The brown sugar sweetness of those golden pumpkin bread slices is a perfect counterpoint to the tart cranberry sauce and the salty strips of bacon leftover from our Thanksgiving feast. Beneath it all an abundance of sliced turkey tastes rich and satisfying on the Best Turkey Sandwich ever.

The Best Turkey Sandwich on a white plate.

Thanksgiving Revisited

There were only three of us at the table this year, and we cooked on Tuesday rather than Thursday. All the same, our Thanksgiving Dinner embraced family tradition. The only departure from the expected menu was that we elected to skip the Sweet Potatoes with Bacon and Pecans. Together we shared a Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey, Plain Bread Stuffing, Southern Style Green Beans, Corn Salad with Pecan Dressing, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Pumpkin Yeast Braids and a Rustic Apple Pie.

The fragrance from the kitchen was delightful! It was 70 degrees outside but the scent of Thanksgiving wafted out the window and into the garden as I took a short break from the cooking. Sitting there the aroma finally brought the season home. Though this past year has been one of abundant change for my family, those things that are timeless endure. We have so much to be thankful for, not the least of which is this beautiful weather, that tempting scent emanating from the kitchen and the wonderful warm memories it evokes.

It was a delicious meal. And, while the leftovers are unusually plentiful, it is hard to complain about a refrigerator full of family favorites. The challenge is to find new ways of combining those old favorites into tempting meals. That task doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes the smallest variations can lend a bright new perspective.

Looking Forward to Leftovers

One welcome addition to the leftover lineup this year was one whole untouched Pumpkin Yeast Braid. It is my youngest son’s favorite but since he was not able to join us this year there was enough left the next day to slice for sandwiches. As we prepared a picnic lunch for our visit to the waterfront at Mud Island, that’s where I started.

First I gently toasted the Pumpkin Yeast Braid slices. I let them brown just enough to add body and lend a slight golden color.

Two slices of toasted Pumpkin Yeast Bread on a white plate beside a jar of Cranberry Sauce.

Then I piled on some slices from the herb roasted breast meat from our Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey, adding a few chunks of dark meat as well.

Toasted Pumpkin Yeast Braid slices topped with meat from The Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey.

To the turkey I added bacon strips that weren’t used since we skipped the Sweet Potatoes with Bacon and Pecans.

Bacon topped turkey meat on The Best Turkey Sandwich, assembled on a white plate.

Finally I added a thick layer of Cranberry Sauce. In our house that is most often the jelled stuff from a can. It is my daughter’s favorite. For many folks a heartier cranberry sauce would work just as well.

Adding the can-berry sauce to The Best Turkey Sandwich.

They were pretty sandwiches!

The Best Turkey Sandwich sliced on top of a white plate.

With the addition of leftover Corn Salad with Pecan Dressing, a few Mandarin Oranges and some Chocolate Chip Cookies they provided a picnic worth looking forward to.

An Amazing Turkey Sandwich

Still it wasn’t until we got down to the riverfront that I discovered how good these sandwiches really are. The brown sugar sweetness of those golden bread slices is a perfect counterpoint to the tart cranberry sauce and the salty strips of bacon. Beneath it all the abundance of sliced turkey tasted rich and satisfying while lending a delicate infusion of herbs that added charming accent notes and gave a sense of completion to the composition.

Corn Salad with Pecan Dressing served beside The Best Turkey Sandwich on a plate for a picnic at Mud Island.

Though turkey sandwiches are one of my favorite holiday outcomes, we still have more turkey to look forward too. At my house that might mean Cashew Turkey Casserole. Or we might make a turkey variation on Chicken and Dumplings made with homemade Turkey Stock.

What is your favorite way to use Thanksgiving leftovers?