Wild Rice and Chili-Corn Casserole

At our house, we make the obligatory turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, but it's rarely the star of the show. Our family gets more excited about the stuffing, sweet potato pie, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and even the fresh cranberry sauce, which masks the rather mundane flavor of the turkey itself. Since the turkey is usually not the most exciting part of the meal, the turkey leftovers tend to linger the longest in the refrigerator. I don't like any food to go to waste, so sometimes I turn leftover turkey into more interesting dinners post-Thanksgiving, including Turkey Pot Pie and Turkey and Wild Rice Salad.

This year, I'll go with a Southwestern theme for our turkey leftovers, with this Wild Rice and Chili-Corn Casserole. I think it will be a great way to feed lingering relatives something completely different the day after Thanksgiving, while helping me clear the leftovers out of the fridge. My college roommate Vicki Botnick long ago shared the recipe for this comforting casserole. I like the fact that it only takes 10 or 15 minutes to put together and it brings a whole new set of flavors to our Thanksgiving leftovers. By the way, if you are making rice and you have extra room in your freezer, you may as well make double what you need. You can refrigerate or freeze leftover cooked rice in a well-sealed container or resealable bag. Reheat cold rice with a sprinkling of water in a microwave oven or in a covered pot over low heat. Leftover rice is great to have on hand for stirring into soups and casseroles and for making fried rice.