The best part of thanksgiving is, without question, the sales afterword. No, I’m not talking about electronic gizmos and other random junk. I’m talking about taking a stroll through the meat department at the supermarket. You can absolutely pick up ham or turkey for half the price they were a week prior to the holiday. Nothing makes me feel like I’m husbanding quite so well as getting a 50% discount on a hunk of meat. The biggest challenge with this is, of course, that the family has already been consuming leftover ham and turkey for the better part of a week and are not going to be well pleased when presented with MORE TURKEY.

The truth is, I don’t really care. Feeding the family on the cheap is an occupational necessity. I am not made of money, and if people would turn the lights off when leaving a room or just wear a sweater, I might just have more money to spend on tasty and exotic foods. As it is, the only reason we’re not eating beans and rice every night is a direct result of my economic vigilance at the grocery store. Which I’m not very good at, so it’s a pretty minor help, but I do try. Anyhow. Here is an interesting recipe I knocked up using bits of cooked turkey and fresh herbs I had left over in the fridge. You could also use the leftover second (half-priced) turkey you got from the store the week after Thanksgiving.

You’ll need:

1lb Fresh Chestnuts
1 1/2 C Wild Rice mix
2 14.5oz Cans Low-sodium Chicken broth
4Tbsp Fresh Rosemary
2 Tsp Fresh Thyme
2Tbsp Fresh Sage
1Tbsp Fresh Parsley
1-2Lb Cooked & shredded Turkey
1Pkg sliced mushrooms
Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Making it happen:

Cut an X in each fresh chestnut & roast in the oven at 425F for 30 min. Flip once at about 15 min. Let the chestnuts cool a bit and shell them. Slice them into chunks, discarding any moldy ones.

Heat up the turkey and sliced mushrooms just so the mushrooms start to cook and reduce in size.

Add rice, herbs, a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the Chicken Broth in a large pot. Heat to boiling and add the chestnuts, turkey, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until all of the water has been absorbed – this takes anywhere between 45min and 1hr.

Serve alongside some sort of veggie, like asparagus, and some leftover cranberry relish.