AND THE WINNER IS......

In the wake of Thanksgiving, I put on a Holiday Left Over Challenge for a fabulous KitchenAide Mixer furnished by the lovely people at Sam's Club, and "insert bugle call here" the winner is going to be announced. Right. This. Second. Right......pause for dramatic effect......Now.

But first, let me just say how awesome every recipe submitted was. I made and ate all of them, and was floored by the level of creativity and deliciousness. Thank you for sharing your recipes with me, I thoroughly enjoyed them! And now for the winner:

It's Kelly Artz and her delicious Thanksgiving Wontons with Cranberry Dipping sauce! I love that her recipe is not only unrecognizable as a left over meal, but it also utilizes three ingredients from the holiday table: turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. It's easy to put together and perfect for next day appetizers. The cranberry sauce acts as the perfect counterpoint to the fatty crunch of the wontons, and the scallions add a bite of spice. I even tried mixing a little sriracha to the wonton filling for extra heat. Fantastic job, Kelly!

Below, I also included the runners-up: Mandy from Gourmet Mom on the Go's South Western take on leftovers, and Andrew Hyatt's Left Over Hash. Both were absolutely delicious, and a great way to enjoy the remnants of Holiday gluttony. They will be receiving a Kitchy Kitchen Holiday package filled with tons of goodies. Thank you again for all of your submissions, I had the best time eating and cooking my way through them. Happy Holidays!

From Kelly Artz

Thanksgiving Wontons with Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1 package wonton wrappers

½ to 1 teaspoon leftover turkey and stuffing

½ teaspoon cranberry sauce

¼ teaspoon scallions

½ cup oil

Pinch of salt

Directions:

To start, moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper with your fingers. Lay the wrapper on a flat surface and fill it with the turkey, stuffing, cranberry, scallions and a touch of salt. I used between a ½ and 1 teaspoon of the turkey and stuffing, depending on how much you can fit. Then form the wonton square into a crescent moon shape by pushing together the moistened ends in order to make it stick.

Heat about a ½ cup of oil in a large saucepan until 375 degrees. Carefully set 4 or 5 wontons in the oil. Fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Take out and set them on a paper towel to take some of the oil off.

In a separate small saucepan, heat up some leftover cranberry sauce until hot. This is your dipping sauce for the wontons. Enjoy!

From Mandy Heaton of Gourmet Mom on the Go

We always have a ton of leftover Mashed potatoes-they’re inexpensive to make and I always go crazy so we always have leftovers. Our family loves Southwest Food and it seems like a completely different meal even though I’m using turkey and mashed potatoes. Here's my original creation to use up those potatoes and turkey:

Southwest Turkey and Potato Cakes

Makes 8
Ingredients:
2 C. leftover Mashed Potatoes
2 C. leftover Turkey, cubed
1 C. Panko Bread Crumbs
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning
1 C. Salsa, your favorite kind
½ C. Black Beans, rinsed and Drained
½ C. Cut corn, fresh or canned
2 T. Canola Oil
Light Sour cream, for garnish

Directions:
Mix Mashed potatoes and taco seasoning until well combined. Heat 1 T. Canola oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Scoop out ¼ C. mashed potato mixture and shape into a patty. Roll in panko crumbs. Repeat with remaining potatoes. Cook in skillet until browned on each side, about 2 minutes each side (add the other Tablespoon oil if needed). Remove from skillet and set on cookie rack.

While potato cakes are cooking, mix turkey, salsa, beans and corn in a medium bowl.
Put a heaping spoonful of turkey mixture over each potato cake, top with a dallop of light sour cream, and serve immediately.

Happy Cooking!


From Andrew Hyatt

Morning After Turkey Hash

*This is great the next morning because it tastes nothing like Thanksgiving dinner, at yet still uses up the leftovers (or at least some). And it's easy! Make enough for two or invite people over for a brunch of Hash and Mimosas

Ingredients:
Mashed potatoes-3/4c per person (ours had garlic and sour cream in them. If you're potatoes don't have that, I'd recommend sauteing some garlic before adding the potatoes)
Cut up turkey
Hot Sauce (I used Tapatio)
Eggs-1 per person

1. Heat up about a tablespoon of butter in a frying pan. Once completely melted, spoon in enough mashed potatoes for each person
2. Fry until mashed potatoes begin to brown and get crispy, turning over to brown as much of the potatoes as possible. It's the crunchy fried parts that give this dish flavor!
3. Add turkey and cook a few more minutes until heated through. Season with hot sauce and salt/pepper to taste
4. When the turkey is added to the potatoes, poach eggs in boiling water and cook for about 2 min.
5. Plate Turkey Hash and place poached egg on top. Sprinkle salt/pepper on egg

Enjoy!