For some, today might be TGIF. For others, only 22 more shopping days till Christmas. For me, it’s the last day to eat Thanksgiving leftovers. Yesterday I eked one final turkey sandwich out of the bird, the day before that I ate the last cup of stuffing and final piece of pumpkin pie. 

Today it’s down to the molded cranberry salad, which has been whittled from a large serving bowl to one a fraction of its size.

Before I’m drummed out of town on reckless eating charges, let me say that I’ve written a few food safety articles and know the drill. I keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. I avoid cross-contamination at all costs, treating raw chicken prep areas as if they were hazmat zones. 

But I also like to get as much mileage as I can from any big meal I cook — and last Thursday’s was a doozy.  

(Apparently, I don’t take many food pictures, either.)