Leftovers....

Do you still have a refrigerator 

full of Thanksgiving leftovers?  

We did a decent job of consuming turkey + fixings sandwiches
to take care of most of the foodage,
however, there were lingering bits still haunting the fridge
that I couldn't bear to toss yet...  

Still, I needed precious fridge space,
so I turned to my favorite problem solver, Pinterest,
to find a solution to this culinary baggage...  

Sure enough, I found the right answer;
Turkey Pot Pies...  

The page wasn't really a recipe,
more a suggestion of how to assemble the pot pies...  

So, if you, too, are wrestling with space and food waste,
try this....  

Take pie dough that is either left over
from your pie making frenzy of last week
or use some store bought stuff
and trace a circle, adding about an inch,
all around the pie plate... 

I used a disposable aluminum single serving pie plate,
but any pie tin will do... 

This will be for your bottom crust... 

Cut out the circle and fit it into your pie tin... 

Refrigerate about ten minutes...  

Now the fun part!  

Fill your pie tin with whatever leftover goodies you like...  

I tossed in shredded cooked turkey,
sweet potatoes, stuffing
and then I drizzled gravy all over...  

Much like a Shepherd's Pie, I spread mashed potatoes
over that and then topped the whole shebang
with another pie crust circle...

Crimp the edges, cut slits in the top
and brush beaten egg with milk over the pastry,
for a nice browned crust...  

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes
or until the crust is brown...  

Hello, today's lunch! 

That pretty much cashed in most of the leftovers,
but I still have a fair amount of turkey left... 

The troops are turkey-ed out,
so I may put together a pan of turkey enchiladas
and freeze them for another date...  

On another note,
after Thanksgiving was booted out the door
(at about 8 pm Thursday night),
it seemed the Christmas season was upon us, full tilt... 

We succeeded in avoiding any Black Friday Sales,
namely because we are broke,
but I have to say it was fun to stay home
with a fire blazing in the fireplace,
Jenga games happening on the floor
and cheesy movies on the TV... 

Yesterday, I decided that this blissful family togetherness
was wearing thin,
so I broke out the Aldi Gingerbread House making kits...
  

One good thing about squirreling away
Halloween and Dollar store candy
is that is really comes in handy for this project...
  

We have more than enough sugary goods
to doll up twenty houses... 

I love watching the kids' creativity come out...  

It's one of my favorite Christmas traditions
and they only fought over the candy once....

Okay, twice...  

Have you made out your December Calendar of Fun yet?  

Nope, me neither....

but I am coming up with some ideas...  

On the list are:  

Cookie Day  

Ice Skating  

Ladies Crafting Party  

Date Nights    

I need to find some more fun things
to do with the kids that are easy on the budget...  

Would love to see some holiday shows, but tickets are $$$...  

Anyway, share with me any fun,
family friendly holiday traditions you enjoy... 

I'd love to hear 'em!!