Leftovers
Matt Seinberg

Possible suspects in the case of the missing turkey parts.

There is only thing as good as the food on Thanksgiving Day is the leftovers that we get to take home. Every year we go to my in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. Every year we manage to get some food to take home.

This year was different.

Every year at work, we get a coupon good for a frozen turkey, up to twenty pounds. My wife gave the coupon to my mother-in-law, with the understanding we would get to take home half of it. Unfortunately, we only got to take home a wing, part of a leg, which Melissa, my daughter, had cut some meat off already and some pieces of white and dark meat that were left on the platter. I don't know what happened to the rest of that bird.

My brother-in-law and his family brought a turducken to Thanksgiving dinner. What is a turducken you ask? It's a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken.

I had a turducken many years ago, and it was quite good. I think my brother-in-law was disappointed that it was so small, but he didn't say anything aloud. That one bird did feed the ten of us quite well, as did the regular turkey.

I managed to get three different sandwiches from those leftovers. On Friday, I made a mostly dark meat sandwich, with some white on Italian bread. Saturday was mostly white on honey wheat. Sunday was turkey salad on seeded rye. They were all quite yummy!

On Friday, a friend at work brought some of her leftovers for me, but it wasn't turkey. She gave me containers of beef stew, white rice and homemade lasagna. That covered me for two dinners.

Left over Thanksgiving lasagna.

I had the lasagna on Friday night; the beef stew on Saturday night. They both were so good. I still have lasagna left for lunch on Monday.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to take home any of the sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce or stuffing, after Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws; there were none left. On top of that, no one made plain mashed potatoes. How could mashed potatoes go forgotten?

My wife made the stuffing and it was quite good. I like stuffing thick, with lots of carrots and celery, drowned in gravy. I like thick brown gravy, but all we had was the thin, pan drippings kind. It was flavourful, but not thick.

We also didn't get to take any dessert home. There were two apple pies and a chocolate chip pound cake that my mother-in-law makes for almost every occasion. This one was especially good because it was so thick.

My work friend also surprised me with two slices of pecan pie, which she bought at Costco. When I was eating lunch, a couple of friends asked for small pieces. I couldn't say no.

When I got home, Melissa asked for the end of one piece; again, I couldn't say no. She never had pecan pie before and she really enjoyed it. After I had the lasagna, I devoured piece number one of the pecan pie. For a store made pie, it was quite good.

Thanksgiving leftovers are best.

Alas, all the leftovers are gone until next year. Why do leftovers, at any other time of year, not taste quite as good as at Thanksgiving?