Pocketing the Leftovers!

There are usually a lot of leftovers after a Thanksgiving meal. Many families look forward to several days of easy turkey sandwiches and the ultimate pot of turkey soup, but sometimes you just want a different twist on the usual leftovers.

One delicious idea is to “pocket the leftovers” in homemade calzones! The recipe is very forgiving, so you can add whatever ingredients you have the most of, or design each small calzone with each person’s favorites. Once cooked, these little hand-pies can be sent with your guests, packed for an easy lunch on the drive back home. The second recipe is for a turkey-rice dish that works well as a light lunch or a simple dinner. Both recipes are as easy as 1-2-3!

Thanksgiving Calzones

Refrigerated pizza dough
Leftovers – turkey – stuffing – cranberry sauce – veggies
Egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Unroll pizza dough onto clean work surface – cut the dough into squares or into small circles, using a salad plate as your guide. You’ll be folding the pies in half to bake.

2. Put some leftovers on one half of each crust, leaving a 1-inch border all around. I like to place turkey then a few roasted vegetables, then top it with a good coating of stuffing and a smear of homemade cranberry sauce.

3. Fold each pie in half, brushing the edges with a little water to help seal well, and then crimping with a fork. Brush the tops with some beaten egg, then place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray or non-stick foil. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Turkey Rice Pilaf

A wild rice pilaf tastes especially delicious with this easy leftover recipe! I like to serve this recipe two ways. For lunch, I enjoy it served over a bed of arugula. For dinner, I like to reheat some mashed butternut squash, put about ½ cups of the squash on each dish and then top with the Turkey-Rice.

1 cup rice
11/2 cups turkey leftovers
½ cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Cook rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, reheat the turkey in the microwave (add a little water to the bowl so it steams).

2. Combine the cooked rice, turkey and dried cranberries in a large bowl.

3. Shake together the vinegar, oil and parsley. Toss the dressing with the rice-turkey mixture.

For further ideas, click here to check out Luscious Leftovers.