Creative Uses for Holiday Left Overs

Every year, I challenge myself to find new ways to use up holiday left overs. Here are my top ten favorites.

10. OMELETS - Omelets can be a great catch-all for left overs. Cheeses and vegetables are commonly used in omelets anyway, so why not use the ones left from holiday dinner? Meats can also make for great omelets. Try ham or turkey or even pork of beef. An omelet can really have just about anything you want in it.

9. POTATO SALAD - Most of the time, people use boiled potatoes for their potato salad. But why not try using left over baked potatoes? They are a bit softer, but they still work. You can also add in chopped up left over deviled eggs and diced ham for a bit more texture.

8. NOODLES - After working so hard on making the perfect turkey or roast, why use it for a simple cold sandwich. Try shredding them up and adding them to some noodles. Beef and noodles are always a big hit with my family, and after its shredded up and simmered with the noodles, nobody cares that its really left over from the holidays.

7. BARBECUE SANDWICHES - Barbecue sandwiches are a fast and easy way to use up remaining meats. Pull apart the meat and simmer it in your favorite sauce in a crock pot. Set it out with some buns and let your family take care of themselves. Beef, pork, and turkey all work great for this.

6. POTATO CAKES - Don't just divide and freeze your left over mashed potatoes this year. Eat them for breakfast. Add an egg and 1/2 cup flour and a bit of salt and pepper to about two cups of potatoes. Pat them into pancakes and pan fry them in a bit of oil. Serve them with some sour cream or even some cranberry sauce for breakfast.

5. TACOS - All those left over meats make for really good tacos. Just shred the left over meat, add a pack of your favorite taco seasoning and a bit of water, and simmer. Add all the dices tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream and let your family make their own. They never last long at my house.

4. CRANBERRY COFFEE CAKES - Coffee cakes are great for breakfast, dessert, or a midnight snack. Try using some of that left over cranberry sauce on them. You can either make the cake and then spread the sauce on top or swirl it in when you bake it. Make your favorite recipe for coffee cake but only put in half the batter. Spoon in some cranberry sauce and swirl it through. Put in the rest of the batter and swirl the rest on top. Bake just like normal and enjoy.

3. PEPPERMINT FUDGE - Many people like to decorate their tree with candy canes, but more often than not, there are left over canes that just can't be given away. Find an easy recipe for vanilla fudge. Crush up some peppermint candy canes and add them, along with a bit of peppermint extract and you have a great creamy mint fudge and people will be grabbing for it in no time.

2. SOUP WITH STUFFING DUMPLINGS - Turkey soup with dumplings made from stuffing sounds a bit odd, but it has quickly climbed up my list of favorites. To make the soup, put in the vegetables and left over turkey, including the bones. Add some seasoning and enough water to cover it. Simmer until all the meat falls off the bones then remove them. To make the dumplings, add 3 eggs to 2 cups of stuffing. Mix in some sage, garlic, diced onions or whatever you feel like. Drop by spoonfuls into the hot soup and simmer for about ten minutes. Sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese over each bowl as you dish it up.

1. MANHATTANS - Beef Manhattans are at the top of my favorite foods list, not just as a use for left overs. Even though they are commonly made with beef, you can use any meat, and they are so easy. Pull apart the left over meat and simmer it with a bit of your favorite seasonings and some water (so it stays moist). Make or reheat the gravy that matches the meat. Reheat some of the mashed potatoes. To serve it, place a mound of potatoes on your plate. Cut a piece of bread in half and put it on each side of the potatoes. Pile some meat on the bread and cover the entire thing in gravy.

Just because it is labeled as "left overs" doesn't mean it can't be great again. Try new things and see what will work. You may come up with a new family favorite that they will look forward to as much as the holiday dinner.