Thanksgiving Lite, and Leftovers

Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving!

(2022)

Just in Time to Watch The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Oh Look! It’s The Tarpon Springs High School Marching Band

From Tarpon Springs, Florida

They closed the parade!

Actually, they performed right before Mariah Carey sang ‘All I Want For Christmas’, and then Santa Clause made his appearance to close the parade.

So very proud of them, they did such a great job!

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An Al Fresco Thanksgiving Lite

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I don’t think that we associate the word “Lite” with the holiday.

But, perhaps we should start to think that way.

Eating a large Thanksgiving meal won’t hurt you but, eating all those Thanksgiving leftovers just might. Eating one large meal is fine, but most American’s eat that large meal over, and over again, until the leftovers are gone.

Turkey Soup

A lot of us will then turn our leftovers into things like Turkey Soup, Turkey Casseroles, or Turkey Sandwiches/Panini’s, just to eat up the leftovers and yet have them taste differently at the same time.

Here are our Panini’s

(Kind of like a convenient Hand-Held Thanksgiving Lunch/Dinner)

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This particular Thanksgiving consisted of Turkey Soup and Panini’s.

It was light (lite), delicious, and pretty easy. We actually spent less time in the kitchen, and more time enjoying the day.

Oh, our Thanksgiving’s won’t always be like this. It won’t always be just the two of us.

But, when it is, meals like this are perfect!

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Souvenir’s From our Cross Country Trip out West in 1992

We saw many a Native Community and visited many Reservations. I even started a charm bracelet. I bought the chain and a few charms at one location. And then continued to buy them as we visited other Native locations. I should actually post it here. I am quite proud of it. It represents our 2 1/2 week cross country drive from Florida to California in 1992. Veronica was 5, and I was pregnant with Brodie.

(I do have to confess that Thanksgiving to me has become more thoughtful. I adore the Native American’s, and I know how horribly they have been mistreated by white people. I also know that Thanksgiving is based on a slaughter of Natives. Which is why I recognize that at every turn, but I also honor the idea of us all feasting and getting along together. I love Thanksgiving and I have no desire to ever give up the holiday. I will however, continue to honor the peace that I hope will eventually come from it.)

Fort Brodie

I save and cherish my children’s artwork from their youth. This is something that Brodie drew while we were living in Maryland. I found it and decided to post it here. We are very proud of our children and their creativity.

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A Roasted Spatchcock Turkey Breast

This particular Thanksgiving Gordon roasted a Spatchcock Turkey Breast and it was perfect for us!

Look at all the Drippings!

(Recipe Down Below)

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An Excellent Use of Leftovers

Turkey Salad

I think that most people have their own Turkey/Chicken Salad recipe but I will give you mine.

Turkey Breast, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Hard Boiled Egg, Freshly Ground Black Pepper,Dashes of Tabasco Sauce, Chopped Onion, Pickle Relish, Chopped Celery.

You use the amounts that you prefer. Excellent spread onto bread with Lettuce to make a Sandwich, or I like to blob it on Crackers and eat it that way.

Either way, welcome to our Thanksgiving Lite and Leftovers.

Hope you find something you like here.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Julie and Gordon Whann

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Turkey Soup

The Crock Pot Makes Cooking This Soup Easier

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This is a great way to use up those last bits of Turkey, and left over celery and onion that you used to make the dressing, and other recipes for Thanksgiving.

All of Our Ingredients

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List of Ingredients:

3-4 quarts Chicken Broth

4 or 5 Multi-colored Carrots

2-3 Celery Stalks – chopped

1/2 to 3/4 Medium Yellow Onion – chopped

1 Turkey Neck

2 Bay Leaves

1 Tbsp. Rubbed Sage

1/2 t. Fresh Ground Pepper

1 t. Hawaiian Sea Salt

1 (4.7 oz..) Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil Pearled Couscous – Near East Brand

2-3 Cups Cooked Turkey – chopped

2 Cups Wide Egg Noodles – cooked

2 Cups Zucchette Pumpkin Shaped Noodles – Vegan (Sprouts Brand

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Start by peeling your carrots..

then cut them into 1 inch sections.

