Leftovers

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I hope you found time to meditate on your thanks. The legacy of memories we leave behind can be some of the sweetest rewards… well that, and the fabulous leftovers. You do have leftovers? Don’t you?! Please tell me you didn’t pig out like a wild animal? If you did, well, good for you – LOL! That is what this celebration is all about… People coming together to laugh, love, be happy, create mental keepsakes and, above all else, enjoy a magnificent feast.

To quote Shakespeare: “If music be the food of love, play on. Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die.” What a way to go, but only if it’s gluten-free.

I love my gluten-free morsels and feel I eat better now than I ever have before. I’ve always been a responsible foodie and my gluten allergy just ups the ante and makes me even more responsible/accountable for my health. That is my wish for all, to be proactive in your overall wellness, thus helping fix America’s broken healthcare system. We all play a role, but I digress.

This post is not about preaching or teaching, but sharing my good fortune of food. I didn’t think I would have an appetizing feast this year because I miss my bread and gravy, but I made it work and my Thanksgiving meal came off flawlessly!

The turkey was tasty, the vegetables colorful and crisp, and the desserts incredible… they are always the best part of the meal, especially when they are homemade. Let me not forget the spirits too (red wine you’re so fine – LOL).

I really am enjoying my leftovers, which allows for a bit of creativity. I made a fantastic dish just yesterday – Turkey Scampi with vegetables served over wild rice with whole berry cranberry sauce. It was out of this world!

Today, it’s all about turkey soup, but not the traditional soup as you know it. No, this labor of love has a variety of beans, cranberries, garlic and a few other special ingredients. I’ll make another batch of pumpkin mousse with my left over pumpkin, and with my cranberries I decided to make Cranberry-Orange Caramel Corn (a recipe I found in Better Homes and Garden). Of course, I had to change it up a bit adding orange zest and molasses to the mix.

I hope you made the most of your leftovers too. There are many things to celebrate this season, and one just happens to be food. I’m always thankful for what goes into my tummy and happy that I now know it must always be gluten-free. May we all live our best life, and for me that happens when I live it one meal at a time. Enjoy! - paerki

Pumpkin Mousse

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 cups heavy cream
¾ cup superfine sugar
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-tablespoon vanilla extract
Ginger snaps for garnish (gluten-free)

Combine pumpkin, 1-cup cream, sugar and spice in a medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cool fully.

Whip remaining heavy cream and vanilla to soft peaks and fold into cooled pumpkin mixture. Put into a serving dish and crumble the ginger snaps over top before serving.

(Make 8 to 10 servings)

Cranberry Turkey Soup

Stock: Remove all the usable turkey meat from the carcass to save for adding to soup later.

Break up the leftover bones of the carcass a bit, so they don't take up as much room in the pot. Put the leftover bones and skin into a large stockpot and cover with cold water (about 2 inches). Add any drippings that weren't used to make gravy, and any giblets (except liver) that haven't been used already. Add a yellow onion that has been quartered, some chopped carrots, parsley, thyme, a bay leaf, celery tops, and some peppercorns.

Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to bring the stock to a bare simmer or just below a simmer. Add salt and pepper, about 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper (it sort of depends on how big your turkey is). You can always add salt to the soup later.

Cook for at least 4 hours, uncovered or partially uncovered (so the stock reduces), occasionally skimming off any foam that comes to the surface. Remove the bones and veggies and strain the stock, ideally through a very fine mesh strainer.

Making the Turkey Soup: With your stock already made, add 2 cups of fresh cranberries and cook for 30 minutes. Add fresh chopped carrots, onions, celery, sweet potatoes, mushrooms and black beans in equal parts. Add a couple cloves of garlic. Add seasoning: poultry, sage, thyme, and marjoram. Cook at a bare simmer until the vegetables are cooked through.

Take some of the remaining turkey meat you reserved earlier, shred it into bite sized pieces and add to the soup. I occasionally add fresh tomatoes and a dash or two of hot sauce or Tabasco, which always gives it a little kick.

Cranberry-Orange Caramel Corn

12 cups popped popcorn
1 cup dried cranberries
¼ cup of orange rind
½ cup whole almonds
½ cup butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup light-color corn syrup
2 tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp, dark molasses
½ tsp. baking soda

Preheat over to 275 F. In a very large bowl combine the popped popcorn, cranberries, almonds and orange rind; set aside.

In a 2-quart saucepan cook and stir the butter, brown sugar, molasses and corn syrup over medium heat until butter melted. Stir in orange juice. Bring to boiling over medium heat. Boil at a moderate, steady rate for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and baking soda (mixture will foam up).

Pour the syrup mixture over the popcorn mixture in bowl; stir to coat well. Transfer to a 15x10x1-inch baking pan or a shallow roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring twice. Transfer caramel corn to a large sheet of greased heavy foil; cool.

Please note: The original recipe does not call for orange rind or dark molasses.

(Makes 20 - 1/2-cup servings.)