam) Pancakes

I had a good deal of leftover sweet potatoes (yams, for anyone born and raised outside the South). Somehow, this is always the Thanksgiving item that lurks in my fridge for days, usually getting eaten last. Inspiration struck yesterday morning (ok, early afternoon) when I was thinking of what to make for breakfast. I took a basic pancake recipe and modified it to use up some of my roasted sweet potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup of cooked sweet potatoes (yams)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and spices. In a separate bowl, mash the sweet potatoes with a fork. Add the brown sugar, milk, egg and butter, and mix with the fork (or a whisk). Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or large frying pan over medium to medium high heat (use your judgment based on the accuracy of your stove knobs – mine runs hot, so I used medium – you don’t want your pancakes to burn before they’re done, but you also don’t want them to take forever). Pour or scoop batter onto griddle or into pan, using approximately 1/4 cup per pancake. Cook until new bubbles almost stop forming and flip. Cook until done on both sides. (To avoid tough pancakes, you should only flip them once.) Serve with butter and maple syrup and you’ll have a sweet and slightly spicy breakfast treat.

This made twice what I could eat (I live alone, so usually any cooking is solely for myself). I took the rest, wrapped them in a paper towel, and put them in a big plastic zipper bag in the freezer. Now I have a ready-made breakfast for later in the week that I’ll only have to take from freezer to microwave.

Turkey Noodle Casserole

Casseroles are great because you can get a satisfying dish with minimal effort. You throw some things you have on hand together in a baking dish, and 30 to 45 minutes later, you have a tasty meal. With this, I was able to use up a bunch of turkey, and my leftover green beans. Since the beans were cooked with bacon, onion, and chicken stock, they added a lot of flavor.

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni (just about any other pasta would work)
Handful baby carrots, cut into chunks
2 ribs celery, diced
1 1/2 cups cooked green beans
2 cups cooked turkey, cut into 1 inch (or so) pieces
1 – 2 teaspoons dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup + 1/2 can of water or milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs

Cook the pasta according to package directions, minus about a minute so it doesn’t get mushy during baking. Drain and set aside.

In the pot, saute the carrot and celery until slightly soft. Remove from heat and add all remaining ingredients, except the butter and breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly. I used one of my cast iron pots, which can double as a baking dish. If your pot can’t go in the oven, dump the mixture into a 9 x 9 or equivalent casserole dish.

In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and melted butter, and mix with a fork until incorporated. Spread the buttered breadcrumbs over the noodle mixture evenly.

Put your casserole in a preheated 350 degree oven and let it bake for 40 minutes, then cook for a few more minutes under your broiler to finish browning the breadcrumbs. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes or so before serving.