Rebecca’s Thoughts

A sad irony of Thanksgiving is that I often get so caught up in the cooking that I barricade myself into solitary confinement in the kitchen and miss out on all the friends and family, the celebration of community that Thanksgiving is supposed to be about.

So teaming up to  tackle Thanksgiving leftovers with Cathy Erway was a double pleasure: I’ve long enjoyed her thoughtful blog, and her relaxed and friendly approach to cooking was exactly what I needed after the solitary stress of making Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is as much about making new friends as it is about celebrating old ones, and there are few better places to build a friendship than in the kitchen.

Now, about the food. I’m a big fan of spicy; I like bold flavors in general. Maybe it’s just my family (sorry, family!) but Thanksgiving fare always leaves my tastebuds as underwhelmed as it leaves my belly overstuffed. In other words, what Thanksgiving lacks in flavor, it makes up for - too much - in calories (deep-fried turkey, anyone?). Cathy’s rich, thick, crimson-hued turkey goulash was, therefore, exactly what I was looking for: spicy, deep, every bite a little different with all the turkey, roasted vegetables, and potato dumplings. The green bean pesto was as refreshing as the goulash was satisfying: grassy, light, and much healthier-tasting than a traditional pesto. I especially appreciated the clean, healthy pesto after the heaviness of Thanksgiving dinner, and as a precedent to the cranberry oat bars: rich and buttery, the tartness of the cranberries balanced by the fragrant herbiness of the rosemary and the bright crispness of the walnuts.

But that’s the point of Thanksgiving leftovers: the meal itself is about the people you love, and the food is just an expression of that. The leftovers the next day are where you get to be you; use that bland-ish Thanksgiving fare as a canvas for your favorite tastes and flavors and see how novel an underseasoned bite of turkey breast can be.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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Max’s Thoughts

Thanksgiving leftovers are, for me, where it’s at. I usually loathe next day poultry with an undying passion, but for some reason I love day-after turkey sandwiches. Perhaps it’s because I can load them up with all the leftover detritus: bit of stuffing, some mashed potatoes maybe and of course a smear of cranberry sauce (I’m particularly excited about the sandwich possibilities provided by the chipotle cranberries we made this year). But, shamefully, I admit I never really thought past that standard sandwich melange. Cathy’s green bean pesto was so good we were all dreaming up future green bean pesto recipes. Pasta, pizza, hamburgers - all would be improved with a little topping of that delicious pesto.

I was amazed how quickly those leftover mashed potatoes turned into dumplings, and they were so light and tender it was as if they were made totally from scratch that day. And, okay, how badass was it when Cathy just ripped that turkey carcass apart with her bare hands? Totally badass.

But my favorite part of the leftover feast was definitely the cranberry-rosemary-oat-bar-thingies. The rosemary was just enough of a presence to add a nice floral quality to the dessert and the oat crust/topping added a satisfying crunch.

And we really can’t thank Cathy enough for taking the time to cook with us - it was really fantastic and Cathy, you are supercool.