What to Do With All of That Turkey- Part Two

A couple of days ago I wrote about my recipe for Thanksgiving Leftovers Monkey Bread.

Awesome, right?

Well, the second recipe I came up with was for these Thanksgiving Pockets- equally awesome :-)

These are great fresh, but really...freeze them.  By the time you start looking at things to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers, you're most likely turkey-ed out, right?

You've had all of the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing you can handle and now you just want it gone.

Time to move on to the Christmas binge, right?

Well this recipe is for you.  You know that popular brand of little bread pockets stuffed with a variety of fillings?  Consider this my own personal homemade Thanksgiving take on those.

Filling the "pockets"

One day, when the holidays have passed, Winter is raging, and you just want a nice filling meal, these will be there waiting in your freezer.  Just let them cool completely on wire racks before putting them in the freezer.

They're exactly the same concept as the monkey bread, but in a larger size that's easier to prepare ahead of time.

My husband has already tried them out...you'd think he'd be sick of Thanksgiving food by now, right?
Nope.  He's dutifully playing along with my pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving leftovers jag...and asking for more cranberry sauce.  He demolished finished off the last batch I made.

We have determined, through my husband's R&D help, that these are at their absolute best when reheated in the oven, but work just fine as a quick fix after 2 minutes in the microwave.

:-) Makes them perfect to freeze ahead and take to work/school in your lunch.

Anyway, these are awesome- but don't stop with Thanksgiving!  This dough is great and easy to work with- use it for whatever leftover's you've got!  Or just plan ahead for breakfast pockets, etc... it's pretty handy.  I love freezing handy foods!

Thanksgiving Leftovers Pockets

3 1/2 C all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp white sugar

2 Tbsp yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1 C warm milk

2 eggs

5 C leftover meat and vegetables

2 Tbsp water

1/2 C cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Add flour, sugar, yeast, and salt to mixing bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Add warm milk and one beaten egg.  Add warm milk and one beaten egg, kneading to form dough.

2. Separate dough into 10 equal pieces.  Roll out each piece of dough into a rectangle, approximately 9"x3".  Spoon 1/2 C of leftovers onto one side of rectangle, being careful to leave a clearing of approximately 1/4" around edges.  Fold unused portion of dough rectangle over to encase filling.  Seal edges with tines of a fork.  Lightly prick the top of each pocket several times.  Place dough pockets on a greased baking sheet.  Repeat with each piece of dough.

3. In small bowl, whisk together remaining egg and water.  Brush lightly over the tops of the pockets. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.