Recipes Information

Holiday Leftover Ideas


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. He would meticulously cut each fruit into bite-size pieces (apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, and raisins), and mix it all together with a generous portion of homemade whipped cream. 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 mushroom soup
1 6-ounce box long-grained rice
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
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 mushroom 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.

Originally published at Suite 101. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Festive Recipes for Merry Drinking
MarketWatch - 11 hours ago
Pair delicious RUBI REY cocktails with a decadent dessert recipe, created by Greg Case, chef and cookbook author of "One Cake, One Hundred Desserts," to ...


Kellogg buys Mother's Cake & Cookie Co.'s recipes
CNNMoney.com - 20 hours ago
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Kellogg Co. said Wednesday it is acquiring the trademarks and recipes of Mother's Cake & Cookie Co., a regional brand with a ...
Kellogg Company Acquiring Trademarks and Recipes of Mother's Cake ... MarketWatch
In the Neighborhood Battle Creek Enquirer
UPDATE: US: Kellogg plans to keep Mother’s regional just-food.com (subscription)
just-food.com (subscription) - just-food.com (subscription)
all 34 news articles


Recipes for Health Rich Garlic Soup With Spinach and Pasta Shells
New York Times, United States - 19 hours ago
This series offers recipes with an eye towards empowering you to cook healthy meals every day. Produce, seasonal and locally grown when possible, ...


Rias Baixas Albarino Recipe Contest Winners Wow Celebrity Palates
MarketWatch - 5 hours ago
During its third Annual Recipe Contest, contestants from across the nation logged onto the campaign website to enter their recipes that included Italian, ...


Jean-Georges offers three recipes for the holidays
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 2 hours ago
While he was here, we asked him to share his recipes and cooking techniques. Here are the recipes for three of his creations that might work well at a ...


Examiner.com

Tis the season for eggnog recipes
Examiner.com - 8 hours ago
Our first President, George Washington, was quite a fan of eggnog and devised his own recipe that included rye whiskey, rum and sherry. ...


Canada.com

Readers share their oatmeal-cookie recipes
Kentucky.com, KY - 9 hours ago
We asked readers to share their best oatmeal-cookie recipes, and although they have some similarities, these cookies are as individual as the cooks who ...
Winning cookies: Readers submitted recipes, and we picked the best Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Baking for the holidays Grand Junction Free Press
Cookie Tips Emporia Gazette
Canada.com - Minneapolis Star Tribune
all 12 news articles


Canada.com

More holiday cookie recipes
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN - Dec 3, 2008
A friend of mine who worked there as a baker snuck me the recipe after much begging. Whenever I share these cookies with friends, I feel like I'm keeping ...
Tried and true holiday recipes Canada.com
There's great chemistry in Christmas cookies Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Cutout cookie recipes Press & Sun-Bulletin
WRAL.com - The Virginian-Pilot
all 45 news articles


The Express Times - LehighValleyLive.com

Attention deer hunters: Venison works in recipes from easy to elegant
The Express Times - LehighValleyLive.com, PA - Dec 3, 2008
by Marcia White Quail Ridge Press PhotoVension can be the featured ingredient in any traditional beef recipe. My freezer's been filled with deer meat since ...
Venison recipes and cooking tips for Pennsylvania and New Jersey ... The Express Times - LehighValleyLive.com
all 3 news articles


Heirloom goodies: Holiday cookie recipes
Indianapolis Star, United States - Dec 3, 2008
Miller credited her mother, who jotted down the recipe while waiting in a Merrillville-area dentist's office 40 or 50 years ago. ...

Recipes - Google News

home | site map
© 2006