Thanksgiving Leftover Pie Surprise

"Did you come in for a pie, sir? Do forgive me if me head's a little vague..."  Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

So, I survived hosting Thanksgiving Dinner at our house for the first time. I normally do quite a bit of the cooking for Thanksgiving, (desserts, side dishes) but I end up having to prep in advance, pre-cook, and then transport it all to my parents' house.  This year, my folks were living in Italy for the Fall, so my brother, his wife, kids and various friends all came to OUR house to celebrate.

And, boy did we celebrate!

My menu was pretty close to last year's, with a few exceptions.  I swapped out the green bean dish in last year's post with PPK's Green Bean Mushroom Casserole, which always gets rave reviews.  And, for a starter, I also made up a pan of my Spinach and Artichoke Dip.

One thing I never realized about hosting Thanksgiving is that even after all the guests have scooped their left-overs "to-go", I was still left with a metric TON of food.

My dear friend, Scott, and his Dad joined us this year, and during the dinner, they were talking about how they used up their leftovers in Thanksgivings past:  They make a pie!

Brilliant!  One (1) box of puff pastry later, and I was ready to roll. I decided to use my lovely cranberry stone Pampered Chef pie plate, which got no use this year because I made Pumpkin Cheesecake instead of pie.  

Assembly:  I started constructing this labor of love with a nice, thick layer of my mashed potatoes.  I thought that would make quite a suitable bottom layer.  Then, I added my remaining four (4) CHICKPEA CUTLETS, sliced into bite sized pieces, and topped that with my home made gravy. Next, came a layer of Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole, followed by a sprinkle of leftover Apple Cider Glazed Sweet Potatoes.

And, last but not least, my favorite: A thick layer of cornbread stuffing with onion, celery and sage. I pressed down gently on the layers, and then topped the pie with a sheet of puff pastry.  I crimped the sides of the pastry around the pie plate, and made two (2) little hearts with the trimmings (aw).

Then, I brushed the whole pie with some unsweetened almond milk, sprinkled the top with a bit of Old World Seasoning from Penzey's spices, and cut a few slits in the top for the steam to escape.  I then baked this (quite solid) pie in a preheated oven (400°) for 30-40 minutes, until the crust was puffed and golden brown.

So, there we have it! Comfort food made completely from leftovers, that would even give Mrs Lovetts a run for her money o_O

My lunch! (so, you could see the layers)

"HEART"