Here’s a question for you that is wide open to subjective
interpretation: Exactly how long does Thanksgiving last, anyway?
Answer: Just as long as the turkey holds out. Because after
Thanksgiving, before Christmas and Hanukah, comes Leftovers
Season.
Here’s a question for you that is wide open to subjective interpretation: Exactly how long does Thanksgiving last, anyway?
Answer: Just as long as the turkey holds out. Because after Thanksgiving, before Christmas and Hanukah, comes Leftovers Season.
First there is the mainstay of Thanksgiving Leftovers: The Sandwich. I never realized that there are as many ways to arrange a turkey sandwich as there are food items originally placed on the table at Thanksgiving.
My friend Angela likes her turkey sandwich to include the marinated green beans she served on Thanksgiving. Cranberry sauce on a turkey sandwich has a certain piquant appeal. Purists swear by sliced turkey with a little salt and mayo on plain white bread. But a sandwich with stuffing and mashed potatoes? Pardon me if I sound disrespectful, but Eeeyeuuuww.
The Leftovers Issue is an interesting phenomenon. Why is it at Thanksgiving we can paint the town red with leftovers but serving them the rest of the year is an affront to society? Yet it’s true – Tom Turkey and his supporting cast remain the only acceptable victuals that don’t require an apology when hauling out the odds and ends.
However, not all Thanksgiving leftovers are created equal.
Taking a place of honor in the fridge is the revered stuffing, nestled within its airtight container. Leftover stuffing is money in the bank. But leftover asparagus? Uh….not so much.
Even turkey will provide several days of amusement. We serve turkey tacos, flautas, Tetrazzini, and a la king, not to mention the “ines” – almandine, Florentine – right up to Turkey Ad Nauseum.
Now I don’t exactly recall agreeing to the No Leftovers policy when I said for better or worse 31 years ago. My mother-in-law was a wonderful woman, but she raised a son who won’t eat reheated food, so I’ve learned to be creative in the leftovers department since he can spot’em a mile away.
And he is not alone. Like a regressive gene this trait rears its ugly head, causing Designated Cooks everywhere to sob into their aprons as another candidate from the land of leftovers languishes on the dinner table – no matter how it was fussed over and disguised in pretty new accessories. Leftovers are the girls not invited to the prom, the grooms left at the alter, the Edsels of epicurean delights.
Happily, there are those who arrived on the planet without this dysfunctional anomaly. We love our cold spaghetti and meatloaf sandwiches. But it’s a hard sell to those who turn up their collective noses at the sight of leftover lasagna.
If leftovers are your thing, I hope you’re blessed with abundance and are happily rooting through the fridge for one more smidgen of pumpkin pie or whatever else your heart desires. As for me, there’s a small slice of pepperoni pizza left from last night, and it has my name written all over it.
