Creative Ideas for Using Up Traditional Holiday Leftovers

Holidays always leave us with a ton of leftovers. I guess when you feed a house full of guests, you just get left with a heap of food.  It's not entirely a bad thing, but sometimes it's hard to feel all creative about food that you just spent twelve hours cooking. Well, it is time to regroup and recharge, and rethink the typical leftover redoes. How do you turn holiday leftovers into something fun and exciting to eat? Here are a few ideas to help you get started on the path to cleaning out your refrigerator without boring your family.

Shift Cultures

Turkey enchilada casserole ingredients. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If your holiday dinner was the classic American feast, your table was filled with turkey or ham or lamb or beef, green bean casserole, stuffing, bread, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, corn, cauliflower, and just about everything else imaginable. Instead of just reheating the same dinner over and over again in exactly the same ways, with exactly the same flavors, why not shift your culture a bit and try something a little bit outside of what you're familiar with.

Chop up your ham or turkey and mix it with some mashed potatoes, wrap it in a little wonton and make your very own Polish perogies. Spice up your leftovers with classic Italian seasonings and recreate them into soups, salads, casseroles or salads with a Mediterranean flavor.  Get out your soy sauce, sesame oil, and turn your leftovers into Asian inspired dishes. Squeeze some lime, chop cilantro, and grab the tequila to marinate your leftover turkey to use in a simple Mexican inspired wrap. Use leftover bread and make a wonderful bread pudding using English inspired recipes.

Shift States

In order to get really creative with your leftovers, all you have to do is shift states.  No, not continental states, but science states. Remember learning about solids, liquids, and gasses when you were in science class? Yes, those states. For instance, you can transform a solid ham bone into a delicious stock for a bean and zucchini soup. You can also use that stock to cook rice or steam some vegetables. Your once-solid ham bone has now been changed into a liquid and a gas...and it never tasted better. Don't forget the frozen state. Puree your cranberry orange relish in some orange juice and turn it into frozen treats or ice cubes for drinks.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Or, if you want to get super creative, and you have some small children at home, you can combine flour and your leftover mashed potatoes to make a mashed potato play-dough. Not only is it fun to mold, it is absolutely non-toxic, and, yes, edible.  It's one of those things that, although it doesn't really get eaten, the leftovers are put to a good use: keeping the kids busy. So, once again you have shifted the state of your leftovers; this time from a food to a toy!

Shift Your Beliefs

When you have a bunch of leftover food, the only way to really enjoy it during the constant reappearances is to totally rethink what the food is.  You have to forget that the potatoes are potatoes, for instance, and think instead that they are a thickening agent, or play-dough!  Turkey can be pureed, too, and turned into a pate if you like, and even used to stuff deviled eggs.

Even desserts can be rethought.  If you are fortunate enough to have leftover pecan pie, think about scooping out the filling into a sauce pan and melting it down.  Then whisk in a good balsamic vinaigrette and pour it hot over a spinach and bacon salad.  All the ingredients are there; they just needed to be re-imagined.

If you want to use up your leftovers quickly and creatively, all you need to do is think about where your food is and where it can go. Your leftovers may need some creative seasoning. They may need to be transformed into different physical states.  Get creative, get cooking, and help your leftovers reinvent themselves this week!

Recipe: Perfect Holiday Brussels Sprouts

Merry Christmas! Here is a last-minute recipe for those Brussels sprouts you were trying to figure out what to do with for dinner tonight....

Brussels sprouts are one of those perfect veggies for a holiday dinner. They add some healthy green to the table, are very simple to prepare, and can be done in many delicious ways. This is a variation on my favorite way to serve Brussels sprouts.

Roasting them in the oven adds a lovely caramelization, without letting them get mushy - which ruins them in my opinion. Balsamic vinegar and cranberries bring out their natural sweetness, and pecans add a nice crunch. Even those who don't like Brussels sprouts may find themselves coming back for more of these! Enjoy!

Perfect Holiday Brussels Sprouts
(Serves 4.)

(Image courtesy of Mister GC at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, washed and halved
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp good balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then add the prepared Brussels sprouts to the bowl and toss to coat well.
• Dump the Brussels sprouts out onto the baking sheet, cover loosely with a sheet of tin foil, then bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• Remove tin foil, stir Brussels sprouts around, and return to oven for another 10 minutes or until the Brussels sprouts are lightly browned, turning sprouts over at least once during this baking time.
• Dump hot Brussels sprouts out into a large bowl, add the pecans and cranberries and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Recipe: Healthy Fudgey Brownies

I'm sure you'll be busy on Friday with all the cooking and guests arriving, gifts being unwrapped, etc.. Luckily desserts are easy to make ahead, so you can get these out of the way now. Brownies are a great holiday treat, and this healthy version includes applesauce, which can be tricky for cakes, since it can make them too heavy, but is perfect for dense, chewy brownies. If you're looking to cut calories a bit this year, try this healthier version of everyone's favorite chocolatey dessert.

