Holiday leftovers can form the bases for new dishes and meals

Roasted Squash Soup With Turkey Croquettes transforms leftover roasted squash and turkey into a new dish.
Roasted Squash Soup With Turkey Croquettes transforms leftover roasted squash and turkey into a new dish.

For many of us the best part of Thanksgiving (after all of the quality time spent with family, of course) is the leftovers.

But leftovers can be a recipe for disaster.

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Food styling/KELLY BRANT

Leftover mashed sweet potatoes or sweet potato casserole becomes breakfast as Sweet Potato Pancakes.

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Food styling/KELLY BRANT

Sweet-tart homemade cranberry sauce and chocolate chips make a delicious tart filling.

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Food styling/KELLY BRANT

Storing warm leftover turkey in a shallow container facilitates chilling.

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Food styling/KELLY BRANT

Cranberry Puffs can be made with just four ingredients: cranberry sauce, puff pastry, egg and coarse sugar.

The same table laden with our favorite holiday foods that makes the day perfect for grazing is also a potential breeding ground for the likes of Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus.

Generally speaking, hot foods should be kept hot (140 degrees or hotter) and cold foods should be kept cold (40 degrees or cooler) to reduce the risk of illness.

But let's face it; most of us don't have dining rooms equipped with steam tables and cold bars.

The general rule is two hours. Any food that is normally served hot or cold that sits out for more than two hours should be tossed.

And that's within two hours of cooking, not serving. This means you've got a very tight window from when the turkey comes out of the oven and rests for the requisite 30 minutes to when it hits the danger zone.

But wait. Can't you simply reheat the meat to 165 degrees to kill any harmful bacteria present?

Unfortunately, no. According to Foodsafety.gov, some bacteria, especially the kind associated with food-borne illness, produce harmful poisons or toxins that are not destroyed by heating.

The ideal way to tackle this is to have storage containers ready when you carve the bird. If you planned for leftovers, go ahead and pack those up and get them ready to refrigerate as soon as you've finished carving the turkey.

Most Thanksgiving leftovers -- assuming they've been cooked and stored properly -- will be safe to eat for three to five days. This means foods cooked and served on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) will be safe to eat until Monday. Any dishes that were cooked in advance should be eaten within three to five days of when they were originally prepared.

To prolong the life of your leftovers, consider freezing them. Frozen food is safe to consume indefinitely, although texture and flavor will deteriorate after one month.

Leftover cooked turkey can be eaten cold, but if a hot dish is desired, leftovers should be thoroughly reheated to 165 degrees. Gravies and pan sauces should be brought to a full, rolling boil.

Foods that do not require refrigeration such as breads and cookies will keep longer.

Acidic foods like homemade cranberry sauce will generally keep longer, say, a week to 10 days.

Source: Foodsafety.gov

No-recipe ideas for leftover turkey:

• Layer corn tortillas with pinto or black beans, corn kernels, salsa, shredded turkey seasoned with chile powder and cumin and Monterey Jack cheese in a casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

• Mix chopped leftover turkey, diced apple, diced celery, chopped pecans or walnuts and halved grapes with mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt, salt and pepper.

• Fill wonton wrappers or gyoza skins with finely chopped turkey, finely diced carrots, green onion and fresh ginger. Seal with water or beaten egg. Pan-fry and/or steam and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

• Mixed shredded leftover turkey with your favorite barbecue sauce and serve on buns with coleslaw.

• Grilled turkey, bacon and avocado sandwiches.

• Turkey, cream cheese and cranberry sauce on croissants.

Don't toss the carcass. It can be used to make a delicious turkey stock that can be used immediately for soup or frozen for several months. Use turkey stock in any recipe that calls for chicken stock.

Turkey Stock

1 turkey carcass

1 to 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped (see note)

1 large carrot, coarsely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, quartered

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

3 sprigs fresh thyme OR 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

If necessary, cut carcass into pieces so that it fits in a large stockpot. In the stockpot, combine the turkey carcass, celery, carrot, onion, bay leaf and peppercorns. Add enough cold water to cover bones by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, skimming off foam, 2 to 3 hours. Strain, discarding solids, into heat-safe storage containers. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate to use in a day or so; or freeze for up to 3 months.

