Leftovers invade the refrigerator quicker than tryptophan induces a post-Thanksgiving coma.

Hours, perhaps days, of cooking and shopping are reduced to piles of turkey wrapped in tin foil, potatoes jam packed in Tupperware and vegetables tucked away in plastic baggies.

For the next few days, everyone eats turkey sandwiches and reheated stuffing - until its gone, moldy or our taste buds can't handle anymore green bean casserole.

Several personal chefs from the region offered suggestions to spice up the leftover blahs, rescuing them from culinary boredom.

"In my family, we have a tendency not to eat the leftovers, so they sit in the fridge until we throw them out," said Staci Ponders of Cobb, personal chef of The Sugared Plum.

She started making breakfast the next morning with leftovers, and found some recipes that her family loved. Sweet potatoes became sweet potato waffles, cranberry sauce became muffins and shredded turkey and potatoes became a morning hash.

Sabra Gonzalez, personal chef with The Culinary Architect of Atlanta, uses leftover vegetables in a frittata, and is considering putting green bean casserole in an omelet.

"I've never tried it, but it has so much flavor, it might be good. On the other hand, I might just reheat that," she said, adding that experimenting is good, but doesn't always yield the best results.

She tries to make leftovers into something with international flair. Her Asian turkey casserole is her family's favorite. She also makes a killer white bean turkey chili with leftover rice, jalapeno Monterey jack and cannelloni beans.

Gonzalez also suggested rolling up mashed potatoes into little balls, filling them with cheese and them dusting them with breadcrumbs.

"Sauté it up and make dipping sauce, like a pirogue. It's a great appetizer while you're watching a football game," she said.

Garden of Eden personal chef, Yvonne Hendrick, said her husband loves Mexican food, so she started making turkey burritos. She sautés red onions and peppers, and adds shredded turkey and salsa.

In a separate bowl, she melts cheese and tosses in cumin and chopped cilantro. After placing the turkey mixture in a tortilla, she spoons the cheese sauce over top, folds it over and bakes it in the oven for 15 minutes.

"After the tortilla is browned, it's nice and crispy. My husband really enjoys it," she said.

She turns leftover casseroles into soups, and makes leftover mashed potatoes and turkey into a Shepard's pie.

Whatever inventive creations come from Thanksgiving leftovers, make sure their eaten pretty quickly. The normal three to four day shelf life of foods decreases with leftovers. Stocks and soups can be frozen for extended use.

"You can use a turkey bone to make a stock, but it's a little messy," said Ponders.

"But it's a great base for soups, especially as cold and flu season it upon us. It's alittle time consuming, but it's much healthier."

cknight@mdjonline.com

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