turkey leftover nirvana
i feel that the word ‘nirvana’ doesn’t get enough love these days. it’s all ‘zen’ this and ‘zen’ that. anyway:
turkey day leftovers!!! i didn’t get started on them yesterday (cooked my bird wednesday), but maaan, i just laid all the leftovers out on the counter today and it was so beautiful that i had to take a picture. with my phone. so you can’t see it, but i’m sure you can imagine tupperware full of mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and turkey. the turkey bits, you see- those are serious business. you can’t expect to use a knife and fork on a turkey carcass. no, dear friends. you have to be a real enthusiast who’s willing to go all out to pick that thing clean. and if you’re ambitious? you’ll save all the bones and gristle and you’ll make turkey stock. me? i made mine the day before i cooked my bird with its neck and giblets. giblets being the kidney and liver, for all you queasy folks out there. right, so here’s a recipe for leftovers that anyone who has them can do, and rest assured it will taste good (unless you messed up one of your dishes, in which case, for shame*). it’s really easy. you take a bowl, put some stuffing at the bottom, some torn up turkey bits on top of that, some mashed potatoes on top of that, some gravy over top, and voila! leftover dip that you can eat with a spoon and call a meal. really it’s carbohydrate overload, but that’s what makes it particularly good (thank God the atkins diet has died down). i’m going to pause for a moment and ask that you not gorge yourself, because while i’m all about eating good food, i’m also all about self control. i come from a family and a twisted culture where you’re supposed to eat until you’re full. seconds, at bangali functions, are mandatory and it’s almost rude if you don’t get them. my parents to this day have trouble with portion control (granted they have their reasons, but it’s a legacy i don’t particularly want to inherit). that being said, enjoy your delicious and buttery holiday meals, but please don’t go referencing me in your mind to justify any kind of excess. everything in moderation. thanks :)
i think i’m being particularly annoying about this subject because i’m flipping through a julia child cookbook, and she is always cautioning against overindulgence. speaking of child, while i do like her food philosophy, i’m finding that her cooking style is a little too restricted to the west (and obviously france) for me. i’ll follow her to the t when it comes to pastry and bread, but that’s because i think those are the main french strong points. of course the french like to claim ownership over everything food, but that’s arrogance at its worst for me.
right. so, go enjoy leftovers if you have them.
*don’t worry, i ruined my homemade mashed potatoes by overcooking them and had to fall back on my plan B potato flakes; nobody’s perfect, right?