Leftover Friday

There’s nothing like being invited to a Leftover Friday party when the invite is from a chef who insists we leave our own Thanksgiving leftovers at home. Good news, given the pumpkin soup and cranberry cream pie I’d made were deemed inedible, which reduced my family’s feast to fowl, potato, and vegetable, all of which we’d gobbled up. The sweet potato casserole was especially set upon. Gleaned from the November issue of Saveur – a magazine I subscribe to for its unique presentation of food through travel, photography, and storytelling, this ‘tater dish was the first recipe I’ve ever made from its pages.

And that it turned out exactly as the photograph only enhanced my excitement. Of course, it was ridiculously easy, and halving the topping with one part marshmallow, the other part crushed salted cashews – yummy brilliance. I deemed it a gourmet success.

True gourmet, however, is how our Leftover Friday hostess, Pamela, created entirely new dishes from yesterday’s meal. Ham was redressed with a warmed cherry chutney, baby cabbage reappeared in a casserole, sweet potatoes were tossed with hash browns and potato chips (!), cranberry sauce baked up into a coffee cake, and the fruit of the centerpiece chopped into a compote. I, who celebrate when the finished dish looks like the picture, cannot cook by invention. That’s talent.

Adding to the esprit of the gathering was the brunch beverage, a mixture of champagne and ruby grapefruit, our host John’s creation. Toasting our new friendship, we handed the camera off so we could pose for a picture. It’s a tad fuzzy, but nonetheless a keepsake.

And adding to the jubilation was the presence of our sons. It’s been eight years since Noah and Gideon were last in Pueblo for Thanksgiving at the same time.

Family! Food! Photos! Happy Thanksgiving!

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!