Got leftovers? We've got recipes

 Thanksgiving dinner puts a lot of pressure on a cook.

But it's nothing compared with Thanksgiving leftovers.

Of course, you can just reheat and re-serve the whole meal over and over until the stuffing starts drying out and cracking. But a good cook is supposed to spend the Friday after Thanksgiving doing something wizardly with all those leftovers, right? Take the remains of the holiday and turn them into something supremely special, perhaps a turkey pot pie with a flaky homemade crust, with lovingly hand-crimped edges. Or a turkey mole. And it's a given that A Real Cook makes a rich turkey soup with a stock that was hours in the making.

But what if you'd rather be shopping? We've got some quick and easy recipes to empty out the fridge -- as well as a few more complex dishes if you are so inspired:

Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

It's not too late to have a Thanksgiving dinner -- or sushi

There are at least a couple of ways to deal with the fact that you have yet to plan Thanksgiving dinner: reservations at any of the dozens of restaurants that will be celebrating the holiday, or takeout.

In addition to our list of restaurants offering Thanksgiving menus, check your local grocer for takeout options. And besides many notable hotel dining rooms, restaurants all over the Southland are offering wonderful fare for Thanksgiving dinner.

You've got choices -- the traditional, the not-so-traditional, as well as the vegan. Oh, and there's sushi.

Photo: Philippe Lopez  / AFP/Getty Images

Sampler Platter: Hardee's in Pakistan, bacon flights in Palm Springs, stolen bees in Matamata

Bee thieves, suggestions for food that should be thrown at celebrity chefs and all sorts of pre-Turkey Day food news.

-- Thieves steal more than a million bees from New Zealand beekeeper. NZHerald.com
-- Ten celebrity chefs and the foods that should be thrown at them. Westworld
-- CKE Restaurants opens first Hardee's in Pakistan. Associated Press
-- White House menu for state dinner for Prime Minister Singh. ABC News
-- Xiao long bao at Tampa Garden in Reseda. Stuffy Cheaks
-- People learn to cook from restaurant chefs so they can save money by cooking at home. Chicago Tribune
-- Even vegetarians hate Tofurkey. CNN
-- It's time for the annual Butterball hotline horror stories. Chicago Sun-Times
-- Eating LA digs Cheeky's in Palm Springs with its flight of four kinds of bacon and pumpernickel waffle.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Hardee's in Lahore, Pakistan. Credit: Business Wire

Thanksgiving countdown: Scalloped oysters

How about something that's different -- yet still a classic -- this holiday? Here's your recipe for scalloped oysters.

-- Rene Lynch
On Twitter @renelynch 

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Photo credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

 

Attack of the 100-proof turkey

This Thanksgiving, binge eaters and drinkers can kill two birds with one stone. O'Casey's Tavern in Manhattan is unveiling their 100-proof turkey today, serendipitously in sync with the Heath section's cover story on the psychology behind binge eating, which researchers have found has strong biochemical resemblance to alcoholism and addiction. 

As if tryptophan wasn't enough of an intoxicant, O'Casey's turkey is marinated in 100-proof Georgi vodka, along with peach, raspberry, cherry and apple flavored vodkas for 72 hours. According to a story in the New York Post, the bird will contain one ounce of alcohol per bite. The cost of the bender ($29.95) includes vodka-infused gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and a taxi ride home (a vomitorium, however, is not included).

For those aiming to abstain this holiday season, there's the recently released Jones Tofurkey and Gravy Soda, a vegan and non-alcoholic alternative.

-- Krista Simmons

Photo credit: Karl O'Connor

Fight the food coma: Your Thanksgiving weekend club guide

When you've had your fill of turkey and family, here's what you can do on Thanksgiving weekend.

And if you conveniently missed your holiday dinner with relatives, many clubs and bars are offering a special holiday menu.

Thanksgiving countdown: whole-grain mustard rolls

These rolls can be prepared up to three days in advance  -- or you can make them right now, and freeze them until Turkey Day. Here's the recipe:

And don't forget the butter.

