Two years ago I discovered that there are more foods to eat on November meal (what I call Th*nksgiving) than just ham and mashed potatoes with gravy and my entire life changed. Of course my family always cooked a giant spread of other traditional dishes like stuffing and cranberry sauce with our own family favorites like my Aunty Donita’s cheesy potato casserole, but I used to opt for the safe foods in my previously limited food bank. I was a different person back then…a dumber person. However, my view on November meal foods changed two moons ago (is this even the right usage Yonny) when Brandon and I gathered to consume our shared leftover dishes post-day of gluttony. We made small sandwiches of leftover turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and dressed spring mix on ciabatta rolls (you can view those sandwiches here) and I discovered the joy of a. cranberry sauce, b. stuffing, and c. the entirety of leftover November meal. We didn’t get to share our remaining foods this year, but I made my own leftover November meal sandwich with some of the dishes I loved most at my family gathering last Thursday. Now that I’ve eaten said and pictured sandwich, I should’ve done either of the following: made leftover November meal sliders on King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls or utilized the previously mentioned ciabatta method wrapped in parchment paper so as not to allow the ingredients to fall out of the bread. I stacked my sandwich according to ingredient type and based on which would mesh well with which. On one side of my toasted Japanese white bread, I layered my Grandma’s sweet and tangy cranberry sauce, aforementioned cheesy potato casserole, Dad’s mashed potatoes, my famous to me sausage stuffing (watch me make this last year over here), and lots of thick brown gravy. On the other side—which, like why did I put foods on both sides of the bread to make it extremely difficult to flip over and close the sandwich????—I placed two HONKIN slices of turkey topped with extra gravy and a few pieces of dad’s garlicky king oyster mushrooms. As you would believe, the sandwich immediately fell apart upon flipping and closing and I ended up eating most of the insides with a fork and knife. A fail, as some would say. However, I still love November meal foods and different formats with which to consume leftover dishes! Thanks be to Brandon for teaching me the ways of foods outside of my bubble!
