Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas + Flemings Giveaway!

The fact that I'm writing this post while 39 weeks pregnant and literally will be wearing maternity pants on Thanksgiving (if I'm not actually in labor) this GIF could not be more appropriate. 

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If you're anything like me though, the meal is great... but the leftovers are even better! I am constantly concocting new creations every year with our leftovers but this year I received a little bit of help from my friends at Fleming's Steakhouse. 

Executive Chef Russell Skall shared some of his great Thanksgiving Leftover recipes with me, here's my favorite that will be added to the repertoire for sure! 

                                            Roasted Turkey Crepes

Filling Ingredients: 4 servings

2 Lbs. Turkey meat white & dark                 

3 oz. wt. Onion, 1/4” wide x 2” long julienne

6 oz. wt. Red pepper, 1/4” dice 

4 oz. Button Mushrooms, 1/4" wide slices

1/4 lb. Butter

1/4 lb. Flour

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. White pepper

3 cups Turkey gravy or Chicken stock           

2 cups Half & half 

               

Filling Preparation Instructions:

Remove the skin on the turkey then cut into 1/4" wide x 1 1/2"-2"

long julienne strips. 

Remove the seeds and stem on the red pepper then cut the onion & pepper

into julienne pieces.

Cut the mushrooms with the stems into 1/4" wide slices.

Melt the butter in a 1-gallon sauce pot set on high heat.  Add all of the

vegetables and sauté for 5-6 minutes. 

Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium then add 1 cup of water, salt and

pepper then cook for 1-2 minutes stirring often until very thick. 

Add the turkey gravy or chicken stock, half & half and 

cook for 4-5 minutes to a slightly thick sauce consistency.

Add the turkey meat and cook for 2 minute. Place the mixture on a sheet pan to cool.

Mornay Sauce Ingredients: 4 servings

1 oz. Butter

1 oz. Onion minced

1 clove Garlic minced

1/2 cup White wine

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 tsp. Tabasco       

1/4 tsp. White pepper

1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

3 Tbsp. Grated parmesan cheese

Mornay Sauce Preparation Instructions:

Melt butter in a 1-quart sauce pot on medium heat. Add onions and

garlic then sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Add the white wine and cook to reduce by half.

Add the heavy cream, Tabasco, white pepper and

salt.  Cook on medium high heat to a sauce consistency about

8-10 minutes.  Add the grated parmesan cheese and blend in

with a wire whip.

Strain the sauce into a storage container.

Plating Instructions:

Ingredients: 4 servings

8 ea. Crepes local store                   40 oz. wt. Turkey filling

As needed Pan coating                     2 cups Mornay sauce

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs

Place the brown side of the crepes face down on a table. 

Weight out 5oz. of the cold turkey filling and place lengthwise in the center of each crepe.

 Roll up the crepes and set on a sheet pan sprayed with pan coating.  

Bake in a 350° oven for 10 minutes to an internal temperature of 160°.  

Place 2 crepes side by side on each plate.

 Ladle 2 oz. Mornay sauce over the top of the crepes. Garnish with chopped herbs.

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After all that cooking, you may not want to get behind the stove for awhile so why not enter my giveaway for your chance to win a $100 Fleming's gift card! Just leave a comment below or on Facebook with what you like to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers and I'll pick a winner over the weekend! (baring I don't go into a labor!)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! 

Festive Appetizers for Thanksgiving with Foodie.com

Check out 12 Pre-Feast Appetizer Foods
by Kasey's Kitchen at Foodie.com

I don't know about you, but as great as the whole Thanksgiving meal is, sometimes you just need a little nibble to hold you over before that turkey hits the table. Am I right?

I created the collection above on Foodie.com to share some great ideas that will help set the pace for the food to come. Check out this lightened up version of Spinach Artichoke Dip to kick things off.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and strained
1 cup chopped artichoke hearts
1 1/2 cups plain Greek Yogurt
1 tbsp garlic poweder
1 tbsp onion powder
sea salt and red pepper flakes to taste

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Mix thoroughly and break apart any spinach clumps.

