A few ideas for those Thanksgiving leftovers

Last Thursday marked the first time I hosted a holiday meal.

Earlier this year, I bought a house and initially hoped to have a housewarming party at some point shortly afterward; it never happened. So, I figured the Thanksgiving dinner would be a good substitute. The

dinner itself was a success, with nine people including myself getting stuffed to the gills with a wide-ranging variety of food.

We planned for leftovers and encouraged everyone to bring tupperware to take some of it home. Despite this, the fridge was filled with food regardless. As a result, rounds six, seven and eight of Thanksgiving dinner took place throughout the weekend. As much as I like a Thanksgiving feast, it does get old after awhile. In an attempt to keep things fresh and make use of absolutely everything I can, I decided to change things up and use the leftovers in other dishes. While the following two dishes are not recipes, think of them as suggestions for leftovers still lingering in the fridge, or for after the upcoming Christmas dinner.

Thanksgiving poutine

During a trip to Canada earlier this year, I discovered how delicious poutine is. Poutine is a basic dish, consisting of a bed of fries, covered in a gravy and topped with cheese. Originally, I didn’t think I would like it as it seems an odd combination of ingredients. However, it quickly became a favorite.

I’m told the important aspect of poutine is the gravy used and how it must be flavorful and hot enough to melt the cheese. Turkey gravy is a perfect fit here and due to the amount used in a poutine, makes a perfect dish

to use up large amounts. Just pick up a bag of frozen fries, heat up a pot of gravy and use small chunks of your favorite cheese (mine is mozzarella)

and you have an easy dish that can either be a side or a main course. Add some of the leftover turkey to the gravy for some added deliciousness.

Ham fried rice

There seems to be a debate with holiday meals as to which meat should be a the focus. Turkey is the traditional headliner, though many think ham and prime rib deserve the spotlight. We ended up having both a ham and a turkey and as one can expect, there were a decent amount of leftovers.

Chinese food is one of my favorite cuisines and a good ham fried rice not only helps with leftover ham, it also is a solution for vegetables left over

from the relish tray. Carrots, celery and broccoli are great additions to any ham fried rice.

Spice packets for fried rice are easily found at the grocery store and are a cheap purchase. Just make sure to cool the rice adequately before making it, otherwise the whole dish binds together.