I hope you had a nice, calm, safe day yesterday. Our normal tiny Thanksgiving was great – only minor hitch was realizing about halfway through roasting was that I’d not moved the oven rack down a spot – easily fixed but a “oh shit” moment, LOL.

I have to show off the turkey:

Brining turkey is the best thing ever and I am so glad I found out about it…15 years ago now. It’s so, SO juicy! Haven’t mastered crispy skin, but that’s OK. My carving skills have also GREATLY improved since I realized a few years back that there were probably some YouTube videos on the process.

Another thing I realized yesterday – I usually carve half of the breast immediately, we eat, then I do the rest once its cooled off a little. (But soon enough that we’re not risking food poisoning.) But I was always stymied in getting that last bit of meat off the bones. Light bulb moment: Once I had the big slabs cut off, just dig in and rip off the remaining chunks with my hands. (Washed hands, of course.) Because it had cooled a little bit, I wasn’t burning my fingers or anything, and I had that sucker cleared down to the bone in no time at all.

Now, we have a weekend of recipes from every corner of the universe of “what to do with that leftover turkey!” Confession: I have never “made” anything with the leftover turkey. I usually find myself grabbing a chunk out of the fridge every time I pass by and, poof, it’s gone. If I’m feeling really ambitious, I put it on a plate and heat it up with some gravy. My brother gets fancy and makes sandwiches.

Earlier this year, I had to replace my old meat thermometer and the new Polder “deluxe” one was an excellent investment. Not only does it have presets for meat types – it gives you a heads up when you’re 10 degrees away from the final temperature – I LOVE THAT FEATURE! It’s under $30 and well worth it, even if you only use it a couple times a year for turkey and pork.

Even Lily got a little plate with a tiny bit of turkey and mashed potatoes. I had put it on her counter, but she was not interested in moving off her spot on the couch, so I brought it over to her – I looked away and looked back – clean plate and she was happily licking her chops. Hell, that may have made me as happy as my brother declaring that dinner was amazing.

Enjoy those leftovers.