Yield varies based on size of carcass.

Note: Equivalent trimmings of celery, carrots and onion from preparing the Thanksgiving Day meal can be used.

Creamy Pumpkin (or Squash or Sweet Potato) and Turkey Soup

1 medium white onion, peeled, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

4 cups chicken broth OR turkey stock, divided use

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree OR 2 cups pureed butternut squash or mashed sweet potatoes

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Dash of ground red pepper (cayenne), or to taste

2 cups shredded or diced leftover turkey

1 cup heavy cream

In a medium pot, saute onion in butter until tender. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Transfer mixture to blender or food processor. Process until smooth.

Return mixture to pot. Add remaining broth and pumpkin puree; whisk together until smooth. Add cinnamon, ginger, salt and black pepper and ground red pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add turkey; stir in cream and heat through. Do not boil.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Roasted Squash Soup With Turkey Croquettes

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil, plus more for frying

1 small onion, finely diced

1 medium carrot, finely diced

1 rib celery, finely diced

3 to 4 cups chicken broth or turkey stock

2 to 3 cups cubed leftover roasted squash

1 cup whole milk

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Ground red pepper (cayenne), to taste

2 cups finely diced or shredded leftover cooked turkey

1 3/4 cups plain dry bread crumbs OR panko Japanese-style bread crumbs, divided use

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh sage

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons cornmeal

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and saute 10 minutes or until tender. Remove 1/2 cup vegetables; set aside. Stir in the broth, bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add the squash and simmer 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, or working in batches in a traditional blender, puree soup to desired consistency. Return mixture to pot; add milk and season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Keep warm.

For the croquettes: Combine the 1/2 cup reserved vegetables, the turkey, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, sage, eggs and cornmeal and mix well. Place the remaining bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Shape mixture into 8 to 12 patties. Coat each patty with breadcrumbs. Chill patties 30 minutes or until firm.

Heat enough oil to coat a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook patties (in batches if necessary) until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

To serve: Ladle soup into shallow bowls. Top each bowl of soup with 2 to 3 croquettes. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Leftover sweet potatoes make delicious pancakes -- even sweet potatoes with a savory touch, say, minced chives or green onions or citrus will work -- but you can't go wrong with traditional brown sugar and buttered sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 1/4 cups leftover mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 cup sour cream (see note)

3/4 cup milk (see note)

1 egg

1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more for serving

2 tablespoons butter, melted plus more for serving

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Generous pinch ground allspice

In a medium bowl, combine sweet potatoes, sour cream, milk, egg and maple syrup (if your sweet potatoes were sweetened during cooking, you may want to omit the maple syrup) in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and stir or whisk until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt and allspice. Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk until just combined.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Thinly coat with butter. Ladle batter by the 1/4-cup onto hot skillet or griddle. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until the edges look dry and bottom is browned; flip and cook until second side is brown.

Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.

Makes about 8 (4-inch) pancakes.

Note: Can substitute 1 1/4 cups buttermilk for the sour cream and milk.

Recipe adapted from seriouseats.com

Cranberry Puffs

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/2 cup leftover cranberry sauce

Water OR beaten egg yolk

Coarse sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll dough to a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife or a fluted pastry cutter, cut dough into 12 (3-inch) squares.

Arrange dough squares in the bottom of a well-greased 12-cup standard muffin pan, or line 12 sturdy paper liners with dough. Fill each square with a dollop of cranberry sauce. Fold opposite corners of dough over filling and press together to close. Brush dough with water or beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden. Cool completely before serving.

Makes 12 puffs.

Recipe inspired by marthastewart.com

Cranberry-Chocolate Tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 to 1 1/2 cups leftover cranberry sauce

1/4 to 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Water or beaten egg yolk

Coarse sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay dough square on parchment. Spread dough with cranberry sauce, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold border dough over to create a frame around the sauce, pinching corners to seal. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over cranberry sauce. Brush dough with water or egg yolk. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden brown. While tart is still hot, use the back of a spoon or heat-safe spatula to spread melted chocolate chips over cranberry filling. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Food on 11/25/2015

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