“I don’t like that.”
“That’s gross.”
“No way.”
“Ewwww!”
“I can’t eat that, I will get sick. Seriously!”
Kate is a very picky eater. Not in a bad way, I mean considering other kids her age, she is pretty adventurous.
She loves sushi, especially eel. I think she would reconsider if she actually knew what an eel looked like or that it is just a big, icky water snake. Maybe I will spring that on her when she gets older. I am an evil stepmother after all.
She also loves pumpkin pie, dipping hot dog buns in Italian salad dressing, and Little Debbie Swiss Rolls. She has a box hidden in her room so that she knows there will be some for her when she visits. She made the mistake of leaving the box where Daddy could find it and needless to say, Little Debbie was “eaten by the dogs”.
However, there are some foods that will never pass her lips. Mayonnaise is the biggest one. How can someone not like mayonnaise? No butter either. THE HUMANITY!!
She only likes “grandma’s cheese” which is shredded mozzarella. Grandma makes pizza from scratch, including shredding the blocks of mozzarella. Kate won’t eat a chunk of mozzarella, but shredded is ok and so are sticks. No other cheese will do.
And don’t let any of the foods on her plate touch each other because that is actually the Eighth sign of the Apocalypse.
So you can imagine, Thanksgiving is a bit of a challenge.
Turkey? Only white meat, and there will be consequences if any kind of fat or skin even touches her plate.
Green Bean Casserole? But no fried onions please, they look like worms.
Mashed potatoes? No butter. (She does this just to hurt me, I know)
NO sweet potatoes, even though we promise that they taste just like her beloved pumpkin pie.
Are you even serious suggesting the cranberry sauce? Please!
Rolls? Yes. Got Italian dressing?
So if getting through the pain of the actual Thanksgiving dinner isn’t enough, there is the traditional meal. Leftover Friday.
We’ve solved that problem by taking her favorite thing in the world, grandma’s homemade pizza, and instead of the traditional pepperoni, we top the dough (or you can use a Boboli crust) with a spread of mashed potatoes mixed with gravy (instead of tomato sauce), shredded white meat turkey, broccoli florets, and sliced mushrooms. Then cover the entire thing with grandma’s cheese and bake until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
For the grownups, one of my favorite things to make is stuffing cakes. I take any leftover stuffing, moisten with some gravy and an egg, and form into patties which I fry in a little bit of butter and olive oil. Top the cakes with a dollop of cranberry sauce, a spoonful of mashed sweet potatoes, and on top of that, pile on some of the leftover turkey and top with a good handful of shredded Smoked Gouda cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with a nice side salad of mesclun greens, sliced Granny Smith apples, toasted walnuts, and vinaigrette made with apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard to cut the richness of the cheese.
Start your own tradition of Leftover Friday! Feel free to share recipes and ideas for recipes by commenting on this post. I would love to hear how our HearthSong customers enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers!
By Dyan C, website producer and affiliate manager


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