FAREWELL FAIR FEAST! ~ THANKSGIVING WEEKEND STRATA / TURKEY CARCASS SOUP

~ November beauty

(flower of the month)

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THANKSGIVING WEEKEND STRATA

~ Delicious use of several leftovers ... stuffing, turkey, rolls, and cranberry sauce (old Free Press clipping from Whole Foods Market)

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4 cups leftover Thanksgiving bread stuffing

4 cups cubed bread (any will do like leftover dinner rolls a great option)

2/3 cup whole milk

2/3 cup half & half

6 organic eggs

1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp hot sauce (optional)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 cups white or assorted quartered mushrooms

2 1/2 cup cook leftover diced turkey

1/3 lb. shredded cheddar cheese (or favorite melting cheese like Pepper Jack and Gorgonzola)

2 cored and diced large apples, sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning

1-2 cups leftover cranberry sauce

• Butter 9x12x2-inch baking dish.
• Combine leftover stuffing and cubed bread in large bowl. Place half of mixture at bottom of baking pan and set aside.
• Whisk together milk, half & half, eggs, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, salt & pepper; set aside.
• Heat butter in pan and saute mushrooms and onions quickly on high heat. Combine mushroom and onion mixture with half of the green onions, leftover turkey, cheddar cheese and apples.
• Arrange mixture evenly on stuffing and bread mixture on top. Slowly pour liquid mixture into baking dish, making sure to distribute evenly. Sprinkle remaining green onions on top for garnish. Press down on bread cubes, if necessary, to ensure that all bread is coated with liquid. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
• When read to bake, preheat oven to 350-degrees. Bake strata, uncovered, until top is golden and knife inserted into center comes out clean, approximately 60 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with cranberry sauce on the side. (4-6 servings)

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TURKEY CARCASS SOUP

" To make a good soup, the pot must only simmer, or 'smile'."
~ French Proverb

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Strip the carcass leaving sweet meat close to the bone. The essence of how the turkey was prepared will remain in the pot. (Especially tasty if stuffed). Add only a coarsely chopped onion and a few cloves of garlic, including the skin which will all be discarded. Plop into a large stock pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer gently on the back burner for 4 hours. Drain stock over colander into another large stock pot, discard bits and bones, and begin anew. Chill and skim fat from top. The rest is fun.

Pull out leftover vegetables from Thanksgiving dinner; for example, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, corn, mushrooms, etc. Eye freshness and consider them for the pot. (If you feel you haven't had your fill of 'Holiday Fat', slip in some leftover gravy when no one is looking). Bring stock to a boil. Add 1 large chopped sweet or Spanish onion, 3-4 chopped garlic cloves, 3-4 stalks celery plus leaves, 4-5 large chopped carrots, 1 chopped green onion, 1 chopped red onion, 1 cup white wine, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1 heaping tsp. savory, 1 heaping tsp. thyme, heavy dashes of Lawry's Seasoned Pepper, coarse salt & cracked pepper to taste. Simmer on the back burner for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are cooked. Return some shredded or chopped roasted turkey back into pot. Adjust seasonings and savor the essence of Thanksgiving ... until next year!