Love Your Leftovers

My computer broke, so I'm a bit late (ok, a lot late) writing this post.  Your Thanksgiving leftovers are probably gone by now (if they're not, you should probably throw them away), but the components of this meal are delicious enough to make even if you aren't using leftovers!  However, my original idea was to use things you would have left over from Thanksgiving and remake them into something new and equally as good (or maybe even better) than the original.
Drink...

Fall Sangria
*recipe from: CailenAscher
There's always wine involved in a good Thanksgiving dinner.  If your holiday was anything like mine, there's no wine leftover.  If you do have some left, great.  If not, go out and buy some more so you can make this delicious recipe!
I've always been a fan of sangria.  To me it's more of a summer drink, but this is a perfect fall version of the beverage. It has a great fruitiness and the cinnamon sticks add a autumn taste.
Ingredients:

• 3 apples
• 3 pears
• 3 clementines
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 Tbs honey
• 6 oz triple sec
• 2 bottles of red wine (I used a Beaujolais Nouveau and it worked well because it's already slightly fruity)

Directions:

1. Core and cut all the fruit and place it in a pitcher.
2. Add the cinnamon sticks and honey.  Stir.
3. Add the wine and stir. 
4. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  It's better if it sits overnight.  

Dinner...

Turkey, Brie, and Cranberry Grilled Sandwiches

*cranberry chutney recipe from: ClosetCooking

Everyone always has a ton of turkey leftover after Thanksgiving and let's be honest...those plain, dry turkey sandwiches just aren't that great.  This is a simple twist on that sandwich. The brie makes it super yummy and the cranberry sauce helps moisten up the turkey.  I didn't have leftovers this year, so I made a cranberry chutney from scratch.  You could use any cranberry sauce although this one was quite good because it had a bit of spice to it.
Ingredients:
for the sandwich:

• bread
• turkey
• brie
• cranberry chutney
• butter

for the cranberry chutney:

• 1 (12 ounce) package fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 apple, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Make the cranberry chutney by placing everything in a large pot and boil it until it thinkens about 10-20 minutes.
2. Put the turkey, brie, and chutney on a slice of bread and top with another piece of bread to make a sandwich.
3. Butter both pieces of bread.
4. Place the buttered sandwich into a hot pan and heat until the bread is toasted and golden and the cheese is melted.

Dessert...

Pecan Pie Balls

I love Oreo balls, so I thought...why not do the same thing with pecan pie.  This is the easiest thing to make and in my opinion it's even better than the original pie - perfect for leftovers.  Plus, it's a little bit better for you because instead of eating a big piece of pie, you can just eat a little ball...that is, if you can eat just one!

Ingredients:

• leftover pecan pie (or a whole new pie, like I used)
• chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Put the pecan pie in a bowl and crumble it all together with a spoon.  Use the crust and everything.  It might look kind of gross and weird at this point, but keep going - it's going to be good!
2. Roll the mushed up pie into balls (1-2 inches) and place the balls into the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Melt the chocolate chips.  I used about 2/3 of a bag of chips for a 6 inch pie.
4. After the balls have hardened up slightly from being in the freezer, dip them into the melted chocolate to coat.



looks weird, but keep going!



see...yum!

5. Sprinkle with festive sprinkles (optional).