Thanksgiving Dinner Tips & Tricks With Culinary Expert Andrea Buckett

To help celebrate Thanksgiving, Farm Boy has partnered with culinary expert and recipe developer Andrea Buckett to share exclusive tips and tricks that will transform your holiday hosting into an unforgettable celebration. Check out our chat with Andrea, below, ahead of the long weekend’s festivities! —Noa Nichol

Your viral series “What the Hell Am I Going to Do with This?” is a hit! What inspired you to start creating unique recipes from leftovers?

As a recipe developer, I often had bits and pieces of ingredients left over in my fridge that I wanted to use up. Reducing food waste is important to me, and one day while cleaning out my fridge, I proclaimed, “What the hell am I going to do with this?” and right there on the spot, the series was born. I wasn’t a fan of the fact that people didn’t have any idea what to do with food hanging in the fridge. The series really resonated with people immediately, and the rest is history.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, people tend to have tons of leftovers. What’s the first step in transforming those leftovers into exciting new meals?

First off, don’t feel like you have to make leftovers right away. Some people don’t love leftovers the very next day. So I say, lean into the freezer—think “TV dinners”—and portion your ingredients out, meal prep style. You can seal and freeze them for up to 3 months or until you feel like eating the food again. You can also freeze individual portions of Farm Boy Cranberry Sauce and Farm Boy Gravy for other meals like poutine or cheese boards down the road.

Do you have a favourite leftover ingredient from Thanksgiving that you love working with, and why?

It’s definitely proteins because they are so versatile. Think the Farm Boy Roast Turkey or the Farm Boy Glazed Ham—which is what we’ve had in my house for the last three Thanksgivings. Sure, leftover protein can go in soups, but they can also be used in quiches, omelettes, and, at their most basic, as luncheon meat. One of my favourite things to do with turkey is to make a quick turkey curry and serve it over rice—it takes a simple turkey and completely transforms it.

What’s one unexpected leftover combination that people might not think of but works brilliantly?

One of my favourite things about Thanksgiving is the cranberry sauce. The Farm Boy Cranberry Sauce is delicious—I can’t get enough of it. I like to take leftover cranberry sauce and serve it on a grilled cheese sandwich or heat it up and pour it over ice cream.

How can home cooks keep Thanksgiving leftovers fresh and ready for repurposing over the following days?

It’s essential to store the food within 2 hours of cooking it. If you know everyone is going to dig in the next day, you can absolutely store everything in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To get creative, store each component separately (turkey, vegetables, stuffing, gravy, etc.), and think of each one as a brand new ingredient with endless possibilities, instead of just part of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Can you share one quick and easy leftover recipe that will surprise guests the day after Thanksgiving?

Everyone usually starts out with a cheese board—I mean, who doesn’t love cheese? But often, you can have leftovers that you don’t want to eat right away. Farm Boy has an exceptional ‘fresh-market’ experience, and I purchase all of my cheeses from there. You’ll need a firm variety of cheese (think Parmesan Reggiano) and semi-firm cheeses (think Farm Boy Welsh Cheddar Cheese or Farm Boy Organic Swiss Cheese). Here’s what you’re going to do: pop them all in a food processor and blitz until you have a combination of crumbly cheese. This bag can be frozen for up to 3 months or kept in the fridge for about 3 days. Use the cheese to elevate a pizza or homemade macaroni and cheese! Who doesn’t love 5-cheese mac and cheese?

What’s your top tip for reducing food waste during the holidays while still creating new, delicious meals from leftovers?

It all starts when you first hit the grocery store. Everyone is always nervous about running out of food, but chances are you won’t. It’s more likely that you’ll end up with too many leftovers. So, less is more! I know it can be difficult to break tradition, but you do not need eight different side dishes. Between appetizers, the main meal, and dessert, I find that nobody eats as much as they used to. If you’re someone who never bakes, this really isn’t the time to start. I’ve heard many horror stories about people trying their hand at pies and then having to throw them out. Baked goods can be expensive to make, and no one wants to waste those baking mistakes. As someone who appreciates quality food at an excellent value, I highly recommend leaning into some pre-made Farm Boy desserts like the Farm Boy Pumpkin Spice Loaf Cake or the Farm Boy Pumpkin Pecan Crunch Pie! You won’t be disappointed.

Can you share with us one great Thanksgiving leftovers recipe, please?

My favourite Thanksgiving leftovers recipe is my Chipotle Turkey Skillet. You can find it on my website here.