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Mountain Views-News Saturday November 22, 2025 FOOD - DRINK - FUN 1010 
Mountain Views-News Saturday November 22, 2025 FOOD - DRINK - FUN 
Peter A. Dills 

https://
podlink/1116885432 


POST-THANKSGIVING KITCHEN 
CHECKUP. 

+ Rest in Peace Amedeo 
By Peter Dills – Dining with Dills 

Thanksgiving is over, and now we enter that familiar phase 
in the Dills household—the annual moment when the refrigerator 
looks more like a food museum than a working 
appliance. The turkey is wedged next to the gravy, the pies 
are holding on for dear life, and the stuffing… well, stuffinghas a very short life expectancy. 

So let me offer a little expert guidance, straight from years of 
restaurant experience and plenty of trial-and-error at home. 

LEFTOVERS IN THE DILLS HOUSEHOLD 

Here’s how long things truly last once the long weekend ends. 

TurkeyThree days. That’s it. If it wasn’t wrapped tightly or someone took too long to put it 
away after the football game, it’s already auditioning for trouble.
StuffingA two-day item, even in my house. Stuffing turns quickly—delicious on day one, suspicious 
by day three. 

Mashed Potatoes 
Three days if sealed well. If they start to resemble a grout project, that’s your sign. 

GravyThe first thing we throw away. Forty-eight hours is the absolute limit. When it starts to 
wobble more than it should, we say our goodbyes. 

Cranberry SauceThe survivor. Seven to ten days thanks to the sugar and acidity. It may outlast some 
relatives. 
Pies 
Pumpkin and custard: four days.
Fruit pies: up to five days if wrapped.
If the topping looks “extra decorative,” it’s time to part ways. 

THE WINE RULES (THE PART I TAKE SERIOUSLY)
Sparkling WineTwenty-four hours. Champagne is wonderful, but it has no patience for being saved. 

White Wine 
Cork it and refrigerate it—good for forty-eight hours. After that, it’s apologizing for 
existing. 

Red Wine 
Since it wasn’t refrigerated before opening, it gets a 36-hour grace period. Past that, 
oxidation takes over. 
And yes, you could cook with it… but why would you? 

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: THE PANTRY CLEANUP 

Post-Thanksgiving is the perfect moment to reevaluate what’s hiding behind the pasta 
and canned tomatoes. 

What We Toss in the Dills Household: 

• Oils that smell warmer than they should 
• Spices that have faded to “mystery brown” 
• Nuts that taste like the container they came in 
• Baking soda older than a campaign sign 
• Anything you bought because you were “going to try a new recipe” butnever did 
This is not spring cleaning—it’s winter reality. 
THE FREEZER: THE DILLS TIME CAPSULE 

The freezer is where good intentions go to nap indefinitely.
What Stays:
Labeled soups and broths, chicken within six months, vegetables that still look like 
vegetables.
What Goes: 
Anything with enough frost to qualify as a snow globe.
Unlabeled containers we can’t identify even after thawing.
Ice cream that’s turned into an icicle. 
If you’re squinting trying to figure out what something used to be, it’s gone. 

FINAL THOUGHT 

A clean refrigerator, pantry, and freezer give you a fresh start heading into the holidays.
This is the time of year when we reset, take stock, and get ready for December cooking.
And after writing all this? 

I took one look at my own refrigerator, 
threw out half the produce drawer, and 
realized I had officially become the patient 
in my own column. I’m now headed to the 
market to buy not one but two Arm & Hammer 
baking sodas—one for the fridge and one 
for the freezer. 

If that doesn’t say “post-Thanksgiving cleanup,” 
nothing does. 

Sad Note: 

Our friend Amedeo Constantino of the 
Stoney Point Fame has recently passed, 
anyone that visited the Stoney Point in 
the past 25 years knew Amedeo, you’ll be 
missed. 

Please check out my podcast it’s updates every 
week or so 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com 
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