Healthy Fudgey Brownies
(Makes 12 to 16 small brownies.)

(Image courtesy of PANPOTE at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup firm-packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg white
6 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch square baking dish with parchment paper, making sure you leave plenty of paper sticking out of the dish.
• In a bowl, stir together the flour, unsweetened cocoa, salt, and baking soda until well combined; set aside.
• In a large heavy saucepan over low heat, melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter together, stirring constantly, until smooth; remove and let cool.
• Once cooled, add the brown sugar, egg, egg white, applesauce, and vanilla extract to the saucepan, stirring until nice and smooth, then add the dry ingredients to the saucepan and stir until mixed well.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until the brownies shrink away from the sides of the baking dish.
• Remove the baking dish to a rack and let cool completely before lifting the brownies out using the edges of the parchment paper. Then peel the paper back and cut the brownies into squares to serve.

Recipe: Nutty Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This simple recipe makes a perfect holiday side dish. The nutty, earthy flavors of Brussels sprouts and pecans are kicked up a notch with the addition of garlic and olive oil, and roasting brings out the rich sweetness in the sprouts. It's a snap to make, and adds a nice bit of healthy green to your holiday plate!

Nutty Roasted Brussels Sprouts
(Serves 4-6.)

Roasted brussels sprouts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

2 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 cup pecans, rough chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to combine and coat well with the oil.
3. Arrange evenly on a large baking sheet.
4. Put in preheated oven and bake until Brussels sprouts are fork tender and slightly browned, about 20 to 30 minutes, turning the Brussels sprouts with a spatula at least once during the baking time. 
5. Remove and serve hot.

Holiday Recipe: Easy Maple-Glazed Ham

If you want a great recipe for a Christmas ham, try this simple one. Just a few unique ingredients provide a great flavor that your whole family will remember! (Try to find a naturally cured ham if you can, and make sure to use real maple syrup - none of that flavored corn syrup junk.) This makes for a great main dish for your Christmas dinner.

Easy Maple-Glazed Ham

(Photo credit: Another Pint Please...)

Ingredients:

10 pound natural hickory-smoked ham, fully cooked
3/4 c. real maple syrup
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp white vinegar
3 Tbsp bourbon
1 Tbsp whole cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Put ham cut side down in a shallow baking dish and form a tent with aluminum foil, loosely sealing.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
4. In a glass bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, dry mustard, white vinegar, and bourbon, and set aside.
5. When ham is done, remove from oven, take off foil, and turn ham over in the baking pan so you are looking at the fatty side.
6. With a sharp paring knife, cut shallow criss-cross pattern (like tic-tac-toe) into the fatty side, in about 1/2 to 1 inch square shapes.
7. Stick a single whole clove in the center of each square you made.
8. Whisk the glaze again, then pour evenly over the top of the fatty side of the ham, over the cloves, and put back in the oven (uncovered) for about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.  You can ladle the glaze in the pan back over the ham once during the cooking time.
9. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes, slice and serve warm, with pan drippings poured over each slice if desired.

Easy Christmas Cooking Through Planning Ahead

Christmas is a hectic time of year. Many families find that they barely have time to breathe much less cook dishes to bring for this or that function. For this reason there are a number of tasty "cheat" dishes that can be  prepared for these occasions and very few people will be the wiser. Though Christmas may be about being with friends and family, it is not about broadcasting a possible lack of talent in the kitchen, time on hand, or a shortage of attention span that is required in order to prepare a stellar dish for your Christmas needs.

Macaroni casserole (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Of course, you could begin preparing and freezing large casserole favorites as early as August for the Christmas season. In this instance you could freeze all your family favorites and have great dishes not only for family functions that require a pitch-in dish, but also for those nights when you are far too busy to be bothered with something as demanding on your limited attention span as actually preparing a home cooked meal. If you prepare casseroles and similar dishes that work well with a holiday theme throughout the year be sure to double your efforts next time and freeze half for busier months such as November and December.

But if you didn't think to do that this year, not to worry! Foods that you cook this week and freeze for next week will be fresh and ready to pop in the oven come Christmas day. Pies and casserole-type dishes work best for this, but even some soups and appetizers can be made ahead and frozen. If you're making a Christmas ham, these are usually pre-cooked, so you just need to heat them in the oven for a bit, and then you're ready to eat. If you do this right, when you get to the big day, you may only need to make the salad and mashed potatoes!

