Thanksgiving Leftovers: Cranberry Brie + Turkey Stock

...not in the same dish. After my pre-Thanksgiving dinner, I was left with a serious problem. What the heck do I do with all of those leftovers? Though we ate turkey dinner for 3 days, there were a couple of items that I just couldn't get rid of (and by get rid of, I mean devour fast enough). So I made a cranberry brie and some turkey stock. Want to see how?

Imagine the look on my husband's face when I asked him, after he had unwillingly carved the turkey breast, if we could save the carcass. Yup, the bony, tendony, messy shell of turkey that he had just taken a knife to.

I'm pretty sure he thought I was nuts. Do I look nuts?

Don't answer that.

S (looking puzzled and trying not to be annoyed): Umm...sweetie... what exactly are you going to do with the..um...carcass?

R (not understanding the confusion): Uh make delicious, homemade turkey stock? (obviously!)

Since he always goes along with all things blog, he wrapped up that carcass and the next morning I made a turkey stock that made the entire apartment smell once again of Thanksgiving. Heavenly. Oh and did I mention that it couldn't be easier?

In a big stock pot, I combined the turkey remains, all of my leftover fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley), 2 tbsp kosher salt, 2 roughly chopped onions, 2 handfuls of baby carrots, 2 bay leaves, and 1 tsp black peppercorns. Then, I covered the entire thing with cold water, brought it to a boil, and let simmer for 4 hours.

After a good strain, I ended up with the following; a flavorful, fragrant turkey stock, just waiting to be used in another life!

And what does one do with turkey stock, you ask? It can be used for anything that you'd normally use chicken stock for! Though traditionally people tend to go the turkey soup route, we had already exhausted all the turkey by the time I got around to using the stock. Instead, I used it to cook my brown rice...

and make a yummy gravy for my chicken, rice and asparagus dish!

Beyond using up every last bit of that turkey (that we worked so hard to brine, after all), we also had an abundance of cranberry sauce. Yum.

I also realized that I had some leftover brie from my Fall Dinner Party. And a delicious, sweet 'n savory idea was born! Put your wedge of brie in a little ramekin. Cover with cranberry sauce and chopped pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes...

...until the cheese is melted and the cranberries are soft and juicy!

Serve with crackers...

and try not to eat it all before your husband gets home from work. Not that I did that. Just sayin'.

 

The sweet and tart cranberry sauce, mixed with the creamy brie and salty cracker is out of this world! It was really such a delicious snack that I've been dreaming about this ever since I made it last week.

So there you have it. Two quick and easy leftover recipes that can change up your original goods! So today's question is: What are your favorite way to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers? Create a new dish? Or straight up Thanksgiving dinner repeats?

Psst...for more Thanksgiving fun, check out how we brined a turkey at 3AM, made hearty turkey sausage stuffing, mashed up the perfect potato and devoured a pumpkin cheesecake! And for even more Thanksgiving food ideas, check out our Recipes page, under Thanksgiving!

Comments

[Lindsay @ The Ketchup Diaries]

Gosh, I just love your blog and your ideas. Have I told you this recently :wink:

[Emily @ For Sweets Sake]

I love leftovers! We make turkey sandwiches a lot but mostly, I just eat a mini feast until the food is all gone ;) haha

[Rachel]

Thanks Lindsey! Love yours too!

Emily, I love eating them up that way too! ...and we did! :)

[blackbookkitchendiaries]

this sounds so yummy! happy thanksgiving to you and your family.