Place about 2 quarts of Chicken Stock into your slow cooker then add your sliced carrots and turn your Crock-Pot to High, and 4 hours cooking time.

Wash and chop your Celery as shown…

and add them to the cooker.

Now, chop your Onions and use as many as your like. This recipe doesn’t have to be followed to the letter as you want to fill up the cooker with the listed ingredients. We also like a thick and hearty soup.

Add your chopped Onion to the cooker.

Here is our Turkey Neck, which I will also add to the cooker and take out later when the meat falls off the bone.

I store our Bay Leaves in a canning jar to keep them well sealed.

Add two or three of them to the cooker.

Now, add the Rubbed Sage and freshly ground Black Pepper.

Now add your Sea Salt to the pot. We like using Hawaiian Sea Salt.

Now add your Pearled Couscous to the cooker along with the seasoning packet.

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Add more Chicken Stock to fill the cooker.

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You Just Want to Cover and Continue to Cook

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Here we saved a good amount of Turkey Breast from our Thanksgiving Turkey.

Chop your Turkey into bite-sized pieces.

Add your Turkey to the Crock-Pot.

Here we cooked the Egg Noodles separately as per directions and then added them to the cooker.

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As you can see the Crock-Pot is getting quite full.

We can still add some Pumpkin Shaped pasta though so we cooked it as per the directions.

Our original intent was for this to be a colorful garnish, however, I Julie, went a bit heavy on the pasta.

After about 4 hours the soup should be good and hot.

Here we added the Pumpkin Pasta.

This soup is very hearty, full of nutrients and tastes great!

It also freezes well……

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Also great for leftovers… simply place the frozen soup in a large pot and turn the heat to medium low.

Here you have once again the great Turkey Soup.

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Turkey Squash Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This is a Squash Casserole that we had leftover from Thanksgiving. I Julie, got the idea to use it in Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. The Squash were softened from the Casserole, but still had a bite to them that suited this sandwich well.

Ingredients:

Leftover Squash From Casserole

1/4 Cup Jack O Pumpkin Seed Cheese – Shredded

1/4 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Shredded

2 Tbsp. Butter

3-4 slices of Cooked Bacon

1/4 Cup Parsley

Bread Slices and/or…

2 slices of Brown Bread – Cheesecake Factory Brand

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We have used (Igourmet) to find many of our favorite cheeses. This Jack O Pumpkin Seed we thought would go well in this sandwich.

Slice off the outer rind.

Then shred as much as you will need. We also shredded some Sharp Cheddar Cheese to make a few of these sandwiches.

Spread some of the butter on one side of the bread.

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Heat your pan to medium high heat and place the buttered side down in the pan. Then add your Pumpkin Seed shredded Cheese and cooked Squash slices.

Now, top the Squash with some cooked Bacon and Fresh Parsley.

Add your Shredded Cheddar Cheese to the Parsley. It is fine if a little spills over as it is great when cooked. Top the sandwich with another buttered slice of bread as shown. Cook for sandwich for a few minutes or until you can move the sandwich and there a slight scraping noise. That means the bread is getting toasted. Flip the sandwich over using your spatula and cook on the other side for about another few minutes until browned.

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We hope you enjoy these unique and delicious grilled sandwiches!

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Spatchcock Turkey Breast

Nicely Carved

Gathering Our Ingredients

List of Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. Oregano

1 Tbsp.Thyme

1 Tbsp.Rubbed Sage

1 Tbsp.Marjoram

1 Tbsp.Onion Powder

2 t. Ground Allspice

2 t. Chili Powder

1 Tbsp. Ground Coriander

1 Tbsp. Ground Cumin

2 Tbsp. Raw Cane Sugar

2 Tbsp. Splenda Brown Sugar

1 Heaping Tbsp. Whole Grain Mustard

2 Tbsp. Chicken Stock

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Salt, and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

NOTE: The Spices I am placing in the mixing bowl are specifically for the top of the Turkey Breast to give it a nice Crust.

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Here I am adding the spices into a medium sized bowl.

I am using my palm to measure the amounts.

