Everybody Eats: Today we are thankful for leftovers

The scent of turkey wasn't wafting through my house Thursday.

My husband is out of town, so my family celebrated Thanksgiving two weeks ago. While all of you were sitting down to your meals, the kids and I were popping popcorn and watching movies.

After several days of Thanksgiving leftovers, by now the three of us are ready for a day of anything but turkey and stuffing.

The first day of leftovers isn't so bad. For some, the day after Thanksgiving - when they can basically recreate the meal without the fancy clothes and awkward conversation with the great-aunt you only see once a year - is better than the actual holiday.

Body copy ragged right: On day two, though, it's tougher to sell your kids on turkey. Again. Especially if you're like us and tend to run out of side dishes long before the turkey is gone.

Because I've already tackled the leftovers dilemma, here are some ideas for what you can do with that unending container of turkey:

• Turkey salad: Dice turkey and serve it on top of fresh greens, or take substitute turkey in a favorite chicken salad recipe.
• Turkey stir fry: It sounds odd, but I whipped up a serving of turkey fried rice and the kids gobbled (See what I did there?) it up.
• Turkey noodle soup: Substitute turkey for chicken in any recipe.

Remember, all leftover turkey should be placed in the refrigerator within two hours of serving, so don't eat yourself into a food coma before slicing all of the meat from the turkey carcass.

Turkey is best stored in airtight plastic bags or shallow storage containers. It's better to use several instead of one giant container.

The turkey will be good for two to three days if refrigerated at 40 degrees or cooler.

Here's a leftover recipe haven't tried yet, but it sounds delicious. Happy Thanksgiving!

HOT TURKEY, CHEDDAR AND APPLE SANDWICH

• Sliced turkey
• Cheddar cheese, sliced thin
• Bread, lightly toasted

Placed sliced turkey on lightly toasted bread and top with thin Cheddar cheese. Broil until the cheese melts. Add some thin slices of Granny Smith apples and top with another slice of toasted bread.

Source: Thanksgiving 101: Foolproof Recipes for Turkey, Stuffings and Dressings, Cranberry Sauce, Pumpkin Pie, and More! By Rick Rodgers (William Morrow Cookbooks; Oct. 2, 2007)