Thanksgiving leftovers 3: Thanksgiving Braid

In my family, I am the queen of braids. I'm referring to the edible kind of braids, made with crescent rolls and stuffed with all sorts of deliciousness. My husband would eat the chicken and broccoli braid three times a week if I'd make it for him.

Last year I created the Thanksgiving braid. I made it before Thanksgiving, using ingredients that reminded me of Thanksgiving rather than leftovers. This year, I reworked it to use some leftovers and some readily available ingredients with similar results.

Thanksgiving Braid
Ingredients:
1 package crescent roll
2 cups diced turkey
1 cup diced brie, divided
3/4 cup craisins
1 cup frozen green beans, thawed
1/3 cup fried onions
1/3 cup low-fat mayo

1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp marjarom
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Substitutions:
- If you have poultry seasoning, substitute about 2 tsp poultry seasoning for all the spices, but still add lemon pepper or lemon zest
- If you have leftover green bean casserole, use that for the green beans and onions and reduce the mayo to 1/4 cup.
- If you don't have leftover turkey, substitute chicken or pork or cook a few turkey cutlets or tenderloins. I recommend seasoning them with the poultry seasoning or all the spices for even more flavor.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix together the turkey, 1/2 cup brie, craisins, green beans, and onions (or green bean casserole).
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the mayo and all the spices.
4. Unroll the crescent roll on a baking stone or cookie sheet, press together the seams, and press into a single rectangle.
5. Spread about 2 tbsp of the mayo mixture lengthwise down the center of the braid.
6. Mix the remaining mayo with the turkey mixture.
7. Dot the mayo on the crescent roll with the remaining chunks of brie.
8. Evenly spread the turkey mixture over the mayo and the brie.
9. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch wide strips on each side, leaving about 3/4 inch from end of the cut to the filling. Lift each strip to the center of the filling, twist once, and tuck the ends under the filling. (This describes the braiding process pretty well).


10. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. The top may brown before the bottom is cooked completely. If this happens, put some aluminum foil over the top and bake a few minutes more, until the bottom of the braid is cooked through.

I don't have an after picture because my husband cut into and devoured half of it before I got the camera out again.

With all the spices, the mixture tasted a lot like stuffing, but the green beans and craisins sweetened it up and kept it from being too savory. I considered substituting cream of mushroom soup for the mayo, and I bet that would provide even more flavor and amp up the green bean casserole element of the dish. Overall, I liked it and would probably make it again. It's definitely a good use of leftovers, or in my case, a good use of ingredients that are available cheaply this time of year.