Holiday Leftover Ideas

Holiday Leftover Ideas
By Rachel Paxton, Fri Dec 9th

The holidays are a time for friends and family and goodold-fashioned home cooking. Who can resist the tempting smellscoming from the kitchen at this most favorite time of year?Holiday dinners were among my favorite, most memorable meals asa child. Our family shared our holiday meals with differentrelatives each year, but wherever we were and whoever we werewith, we always knew to expect good food and enjoyable familygatherings that we would remember for months to come.

When I was a child, it was always a tradition in our family tohave turkey for Thanksgiving and ham for Christmas. We wouldalso always enjoy mounds of creamy mashed potatoes and gravy,candied yams with lots of butter, brown sugar, and meltedmarshmallows, and I could always count on sampling my dad'sfamous fruit salad. He would meticulously cut each fruit intobite-size pieces (apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, andraisins), and mix it all together with a generous portion ofhomemade whipped cream. Homemade cranberry sauce was also alwaysa special holiday treat.

Now that I'm married we have even more family to share ourholiday meals with. With so much family, though, we rarely getto host dinner at our house. It's always nice to go to someoneelse'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 thesupermarket 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 theleftovers from our own holiday meals--and I'd like to share someof my favorite recipes with you.

Turkey and Rice Soup

2 1/2 cups turkey, cooked and diced 1 can cream of mushroom soup1 6-ounce box long-grained rice 2 cups mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cuponion, diced 1 cup carrots, grated

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients with 6 cups ofwater. Simmer, covered, until rice is cooked, approximately 30minutes. Great with fresh bread.

Turkey Spaghetti

8 oz. spaghetti or other pasta 1 can cream of chicken or creamof mushroom soup 3/4 c. grated mild cheddar cheese 2 c. leftovercooked, diced turkey Salt and pepper to taste Optional - dicedcelery and/or diced onion to your taste

Prepare soup as directed. Prepare spaghetti as directed thendrain. Combine spaghetti, soup and remaining ingredients. Stiruntil cheese melts. Serve and enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes and Ham Bake

2

cups mashed potatoes 2 tablespoons mustard 2 cups ham, cubed1/2 cup cottage cheese 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, mix mashedpotatoes and mustard. Spread potato mixture in the bottom of agreased 8-inch square baking pan. Arrange ham on top ofpotatoes. In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese and cheddarcheese. 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. brownsugar 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 theremaining ingredients. Simmer for 1 hour and serve on toast orhamburger buns. Makes 15 to 20 sandwiches.

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