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Meals & Holidays:
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- Holiday
Leftover Ideas
- by 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.
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.
Author:
Copyright
© 2001
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 more recipes,
gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and
more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.
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