I had so much turkey left over after Thanksgiving that I froze a great deal of it for use in future recipes.

Of all my leftover turkey cooking adventures, this simple recipe is my favorite one so far.

If you managed to escape Thanksgiving and Christmas without mountains of leftover turkey, you can use chicken or vegetables instead.

This is one of those sauces that actually tastes much better after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Leftover Turkey Vodka Marinara

1 jar of store-bought marinara or 1 quart homemade marinara
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of vodka
2 cups cooked white-meat turkey, cut in bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Optional additional ingredients
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/4 white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tbs. olive oil

(If you like a zesty, chunky sauce — saute the optional ingredients in a pan and incorporate the cooked mixture into your marinara for added flavor and texture.)

Take out the cream, so that it will be room temperature when you use it. In a large skillet, simmer the marinara sauce and vodka over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Then stir in the cream and cook on low heat until the mixture is heated completely. Now stir in the cheese until it melts and mixes into the sauce. Next add your turkey or chicken pieces (they should be thawed if they were frozen).

Raise heat to medium heat and cook for about 5-10 more minutes. Turkey should be tender and have soaked in some of the flavor of the marinara.

Serve over pasta, penne (pictured) recommended.

More recipes for cooking with booze

Chef Jamie Oliver created this refreshing granita as an easy, light and elegant dessert. Yummy!

Grapefruit-Campari Sorbet

1-3/4 pints fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, strained
14 oz. superfine sugar
7 oz. Campari
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 oranges

Whisk together the grapefruit juice and sugar. Add the Campari, lemon and orange juices. Freeze in an ice cream maker, or in a metal container for a granita texture.

Photo & recipe courtesy Campari

Liquor and wine are a big part of many holiday dishes. Here are some of the most delicious recipes I could find that get a boost from the bottle and could be a part of your special holiday meal. Enjoy!

Starters
Sweet Potato Bourbon Soup
Drunken Crab Bisque
Roasted Beet and Smoked Sturgeon Salad with Vodka Vinaigrette

Meats
Grilled Molasses and Rum-Glazed Fresh Ham
Red Wine Braised Beef Brisket
Roasted Goose With Apple Rum Stuffing

Veggies
Whiskey-Glazed Carrots
Zest White Wine Green Beans (The recipe suggests canned, but why not use fresh!)

Potatoes
Potato Latkes with Wine Syrup

Dessert
Baked Figs with Honey and Whiskey Ice Cream
Figgy Pudding with Rum Butter Sauce

R3ecently arrived from the folks at Campari, a perfect end to any Holiday party.

Campari Poached Pears with Raspberry Sauce
created by Chef Nancy Verde Barr

2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice drink
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup Campari
3 3xl-inch strips orange peel (orange part only)
6 Bosc pears (each about 7 ounces)
1 lemon, cut in half
1 10-ounce package frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed
4 tablespoons orange liqueur
2 tablespoons red currant jelly
1 cup mascarpone cheese (about 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Fresh mint leaves

Combine 2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice drink, 1-1/4 cups sugar, 1/2 cup Campari and orange peel strips in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover and reduce heat to very low, keeping poaching liquid hot.
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Looking around for Thanksgiving dessert inspiration, I found some mouth-watering pumpkin desserts that incorporate a wee bit of booze.

Pumpkin pie with brandy

Bourbon pumpkin cheesecake

Pumpkin cake with whiskey whipped cream

Pumpkin rum cake with brown sugar icing

Pumpkin mousse parfaits (pictured)

Photo credit: azcentral.com

Making gravy is surprisingly easy. If you’re already making a Thanksgiving turkey, with about 15 minutes extra work you can also have homemade gravy. And like most foods, gravy is even better when you add booze.

Bourbon Gravy
4 cups turkey or chicken stock
3 tbs. butter (unsalted)
1/3 cup flour
Pan drippings from turkey (pour fat off first)
1/2 cup bourbon
salt and pepper to taste

Cook butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add in the flour and whisk it for a minute. Then pour in the stock (already heated) and simmer on low heat for about a minute while continuing to whisk. You can make this portion several days ahead and refrigerate it, in which case you would reheat it before continuing with this recipe.

After you’ve removed the turkey from your roasting pan, pour the excess fat from the pan and leave the drippings. Place the roasting pan on burner over medium heat and pour in the bourbon. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Don’t cook the bourbon completely down, just until the alcohol smell is no longer strong. Pour the roasting pan contents into warm gravy and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 4 cups

Some people are really attached to having can-shaped cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. This year, you can save the canned stuff for the kids’ table. Why not add a little creativity — and booze — to your turkey dinner?

This sauce keeps for several weeks, so it’s an easy thing to make ahead of time. Hit the sauce!

Drunken Cranberry Sauce

12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vodka
2 tbs. Grand Marnier
1 tbs. orange juice
orange twist to garnish

Combine cranberries, sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Turn down the heat to simmer so the mixture can thicken. This should take about 15 minutes.

Pour into a bowl to let it cool, stirring it often. After about 30 minutes, stir in the vodka, Grand Marnier and orange juice. Put it into the bowl you plan to serve it and refrigerate it for a minimum of 2 hours. Garnish with an orange twist upon serving.

related:

Cooking with Booze
Holiday Cocktails & Punches