Get creative with your Thanksgiving leftovers!

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Mains, Recipes, Thoughts     awesome, barbecue sauce, leftovers, recipes, sliders, thanksgiving, Turkey

Do you have a couple piles of turkey meat staring you straight in the eyes every time you open your fridge? I certainly do. Last Christmas, Breakfast Television asked me to get creative and come up with three recipes that people could use to turn a mish mash of Christmas dinner leftovers (still applicable for Thanksgiving) into some interesting dishes.

As I’m always up for a challenge, I brainstormed and came up with some interesting ways to use up the holiday dinner leftovers. (left, photo of my friend Michelle and Chris setting the table for our Thanksgiving dinner this past Monday night)

You can view the vintage video clip of myself on Breakfast Television talking about my three leftover recreations here

Here’s the recipe for my favourite ‘reworking’ of the three, Cranberry Barbecue Turkey Sliders with Sweet Potato Aioli. I whipped some up last night in my Start From Scratch class, and mass approval. If you still have some leftovers in your kitchen, try this one out!

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Pinot Noir and Strawberry Barbecue Sauce

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes     barbecue sauce, bbq, grilling, pinot noir, recipes, strawberries, summer, wine

What you’ll need…

1 yellow onion (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 cup fresh strawberries (trimmed, quartered)

1/2 cup pinot noir

1/2 cup ketchup

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 TBSP soy sauce

2 TSP worchestershire sauce

2 TSP garlic powder

1 TSP tobasco

1 TSP cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

olive oil

What happens when you have a bottle of red wine and some freshly purchased strawberries on your counter? A barbecue sauce experiment, of course! I love trying out different variations on a traditional barbecue sauce (like this Root Beer one). More so in the spring/summer, when a sunny day is practically begging you to be outside grilling something! The best part about cooking with wine is that you never need a whole bottle, so you can enjoy a glass while you’re cooking with it! Or, that’s what I do anyway…

Start off by cooking down the onion and garlic in some olive oil on medium-high heat until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped strawberries to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, pour in the pinot noir and let the mixture cook until reduced by half, about 8-10 minutes.

Once the mixture has reduced, stir in all remaining ingredients. Reduce to low heat and let simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Store in a container in refrigerator until ready to use. Will keep for up to one week.

Great on salmon or chicken! Serving with a chilled, creamy potato salad is highly recommended!

Yields 2 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

Totally cook time…45 min