Well, y’all, just like that, November has come to an end. I hope you enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving and had time to relax with good food and even better company. I attended a Friendsgiving dinner hosted by my friend Emily, and since it was potluck-style, I sampled a bounty of lovingly prepared dishes. I left empty-handed and far too full to think about my next meal, but the next day Emily messaged to ask if I could swing by and take some leftovers off her hands. Relatable? Absolutely. So this week, I’m sharing one of my favorite ways to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers: a classic cranberry turkey sandwich — one of my most anticipated bites of the year.

While this sandwich is as simple as it gets, feel free to experiment with whatever you have on hand. For mine, I grabbed a few slices of sourdough, salted butter, leftover homemade cranberry sauce, Thanksgiving turkey, thinly sliced sharp cheddar and locally grown spinach I picked up from Posterity Farmstead at the Holiday Farmers Market last weekend. If you’re out of cranberry sauce, this is also delicious with raspberry preserves or any fruit preserves hiding in your refrigerator. I used sharp cheddar, but I also have leftover goat cheese that I’m excited to try next time. Use whatever you have — this is all about cleaning out the fridge and enjoying leftovers creatively.

Let’s not reinvent the wheel here — I know you can make a sandwich — but here are a few tips. In my opinion, the key to a good sandwich is avoiding dryness. While I didn’t use traditional sandwich condiments like mayonnaise or mustard, I used a liberal amount of butter on both slices of bread and topped that with plenty of cranberry sauce. The first time I made this, I only used sauce on one slice, and my husband, Jon, and I agreed it was better on both. Another tip: toast your bread long enough to remain crunchy once the sandwich is assembled. I prefer sourdough or other rustic loaves, but this sandwich would also be phenomenal toasted in the oven on Hawaiian sweet rolls or any leftover dinner rolls you have on hand.

I hope you find ways to enjoy your leftovers this week. Celebrating an abundance of food one day shouldn’t mean wasting food the next. If you can’t eat everything on your own, share with friends, neighbors or even someone in need. And if all else fails, feed the worms instead of the landfill. Composting is a great way to dispose of food scraps and leaves you with nutrient-rich fertilizer when it’s time to plant your spring garden. Just don’t compost meat or dairy, which attract pests. I hope you stay warm and dry during this cold, rainy start to December. May your sandwiches never be dry, and may you always have enough to share.

KRISTIN’S LEFTOVER CRANBERRY TURKEY SANDWICH

Ingredients:
2 slices sourdough bread
2 tablespoons salted butter
3 tablespoons cranberry sauce
2 ounces thinly sliced sharp white cheddar
6 ounces turkey
Handful of spinach

Directions:
■ Toast the bread in a toaster or oven until golden brown.
■ Spread butter and cranberry sauce on both slices.
■ Layer cheese, turkey and spinach on one slice.
■ Top with the second slice, cut in half and enjoy.

Kristin is a Columbus local and a graduate of MUW’s Culinary Arts Program. She lives downtown with her husband, Jon, her naughty cat Sokka and her retired sled dog, Megan. In her free time she enjoys baking, making stained glass art and hanging out with her friends. If you see her in town, say hi!