For me, a meatless version of Shepherd or Cottage Pie (I recently learned its only Shepherd Pie if it contains lamb, otherwise it should be called "Cottage Pie." Whatever...) was my main dish for Thanksgiving dinner while it served as a side dish for the others to go along with the traditional turkey.

For after the holiday dinner, this casserole makes good use of a dab of this and a little of that even if the bits are a little too little to make for a proper leftover dinner plate.

Anyway, it all tasted good on one plate for the big feast. Why not put it all in one dish for a day-after casserole? There are no exact amounts and I'm just giving you some of the items that could go in. You may also have yams, squash, corn.. whatever.

I'm a stuffing freak, so I'm leaving that out to have on it's own. Cool suggestion if any stuffing isn't just enjoyed warmed up with some mushroom gravy: spread leftover stuffing on a cookie sheet and baked it until dry then cut it into cubes to use as croutons in a salad.

Turkey Shepherd (Cottage) Pie

Shredded turkey, green beans (or green bean casserole leftovers), cranberry sauce, gravy, carrots, mashed potato, grated parmigiano reggiano or other shredded cheese.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray casserole dish with non-stick baking spray. Gently mix together all your leftovers except for the potato and cheese and place in casserole dish. Mix the cheese into the mashed potato and spread over top. Bake covered with aluminum foil  for about a half hour, or until bubbling. Remove foil and broil until the top has a golden brown crust.

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Sing "The 12 Days of Christmas" Song (Upstate New York Food Edition)

Here is a new twist to that venerable holiday song, "The 12 Days of Christmas". The twelve days here each highlights a different food icon from Upstate New York. Although many of your food favorites made "the song," I do wish it was the 25 days of Christmas instead. Yes, we have that many food legends in our region. So, enjoy the "12 Days of Christmas (Upstate NY Food Edition) and remember, don't just read this post...sing it!

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