Six days a week, Candice Harris strictly adheres to the daily schedule of Southern staples on the menu of the Apple House Cafe in Orenwood near Pikeville, Tennessee. On Sunday, in addition to the standard, the cafe's chief chef Harris allowed himself to "do something different."

This explains the turkey and gravy sliders and filling quiet puppies on the menu two Sundays ago.

"I know people are in a kind of Thanksgiving mood, but I don't want to be full," she said. "I just want to make something that tastes the same but is more approachable."

Her culinary creations can provide inspiration for anyone, because they are still faced with rich platter and hearty bowls after everyone pushes the table aside after Thursday's feast. Once the refrigerator is full of these leftovers, they can be sold out—whether they are eaten as-is or used to make brand new dishes.

For many chefs, too much is part of the plan. A recent survey conducted by One Poll for Stasher bag found that 72% of Thanksgiving chefs prepare dinner for the purpose of eating leftovers, and 56% of 2,000 respondents believe that if there is no food left, the holiday will be ruined.

62% of the respondents said that Turkey leftovers were the best, while 46% chose mashed potatoes or fillings/seasoning.

Harris has several ways to use up the main course. For the slider, she put turkey, gravy and provolone cheese on sliced ​​king Hawaiian rolls. "Then on top, I made sage butter with some brown sugar so that it would caramelize," she said. Go to the oven quickly, they are ready to serve.

To make it easier, the cafe serves salads with croutons made with sage sauce, roast turkey, pecans, apple slices, cranberry orange juice, and apple cider vinegar sauce.

"This is one of our most popular salads," she said. "We also made a croissant sandwich with roast turkey and spices cooked on a panini press."

She said that the quiet puppies on Thanksgiving “appeared when I was bored.”

She used a melon digger to scoop the remaining seasoning into the deep fryer, and then dipped the quiet puppy that she could eat with a can of turkey gravy.

There is nothing wrong with turning redux on Friday into a mirror image of the plate on Thursday. However, if you want to take flavors in new directions, here are some ideas.

What are the best Thanksgiving leftovers?

Source: A poll of the Stasher package, from swnsdigital.com

Jeff Pennypacker, the chef and owner of Sweet & Savory Classroom on East Street, said that one of his staff “likes to use leftover turkey to make gumbo.” Although the leftover chicken is usually accompanied by sausage, "This is a great recipe we used in class, and it would be great if we put turkey in it."

1/2 cup sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa

2 cups chicken broth or canned broth

Cooked white rice, dried from 1 cup

In a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven or large pot, fry the sausages to brown. Use a colander to remove the sausage and set aside.

Add oil and flour in the same Dutch oven. To cook, stir slowly and continuously for 20 to 25 minutes to make a dark brown batter, the color of chocolate.

Add onion, celery and bell pepper, cook and stir until wilted.

Mix in the chicken broth (add slowly to maintain the temperature and prevent the broth from thinning all at once).

Add the reserved sausage, shredded turkey, salt, cayenne, Creole seasoning and bay leaf.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook without a lid, stirring occasionally, until all the flavors are combined and reach the desired thickness.

Remove the pot from the fire.

Take out and discard the bay leaves, then add green onions and file powder.

— From Jeff Pennypacker, Sweet & Savory Classroom

Valerie Skinner, a certified therapeutic food chef, blogs on thymandjoy.com and turns the remaining fillings into a casserole for breakfast the next day.

"I created this recipe because I always see ideas on how to use leftover turkey immediately after Thanksgiving, but I rarely see recipes that use the side," she said. "It is perfect to use fillings in a breakfast casserole, because it will use up the fillings of a meal to start the day."

She said that no matter how your family prepares the filling, any kind will do. Her casserole recipe requires only four ingredients, if your filling already contains sausage, you need three.

1 pound chopped sausage (skip if your leftover filling contains sausage)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. If necessary, heat a pan over medium-high heat and cook the chopped sausage until browned. Smash and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together 8 eggs and 1/4 cup of cream or half and half until completely combined. Set aside.

Grease a 9 x 9 inch casserole pan, then spread the cold remaining filling evenly on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the cooked sausages evenly on top.

Pour the egg and cream mixture on top of the filling and sausage and distribute it evenly.

Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the egg is in the center and the casserole is fully cooked. Remove from the oven and serve while hot.

— You can use gluten-free fillings (see thymeandjoy.com for recipes).

— For vegetarian pies, use plant-based sausages instead of pork sausages.

— For leftover egg bites, divide the filling into muffin tins, and then pour the egg mixture on top.

-Extra protein: You can cut the remaining turkey and ham into cubes and add them to the mixture as a protein-rich breakfast.

— From Valerie Skinner, thymeandjoy.com

According to the Idaho Potato Council, the easiest way to reheat mashed potatoes is to store them in a sealable plastic bag and then immerse them in boiling water when you are ready for more. If you want to be more creative with leftovers, try this recipe from blogger Anushree Shetty.

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, chopped

1/4 cup green onions, chopped (plus extra topping)

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese or sharp cheddar cheese, chopped

Sour cream for topping, optional

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the muffin pan with cooking spray or butter. Set aside.

Beat the eggs until the egg whites and yolks are well mixed.

Add eggs, chopped spinach, cheddar cheese, green onions, salt and pepper to the mashed potatoes. Mix until fully mixed.

Scoop the potato and egg mixture into the prepared muffin tin, and fill the cup a little more than 3/4 full. Use a spoon to smooth the top.

Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center is clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven and sprinkle each muffin with the cheese topping of your choice.

Return the muffins to the oven and continue baking for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Remove from the oven, cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then carefully remove them.

Served with a piece of sour cream and chopped onion.

— Anushree Shetty’s recipe for the Idaho Potato Council

Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.

Oren Wooden’s Apple House is located at 6351 New Harmony Road in Pikeville, Tennessee and is open seasonally. The last day to buy produce from the farmers’ market or eat in a cafe or bakery is Wednesday, November 24.

The cafe’s chief chef, Candace Harris, said that she will serve a Thanksgiving meal on the last day of business-a "full meal". The bakery will provide a selection of apple dumplings, fried apple pie, Pumpkin pie and other desserts are available.

"To make Thanksgiving easy, we received a lot of takeaway orders on Wednesday," she said.

Most are ordered in advance, but Harris hopes there are "some extras" that can get you in.

For more information, please call 423-447-6376 or visit woodsapplehouse.com.

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