My Thanksgiving casserole. (Provided photo — Yvona Fast)

We are blessed. We celebrated Thanksgiving, got together with friends or family, had a big feast to count our blessings and celebrate native foods like squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cranberries and turkey.

We read about food insecurity and how our neighbors worry about putting food on the table. But in this time and place, it is hard for me to imagine. I’m thankful to live in this community and share food with friends and neighbors.

We live in a place and time where a lot of good food is thrown out. I know folks who get good food — bags of potatoes and onions, carrots, and other stuff — that grocery stores discard in their dumpsters.

We are fortunate. We live in a place with abundant food. We have food pantries and community suppers. Turkey Trots and Crop Walks raise funds for our local food pantries. Last week, the Lake Placid Ecumenical Food Pantry gave out 275 bags of food in one day. At last Saturday’s free community turkey supper in Lake Clear, $1,000 was raised for our community food needs. No one should go hungry.

If you were one of those fortunate to have leftovers from your holiday feast, give thanks. Reach out and help others by donating to local food pantries and helping cook and serve food at community lunches and suppers.

Find creative ways to use your leftovers. If you cooked the turkey for your crowd, make a turkey carcass soup with it. If the host gave you some of the meat to take home, you can make more than sandwiches. Be creative. Make a casserole or skillet with your leftovers.

And above all, remain thankful.

Here is a casserole I made with my holiday leftovers:

–

Leftover casserole

–

Ingredients:

Thanksgiving leftovers like turkey, stuffing, gravy and vegetables.

Directions:

Oil a casserole dish or spray with cooking spray.

Line the bottom with cooked turkey.

Next put in a layer of roasted mixed vegetables. You could also use other vegetables, like cooked green beans or diced cooked squash with cranberries.

Pour in about a cup of gravy.

Top with leftover dressing from your feast.

Bake until heated through.

Serving size depends on the size of your baking dish and the amount of leftovers you use.

Here is another casserole idea:

–

Turkey Gratin with Greens

–

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons cooking oil

1 onion

4 ounces sliced mushrooms

10 ounces spinach (or other greens, like chard, collards, or kale)

2 cups diced cooked turkey

For sauce:

2/3 cup broth

2/3 cup milk

2 Tablespoons flour

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

For crumb topping:

1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet. Peel and dice onion. Place in skillet, sprinkle with salt and cook 5 minutes on low heat. Stir in mushrooms and continue cooking 5 minutes longer.

Wash the spinach, chop coarsely, and add to the skillet, along with water clinging to the leaves. Cover, and cook just until wilted.

Make the sauce: combine broth, milk and flour and shake in a jar until blended. Transfer to saucepan, add cheese and heat, stirring, until cheese melts and sauce thickens.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare casserole dish by spraying with cooking spray. Layer half the turkey, then half the spinach mixture, and cover with half the sauce. Repeat layers.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Stir in melted butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole and bake until bubbly and top is brown. Serves 2 to 3.

Note: If you have other leftover veggies like green beans or broccoli (or even sweet potatoes or squash) use them instead.

You can also make this with frozen chopped spinach or broccoli or green beans if you don’t have fresh.

— — —

Author of the award-winning cookbook “Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers Market,” Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: Writing and cooking. She can be found at www.yvonafast.com and reached at yvonawrite@yahoo.com or on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: @yvonawrites.