Christmas dinner. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Besides cooking some items ahead, you can also help prepare for your Christmas meal by making a list and shopping early. Not only will you avoid the crowd of last-minute shoppers, but with a list of everything you need, you can keep from making those impulse purchases that sometimes happen if you make multiple shopping trips or are just shopping willy-nilly. Sit down ahead of time and plan out your menu, gather the recipes you plan to use. This will make it easy to assess what you already have on hand, and then make a list of everything else you will need to purchase for the meal. Make this a day or two ahead of your shopping trip, so you can add on any items that pop into your head that you may have forgotten on the first pass. Then go buy everything in advance and start your preparations. That way when the guests start to arrive, you can enjoy their company rather than having to make a last-minute trip to the store for something you forgot!

You do not have to have super powers or even a great deal of cooking talent in order to make a Christmas dinner that is delicious and easy to make when time is short. Careful planning well ahead of time is often the key to a successful Christmas season. Most of us begin our shopping early, and there is no harm in also beginning our cooking and meal planning a little early too.

Plan Ahead For A Fun Christmas Dinner Experience

Christmas is a time of year that brings friends and family together who may not have the pleasure of one another's company at any other time throughout the year. While family ties may be a bit difficult to maintain in the world in which we live today, the traditions of Christmas for many families are what keeps us grounded and in touch with one another no matter how far apart we are geographically. The problem is that if one person is doing the cooking for all, that person tends to spend endless hours in the kitchen and misses out on the joys of the company of others year after year. One way to avoid this is by rotating locations for the festivities from one year to the next. Another great way is to delegate items of contribution from all guests in attendance each year so that the cooking and meal preparation duties are shared among the masses.

Image via WikipediaOf course this isn't a perfect plan but it is a good plan. Another great plan is to prepare pieces and parts of your Christmas dinner ahead of time. With careful planning there are items that may be prepared as much as a few weeks ahead of the big day and stored either in air tight containers at room temperature or frozen for heating or baking on the big day or within a reasonable time frame of Christmas for best results. Any of the prep work that can be taken care of before the big day is one less thing to be taken care of when the time comes and that becomes a load off your mind.

Make lists. Lists are wonderful things. If you learn to live by your lists you will wonder how on earth you ever got anything done without them. When you are planning your Christmas dinner write down everything you plan to have, who is bringing what, what you are making, and what ingredients will be needed to complete each and every single dish. Go through your pantry and see which items you have in abundance and which items you will need to prepare the meals. Head to the store at least a week ahead of the big day and purchase all but the fresh ingredients you will need in order to prepare your Christmas feast. And if you are preparing your own fresh meat - such as fish, or a turkey you have butchered yourself, be sure to allow plenty of time for preparing and cleaning them.

Image via WikipediaAnother thing you will need to do is make sure you have a list of all the non-food items you will need to stock ahead of time. Make sure all the bathrooms are stocked, that you have plenty of garbage bags, waste baskets, paper plates, cups, napkins, cutlery, and other items that will be needed in order to make things go smoothly when your guests begin to arrive. These are little things that matter and may get overlooked if you fail to plan ahead.

You should also make a list of decorations, invitations, and gifts or games you may need to purchase for the day too. You want your day to go as smoothly as possible and you want everyone to have a great time. It may be a good idea to pick up a couple of generic gifts for a male or female in case someone unexpected shows up (you really never know) and have extra wrapping paper and supplies on hand in case someone has an emergency re-wrap (as in a kid opened a gift intended for someone else) - it happens! Most importantly, plan to be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy as much of the festivities as possible.

More Holiday Entertaining Tips:
   

What to Do With Christmas Dinner Leftovers?

Image via WikipediaAfter the big meal has come and gone, depending on the quantity of food you prepared and the number (and appetite) of your guests, you may have quite a few leftovers remaining!  Rather than eat turkey sandwiches 5 days in a row, check out this article for how to waste less food, and find creative ways to use up the remains of the day.

How to Waste Less Food This Christmas
If you do find some Christmas trimmings leftover in the fridge, consider using them up to make family meals. A traditional Boxing Day dinner for many families is cold meat, pickles and bubble and squeak - all made out of the Christmas ...
Publish Date: 12/13/2010 7:28
http://www.suite101.com/content/how-to-waste-less-food-this-christmas-a320111

 

Related articles on Holiday Meal Leftovers:

• Recycle Christmas Leftovers! (merrymicrofiberblog.com)
• Our five favourite ways to use up leftover turkey (recyclethis.co.uk)
• Planning for Christmas Leftovers (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Best Ham Leftovers Ever (wholefoodsmarket.com)