Holiday Leftover Ideas
B y Rachel Paxton
The holidays are a time
for friends and family and good old-fashioned home cooking. Who
can resist the tempting smells coming from the kitchen at this
most favorite time of year? Holiday dinners were among my favorite,
most memorable meals as a child. Our family shared our holiday
meals with different relatives each year, but wherever we were
and whoever we were with, we always knew to expect good food and
enjoyable family gatherings that we would remember for months
to come.
When I was a child, it was
always a tradition in our family to have turkey for Thanksgiving
and ham for Christmas. We would also always enjoy mounds of creamy
mashed potatoes and gravy, candied yams with lots of butter, brown
sugar, and melted marshmallows, and I could always count on sampling
my dad's famous fruit salad. Homemade cranberry sauce was also
always a special holiday treat.
Now that I'm married we
have even more family to share our holiday meals with. With so
much family, though, we rarely get to host dinner at our house.
It's always nice to go to someone else's house to eat, but then
we don't get any of the leftovers! We usually end up taking advantage
of the holiday sales at the supermarket though, and then we can
have our own little feast. I've had a lot of fun over the years
devising ways to use up the leftovers from our own holiday meals--and
I'd like to share some of my favorite recipes with you.
Turkey and Rice Soup
2 1/2 cups turkey, cooked
and diced
1 can cream of soup
1 6-ounce box long-grained rice
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrots, grated
In a large saucepan, combine
all ingredients with 6 cups of
water. Simmer, covered, until rice is cooked, approximately 30
minutes. Great with fresh bread.
Turkey Spaghetti
8 oz. spaghetti or other
pasta
1 can cream of chicken or cream of soup
3/4 c. grated mild cheddar cheese
2 c. leftover cooked, diced turkey
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional - diced celery and/or diced onion to your taste
Prepare soup as directed.
Prepare spaghetti as directed then drain. Combine spaghetti, soup
and remaining ingredients. Stir until cheese melts. Serve and
enjoy!
Mashed Potatoes and Ham
Bake
2 cups mashed potatoes
2 tablespoons mustard
2 cups ham, cubed
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix mashed potatoes and mustard. Spread
potato mixture in the bottom of a greased 8-inch square baking
pan. Arrange ham on top of potatoes. In a small bowl, mix cottage
cheese and cheddar cheese. Spread over ham. Bake until mixture
is heated through, about 30 minutes.
Chopped Ham Sandwiches
2 lb. leftover ham, chopped
into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 c. ketchup
1/4 c. vinegar
1 c. water
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Fry ham in a skillet and
sprinkle flour over it. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer
for 1 hour and serve on toast or hamburger buns. Makes 15 to 20
sandwiches.
Copyright 2000. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who
is the author of the Creative Homemaking Recipe of the Week Club
Cookbook, a cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner
ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating,
crafts, frugal living, and family fun, visit Creative Homemaking
at http://www.creativehomemaking.com and in the Home and Garden
section of Suite 101 - http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/creative_homemaking
