Growing up, my brothers and I were turkey vultures. We would be circling the bird as soon as it was out of the oven, elbowing each other for space to pick at the stuffing that had swollen out of the cavity, burning our mouths with pieces of breast ripped straight off the bird. I have to hand it to my ever-patient mom for never so much as giving us a dirty look for this opportunistic act. Needless to say, we never had a lot of leftovers.
I don't know if the turkeys have gotten larger or my stomach has become smaller but these days there tends to be more turkey than I can eat. And so the quest to use up the leftovers begins… + MORE