• Georgia Pecan Month
• Good Nutrition Month
• National  Peanut Butter Lover’s Month
• National Pepper Month
• National Pomegranate Month
• Raisin Bread Month
• Vegan Month

Honoring many types of food, but not of all things the Turkey.  Why not?  November is Thanksgiving and Turkey is the main highlight of most families dinners on Thanksgiving.  So like October which I have declared ‘The Month of the Pumpkin’ I am now declaring November as Turkey Month.  Everywhere you go, there are turkeys for sale,  Frozen Turkeys, Fresh Turkeys, Heritage Turkeys, already prepared Turkey Dinners, etc.

Before we go any further does anyone know why the Turkey is called the Turkey?  What did the Indians call the Wild Turkey that was prevalent when the first Pilgrims came over?  Does anyone know?  And why did the Europeans call Turkeys, Turkeys?  Well it seems that the Europeans thought the Turkeys were related to Guinea Fowl which were transported to Europe via Turkey.  Therefore, they called the Wild Bird they found in the New World, Turkeys.  That name has stuck to this day.

Benjamin Franklin thought that the Turkey should be the National Bird but the Bald Eagle has and probably always will be the Bird Symbol for the United States.  However, three States including Massachusetts have adopted the Turkey as their State Bird.

Most of us will be making or Eating Turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner.  There are many ways to cook Turkey;  Smoking, Frying, Barbecuing but the traditional and most ways to cook Turkey is still to roast it fully packed with Stuffing.  But preparing Turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner is not the problem.  It’s what to do with the leftovers that presents challenges.  The best and probably favorite way is the ‘Turkey Sandwich’.  My preference is with Mayonnaise, Pickles and Lettuce.  Some like to put Stuffing and Cranberries on their Sandwiches, but whichever way you make it, I would venture to say that the Sandwich is the favorite way to use Turkey Leftovers.

Another use, though probably not usually thought by most people is a Turkey Frittata turkey-frittata/.  The Frittata can be made for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner and is a good way to use up those little pieces of Turkey that fall off the bone or crumble from the slices.  The Frittata is an omelet with  Meat, (Turkey) Vegetables and usually some kind of Cheese.  The Frittata is very tasty and a great use for leftover anything, including Turkey.

Another good use for Turkey leftovers are Turkey Croquettes.  /turkey-croquettes/   Great for  Brunch, Lunch or Dinner the Croquette can be varied to suit your individual taste palette.  Either good old American, Italian, Mexican or even Asian.  With just one or two additional ingredients the flavors can be easily varied.

One more use for leftover Turkey is the Turkey Pot Pie.   turkey-pot-pie/  Delicious and warming in the cooler weather of Fall!

The above are just a few of the things that can be done with Turkey Leftovers.  You can probably come up with more ideas on your own.

And don’t forget!  November is ‘Turkey Month’!!