Chill until you're ready to serve.

Don't forget to grab a bag of Naan Crisps to serve with your dip!

Disclaimer: I teamed up with Foodie.com and Mode Media for this post and was compensated. All opinions are my own. 

Thanksgiving Dinner "Do-Over"

I’m sure by now everyone has their Thanksgiving menus finalized. Grandma’s bringing the pie, Auntie is bringing the rolls and your crazy cousin is bringing his latest flame, right? If you lucked out and you’re hosting the big feast, there’s one perk that easily gets overlooked. YOU GET ALL THE LEFTOVERS!!!

Since I’m the queen of “Dinner Do-Overs”, Thanksgiving is like my Super Bowl! I spend all year thinking up new and exciting ways to re-use those traditional dishes for the next few weeks because let’s face it, turkey sandwiches can only take you so far.

Kasey’s Top 10 Thanksgiving Dinner Do-Over Dishes:

1. The Thanksgiving Sandwich - This is obviously the staple, and not gonna lie, my favorite. Layering turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce in between two slices of honey oat or potato bread with a light spread of mayo... well honestly, that’s just heaven!  

2. Thanksgiving Pie - This dish utilizes almost everything from your feast! Get a store bought pie crust, lay it into a pie dish and bake for 15min to get it golden. Now layer in your turkey, cranberry sauce, green beans and a little gravy. Top it off with stuffing or mashed potatoes and bake for 25 minutes. YUM!

3. Butternut Squash Soup - Have some leftover roasted butternut squash? Throw it into a food processor with a little heavy cream or milk. Heat, serve, and you’re good to go!

4. Gnocchi - You can see the full recipe here but basically all you do is take those leftover mashed potatoes (sweet potatoes work too sans marshmallows) and combine them with an egg and some flour and you’re good to go!

5. Pumpkin Ravioli - Now this is a new one that I was pleasantly surprised with! Did you know that you can scoop out the filling of pumpkin pie and use it for pumpkin ravioli!? Guess what, now you do! Scoop spoonfuls of filling onto pre-made ravioli sheets (use Nasoya’s wonton wrappers for a quick fix). Boil water in a deep pan (not pot) and drop filled ravioli into the water and cook for about 5 minutes. Top with a brown butter sage sauce or a sweet white wine sauce. YUM!

6. Pilgrim’s Pie - A spin on Shepard’s Pie but using your T-Day ingredients. In a glass casserole dish, layer chopped turkey, a little gravy, corn and mashed potatoes. Throw it in the oven, bake and serve!

7. Turkey Stock - This is an obvious choice no doubt, but it’s still a staple. When everyone is in a food coma after dinner, remove all the meat from the turkey and place the carcass in a large stock pot with a stick of celery, a cut-up carrot, half of an onion and a bay leaf. Fill ¾ of the way with water and let simmer for at least an hour. Strain the stock and let cool. Once it’s done, put the stock in ice trays and freeze, then throw them in a labled plastic baggy. Now you’ll have stock year round to help flavor many dishes!

8. Turkey Soup - So remember that stock you just made? It’s time to use it! Add lots of carrots, celery, and onion into a stock pot and saute with a little oil. Add in your stock and some of the leftover turkey meat. Cook up some noodles or rice on the side (prevents soggy noodles) and serve together. Talk about comfort food!

9. Turkey Tertrazzini - I’m going to be honest with you... this one isn’t my favorite, but I know of a lot of people who make this one with leftovers, so I figured I’d share. Basically what you do is mix in a can of cream of mushroom soup with turkey, pour that over cooked noodles in a casserole dish, top with breadcrumbs and bake it up.

10. Ginger Carrot Soup - This is the newest of the bunch and I’m super pumped about it! If you make glazed carrots this recipe is the perfect “do-over”. Puree the glazed carrots, juices and all with 1 tbsp of fresh ginger. Add in a little vegetable stock if it’s too thick. Heat it up and serve! So good!

Hope everyone has an amazing holiday with their family and friends! Share your Thanksgiving food pics over on the Facebook page too! www.facebook.com/kaseyskitchen