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.
