Revamping Leftovers
I’ve made no great claims to fame or outlandish statements of impressive culinary dexterity in this blog. In fact, I’m pretty open about the fact that although I love to bake (and I have some skill in this area), I am not a professional chef and often find myself in over my head in my own kitchen. It must be confessed though, that even though I am no Rachael Ray or Cat Cora, I do have a pronounced similarity to Julia Child. Yes, it’s true! The Great Julia and I have at least one major trait in common: we both hate waste.
Now, I know Julia and I are not alone in our abhorrence of waste! All you other food-savers out there must be coming up against the same situation that I always do at this time of year: what’s to be done with all the leftovers?
The holidays are famous for gigantic feasts and (shamefully) for avoidable food waste. Although every household has their own customary food dishes they serve annually, I’ve taken some of the most commonly eaten foods and found these great recipes for your leftovers!
Potatoes
It’s probably the Irish in me, but I believe in potatoes and I think they’re best when mashed! But this starchy vegetable is so filling that there’s always some left at the end of the meal. So, this year I’ll try to convince my mother-in-law that we should take the remaining spuds and form them into these potato croquettes or these mashed potato cakes! It gives the mashed potatoes a little more texture and livens up what can become a bland leftover dish. Or, maybe I’ll go the other way and cream them into this potato soup. My mother used to make an amazing potato soup and I hope one day she’ll impart the recipe to me <<hint hint>>, but I’ve used this recipe before and it is delicious! Another good thing about potatoes is that they’re safe for those on a gluten-free diet! The potato soup is definitely a win, and using a gluten-free substitute for the small amounts of flour in the other two recipes is an easy swap (try garbanzo or chick pea flour for anything requiring 2 cups of flour or less in a regular recipe for a gluten free alternative!)
Turkey Dishes
Although turkey is more traditionally Thanksgiving rather than Christmas, I know some people eat this bird on both occasions! Even though I’ve been a vegetarian for years, I still remember a homemade turkey-noodle soup that
would appear in our refrigerator around the holidays. Well, if you’re someone who makes soup out of your leftover bird, you may want to try adding these mashed potato dumplings to the pot and kill two birds with one stone (pun intended)! Or you can use even more of the meal in a turkey and mashed potato shepherd’s pie! I would think you’d easily be able to add any leftover green bean casserole (although, my favorite simple recipe is so delicious, why would you have any left over?). Or, for a bite of the holidays in a sandwich, here is a turkey/stuffing/cranberry panini recipe.
Ham
The other meat most often consumed around this time of year is ham. Even leftover ham can be made over and given more appeal! What about a ham and cheese bake? I have a feeling that this pizza would be a favorite of Dr. Seuss! Or combine the two traditional tastes of ham and meatloaf into a hamloaf. There is also the simple solution of this cold ham salad sandwich!
Bread
There’s always leftover bread! This carbohydrate appears at most meals around this time whether in the form of rolls, French baguettes or just plain old loaf bread. Lighten it up! Make homemade croutons to toss into a big salad. The perfect way to use leftovers without making another heavy dish. This last one is definitely my favorite: use leftover bread to make a Vanilla Bean Pudding. Delicious! If you happen to have leftover Challah bread, even better! Here’s a great recipe for a Challah bread pudding.
With all of these great recipes available, there’s no reason why you can’t find a way to use those leftovers crowding your fridge. By using a little creativity, you can save yourself time, money and calories!
What are some of your favorite leftover recipes?
Thanks to Dr. Hemmert, Vicki’s Nature and ulterior epicure for the pictures!
~Laura
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Tags: holiday recipes, Holidays, julia child, recipes leftover turkey
