Thanksgiving is a day of gluttony. For three days we dice and chop and brine and sauté and stuff and bake and roast preparing turkey and dressing and casseroles full of butter and cream-of-something-soup. The family descends like a swarm of locust, quickly consuming this feast during the 12 minute Dallas Cowboy halftime show. Everything remaining instantly becomes a leftover.
Leftovers have been around as long as people have been storing food in cold, dark caves. Ancient Greeks hauled ice down from the mountains wrapped in straw to keep food from spoiling. By the end of the 19th century, ice delivery men brought blocks of ice to American homes. Before freon, ice was harvested in the nation’s northern rivers and shipped South.
Tupperware, microwaves, Saran Wrap, Ziploc bags — all invented for the almighty leftover.
The Black Friday leftover turkey sandwich is often better than the original Thanksgiving Day meal. Quick sustenance for trampling mall shoppers — exactly one day after giving thanks for what we already have …
But by Saturday, Tex-Mex is a necessity. You will wait however long it takes for Bob Armstrong Dip and a frozen margarita.
By Sunday you are ready to drag your refrigerator to the curb rather than deal with the remaining leftovers. Sunday is the day I repurpose leftover turkey into turkey pot pie — the best way to use leftover turkey.
Mix two cups of shredded turkey with one can of cream of chicken soup, one can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of Veg-All, 1/4 cup milk, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a Pillsbury pie crust, cover with a 2nd pie crust, bake at 350 degrees for an hour and 15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Voila, the perfect turkey pot pie. If you have leftover veggies (roasted carrots, parsnips, peas, etc.) use those instead of Veg-All for more flavor!
Serve a steaming slice on your favorite Turkey china with a tossed salad for an amazing meal.
Turkey Pot Pie
There will be no pot pie leftovers …
