The word ‘leftover’ is lacking. It fails to convey the beauty of changing surplus into sustenance, the delight of scoring fully-prepared meals for free, the thrilling challenge of MacGyver-ing your aunt’s weird pudding into an enjoyable dish. Perhaps we will need to invent a new word to accurately describe these renaissance meals, but before we wordsmith, we ought to attempt some recooking.

As you returned to Pullman from Thanksgiving break, you hopefully had a stash of food loot from the bird feast. Whether you had to earn them honestly with elbow grease and dish soap, or stole them from the fridge under a cover of darkness, the point was to try to make it through dead week and finals with few supplements from the grocery store.

An good collection would include helpings of the turkey, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes. These three dishes which are often found in great abundance at Thanksgiving, can be combined with common or inexpensive ingredients to create three re-meals(word pending public approval).

The mashed potatoes are one of the easiest dishes to change. They can be used to thicken soups, add filling to burritos, or as a crunchy creamy breakfast side dish. Mashed browns take less than ten minutes to make and can be cooked at the same time as a fried egg. Heat an oiled frying pan on medium heat and season your prefered amount of mashed potatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place a small pancake-sized amount of mash in the pan and use a spatula or fork to flatten it to about ½ inch thick. When the bottom is crispy brown, flip it carefully and brown the other side before serving with grated cheese or salsa.

Another easy dish can be achieved using the cranberry sauce. This stuff is usually pretty sweet and tart, making it a great substitute for jam. Spread it on your morning toast or bagel, or invigorate your lunch with a peanut-butter and cranberry sandwich. This columnists trusts his readers do not need detailed instructions on how to make toast or sandwiches.

The turkey can be used in any number of ways, from the ever-popular sandwich to an ingredient in a morning scramble. However, the turkey noodle soup method is my favorite. Use a few chunks to improve the nutritional value of your average bowl of ramen soup, or you could follow the my culinary saint, Mom, and make the dish picture in this article.   

Ma Reister’s Turkey Noodle Soup:

Ingredients/Equipment    

• 1 medium pot or saucepan

• 3 cups of cooked turkey

• Spiral noodles (or any noodles you have)

• Water( for noodles)

• 1 quart of broth(or surplus ramen spice packets)

• 2 medium carrots, chopped

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1 celery stalk, chopped

• ½ cup of crackers, crumbled

Instructions   

Heat the water in the pot on medium-high to high heat. After boiling, add the noodles and cook for less than ten minutes until noodles are tender.

Strain the noodles and discard the water. Heat the pot on medium heat and saute the onions, carrots, and celery until desired softness. Add the broth and turkey meat and heat for five minutes. Add the cooked noodles and the crumbled crackers and serve.

Tips:  Pre-crumbled crackers can be found in the bottom of your favorite cracker box.