-- Rene Lynch
On Twitter @renelynch 

PHOTOS: 97 of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes

This Thanksgiving, let someone else do the cooking

More recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

Join us on Twitter @latimesfood and Facebook at facebook.com/latimesfood

Photo credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times 

More Thanksgiving options: Joe's, Simon L.A., Henry's Hat, Gus's BBQ, Josie and Larcmont Larder

Joe's Restaurant is offering a four-course Thanksgiving menu with several choices for each course, including sunchoke soup with smoked baby artichokes and hazelnuts; crispy sweetbreads with fall vegetables; Heritage Farms turkey breast and leg confit; Eastern monkfish and gulf shrimp with butter clam parsley broth; and pumpkin pie with pepita brittle and parsnip vanilla ice cream. $52 per person, $22 for children. 1023 Abbott Kinney Blvd., Venice; (310) 399-5811, www.joesrestaurant.com.

Henry's Hat opens Thanksgiving Day at 9 a.m., serving brunch all day long (including 2-for-1 mojitos and Bloody Marys, and bottomless mimosas and sangria). A Southern Thanksgiving buffet dinner starts at 2 p.m.: spinach salad; deep-fried turkey breast; brown butter and honey glazed ham; mashed potatoes; stuffing; roasted Brussels sprouts; coconut cream pie and pumpkin pie. $20 per person; children under 8 eat free. 3413 Cahuenga Blvd., Studio City; (323) 512-2500; www.henrys-hat.com.

Simon L.A. at the Sofitel Hotel is serving Thanksgiving, featuring free-range, organic turkey and trimmings such as sweet potatoes with caramelized walnuts, cornbread and sage stuffing, and buttermilk mashed potatoes. Kerry Simon's signature junk food platter: pumpkin cupcakes, orange coconut snowballs, pecan-date cookies, candy corn Rice Krispies treats, cranberry-orange sorbet, and pumpkin milkshake. Or you can have pumpkin pie. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., $46 per person, $21 for children under 12. Sofitel L.A., 8555 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 358-3979; www.simonlarestaurant.com.

Pumpkin shortage could mean empty shelves after Thanksgiving

Someone needs to break the bad news to Times Test Kitchen Manager (and pumpkin lover) Noelle Carter:

Mother Nature may have sneaked off with a sought-after slice of Thanksgiving.

Recent heavy rains in the Midwest are putting pumpkin pie in short supply this holiday season. On Tuesday, food giant Nestle, which controls about 85% of the pumpkin crop for canning, issued a rare apology and said that rain appeared to have destroyed what remained of a small harvest this year and that it expected to stop shipping the holiday staple by Thanksgiving. Read more here:

-- Rene Lynch

Photo caption: Nestle has forecast a shortage of canned pumpkin as recent heavy rains in the Midwest have damaged much of the crop, including in Morton, Ill. Credit: Adam Gerik / Nestle 

 

Thanksgiving countdown: We've got classics, dinner to go, pie and the turkey readers love

Happy Thanksgiving!

OK, the big day is still a week away, but there's little time to waste. And we've got everything you need to make this the best turkey day ever:

-- North, South, East and West -- we all celebrate Thanksgiving. But we don't all celebrate it in the same way: Take a tour of some classic holiday dishes from across the nation, including scalloped oysters. (This dish was initially greeted with skepticism by some in The Times Test Kitchen. But that was before the first bite. Everyone who tried it went back for seconds....and fifths.)

-- Thanksgiving is all about tradition, and Times Food Editor Russ Parsons has one of his own: Writing about the dry-brined "Judy Bird." It's more of a technique than a recipe, and it yields what many say is the juiciest, tastiest turkey EVER. Is it any wonder that readers go nuts for it? So much so  that this recipe has its own list of frequently asked questions.

-- We all know that Times Test Kitchen manager Noelle Carter is crazy about bacon. Turns out she's crazy about pumkins too. (She decorated her desk for the holiday with baby pumpkins.) So what's the logical next step? A pumpkin pie made with a bacon-and-bourbon pie crust. Plus: Pumpkins and squash come in so many varieties. Take a tour of this photo gallery and see how many you can identify.

-- Just interested in eating this holiday? Leave the cooking to someone else. Here's our list of places to dine out -- and take out -- this Thanksgiving.

-- Not sure what you want? Browse this, calorie free: 97 of our best Thanksgiving recipes

-- Still want more? Check out www.latimes.com/Thanksgiving

-- Rene Lynch

Photo: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times