Column by Gayle Bryant

For The Daily News

Thanksgiving is a time when most Americans will gorge themselves on roast turkey, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes with gravy. And you can take comfort in the fact that the majority of us have fallen, stuffed and exhausted, into our recliners by evening with the top button of our pants undone all at the same moment. It’s one of the most enjoyably gluttonous days of the year.

My grocery budget usually doubles at holiday times and we happily allow for that. It’s just so fun looking forward to special dishes and treats that we only get a few times a year. But because we’ve waited all year long for them and spent so much time and money, we like to make it last as long as we can. Here’s what we do to savor Thanksgiving for as long as we can.

• Those pumpkins that are leftover from Halloween or your Thanksgiving decorating can be given a second life. Cut them open, clean out the pulp and seeds and roast them in the oven. Then you can puree and freeze the pulp for moist muffins, bread or cake and toast the seeds for a healthy snack.

• Do you have leftover cranberry sauce? We like to make cranberry butter with it to spread on our bagels and toast for the next few days. Just combine 1/2 cup softened butter with 1 tablespoon of leftover whole-berry cranberry sauce and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar; mix well and spread on your choice of breads. If you have cream cheese you can replace it for the butter for a little different spread.

• Make hot cranberry syrup. Pour your leftover cranberry sauce into a sauté pan. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until it’s a steaming liquid. Pour it over vanilla ice cream or pancakes.

• I intentionally set aside just enough leftovers to make a great casserole that my friend Barb shared with me. I layer mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey meat, green beans and gravy in a casserole dish. Top with a little cheese and put in a 350 degree oven until heated through. It’s a wonderful final taste of the holiday that incorporates all your favorite flavors into one simple dish.

• Remember to use that turkey carcass for fresh healthy broth. We like to save a bit of the meat to make turkey noodle soup to eat with our leftover rolls.

And here are a few recipes to repurpose those leftovers into a new taste sensation.

Creamy pumpkin puree pasta

1 small onion finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups pumpkin puree

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

1/4 cup Romano cheese, shredded

1 lb penne or rotini pasta

In a large skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in butter, over medium heat, until soft, not brown. Whisk in the pumpkin, broth, creams and seasonings to taste. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain pasta and stir into pumpkin, simmering 2-3 minutes more until thick.

Stir in parsley and garnish with Romano.

Turkey and squash soup

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 leeks, trimmed, chopped and rinsed

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chicken or turkey broth

1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 pound leftover turkey

2 cups frozen corn kernels

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in broth, squash, thyme and cumin; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add turkey and corn; return to a simmer and cook until the turkey and corn are heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lime juice and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper and serve with leftover rolls.

Leftover mashed potato pancakes, baked not fried

1/4 cup butter

3 large onions, finely chopped

4 large eggs

3 cups mashed potatoes

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper

Tabasco Sauce to taste

2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 375°F. In large skillet, melt the butter, then add the onion and cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl, whisk three of the eggs till well blended, then add the cooked onions, potatoes, flour, salt, pepper, Tabasco and stir until mixture is firm. Form the mixture into 16 round pancakes and place on a large greased baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg with the water, brush the top of each pancake with the egg wash, and bake the pancakes till golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Can top with sour cream or applesauce.

Vegetarian sweet potato burritos

3 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups canned kidney beans, drained

2 cups water

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

4 teaspoons prepared mustard

1 pinch cayenne pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons soy sauce

4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

12 10 inch flour tortillas, warmed

8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, optional

sour cream, optional

green onion, optional

salsa, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a medium skillet, and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce. Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

For more frugal tips visit Gayle’s blog at http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com. For questions or comments e-mail Gayle at gaylebryant6@hotmail.com.