Of course you can add as much or as little of these spices as you like.

I also like using a variety of sweeteners as it gives the flavor more depth.

This turned out to be a nice grainy mustard. We used it again later in the next recipe below.

Now add your Chicken Stock…

then the Olive Oil.

Mix all the ingredients together to make sure there is enough liquid in the mixture to make it spread easily over the meat.

Add your Sea Salt, and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste…

then mix all the ingredients well using a whisk.

Now, Set Aside

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Here is the Turkey Breast I bought which is produced by Shady Brook Farms. I have found their turkey’s are very nice and well priced! With all poultry, rinse them well with running water to remove any old blood and particulates like stray bones and loose feathers. Also, look it over and remove any feathers that may still be attached.

I began thawing this two days earlier and it still had some ice in the main cavity. Rinsing it helped to remove this ice and thaw the meat.

Here I placed the Turkey Breast on a roasting rack on top of a roasting pan.

Pat the skin dry so the seasonings will adhere to them.

INITIALLY: I was just going to season and roast the Turkey Breast like this. However, it was as I was adding the spices that I realized the Turkey would cook much better, and the spices would adhere better, if I Spatchcocked it.

Not meaning to confuse you. But, I am telling the story as it has happened.

Sometimes a recipe can evolve as it is being created. Which happens with us sometimes.

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So, as it began….

Seeing how the meat was upright, I thought I would add some seasonings and olive oil to the cavity and outside of the breasts to help the spice mixture adhere to the meat.

I brushed the oil from the cavity onto the outside of the breasts.

Now, I am sprinkling a little of the spices I used before on the Turkey to help the spice mixture adhere to the dry surface.

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Adding Some Spices….

…just winging it.

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Now, I am adding some Chicken Stock to the roasting pan so the fat drippings don’t burn on the bottom of the pan.

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It was at this point that I decided to Spatchcock the Turkey Breast.

I placed the breast on the cutting board. I thought if I were to Spatchcock the breasts, the spices would simply lay on top of the meat. Spatchcock means to split the breasts and remove the backbone to lay the meat flat. Doing this will also help the meat to cook evenly.

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Start by splitting the breasts with your knife. I stabbed the breast bone evenly…

then continued the cut with my knife. Now cut the breasts away from the backbone.

Here you can see the breasts and backbone almost separated. Continue to flatten the breasts by pressing your hand down on them to finish breaking the breastbone. I am using my right hand to do this. In the next picture you can see the breasts are now fully split. Using your left hand press down on the backbone then use your knife to cut the backbone away from the breasts. If you want, you could save the backbone for soup stock.

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Here is the Spatchcocked Turkey on the roasting rack.

Now, simply spread your spice mixture (that you had set aside from the mixing bowl above) over the top of the Turkey as shown, as they will spread more evenly during the cooking process.

I sprinkled some extra spices used in the mixture on the rest of the breasts for good measure.

Roast the breasts in a 350’F oven for about 45 min. or until the internal temperature reaches 160’F.

I removed the pan from the oven to add some water, as it was almost dry.

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Place the meat back in the oven to finish the cooking. Here you can see the light blue temperature indicator popped up to indicate the meat was done. I also used my digital thermometer just to be sure.

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Here is a great shot of the drippings in the bottom of the pan which would make a great gravy.

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Let the meat rest for about 15 min. to allow the super-heated outside juices to return to the center of the meat, making the meat juicy and raising the internal temperature to 165’F. Cutting into the meat right out of the oven would disrupt the juice movement and the juices would spill out all over your cutting board.

Slice the meat down and away from the breastbone as shown.

Continue to do this on both sides of the breast. The clumps of spices are delicious!

Enjoy!

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Leftover Spatchcock Turkey

Using the leftover meat, we made pressed sandwiches using Julie’s Florida Jezebel Sauce… absolutely delicious!

To start, use some good crusty bread.

These were perfect in size and thickness.

I love Swiss Cheese so we shredded a good amount of it.

I love to use our cast iron skillets as they hold the heat well and are great for frying. I placed about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil into the pan and spread it around using a paper towel and turned up the temperature to medium.