By Ann Cipperly
After a wonderful Christmas meal, leftovers can fill the refrigerator, and soon afterwards everyone will be ready for something different at dinner. Use the leftover turkey, ham, roast beef, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes for creating tasty dishes, including sliders, pot pies, quiche, soups, salads and much more.
If you served turkey, save the bones for making soup. Place bones in a large stockpot with onions and celery, then cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for about three or four hours until you have a rich stock.
Remove the bones and add brown or white rice and small bite-size pieces of turkey. If you like mushrooms in soup, add sliced fresh or canned ones. Simmer until the rice is cooked, adding seasonings and more water if needed.
Ham bones can be used for making delicious soup. Boil the bone with onions for two or three hours, then add split peas and garlic and cook until they are soft. Remove bone and add chopped ham pieces.
For another soup, add chopped ham to enhance your favorite potato soup. Leftover mashed potatoes can be used to make creamy potato soup. Add milk and chicken broth to the mashed potatoes until you have the desired consistency. A sauteed chopped onion and a little garlic will embellish the flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste and, to make it taste richer, stir in sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.
Ham and turkey salads are quick and easy to make for sandwiches. For a delectable turkey salad, add sliced grapes and pecans to a mayonnaise and sour cream base flavored with honey. Betty Letlow makes tasty ham salad with pickles and chopped boiled eggs to serve on lettuce or for sandwiches.
After holiday meals, Mary Richburg makes Cranberry-Turkey Sliders with a yummy filling combining cream cheese, mustard, horseradish and orange marmalade with slices of turkey and cranberry sauce. For a hot ham sandwich use frozen yeast rolls with a mixture of mustard, butter and poppy seeds. These can be frozen.
If you have leftover roast beef, you will want to make Polly Jernigan’s Roast Beef Stroganoff. Polly, who enjoyed cooking, assembled a cookbook, “Good, Good, Good,” in 1977.
When Polly was in high school, she was one of three sponsors of the ROTC who met President Franklin Roosevelt when he visited Opelika in a touring car from Warm Springs, Ga. Polly gave a speech that had been written by her uncle to the President and presented him with a bouquet of red roses.
Growing up, the only thing Polly cooked was fudge. When she married Charles, Polly would say she didn’t know how to crack an egg.
Polly soon learned the art of cooking and entertaining. She and Charles were married one day short of 69 years, enjoying entertaining and attending parties.
When Polly entertained, her approach was always about having fun. Over the years, she collected assorted recipes for dinner parties, luncheons and cocktail parties.
After her daughter Mary Barnes Newman married, she would call her mother nearly every day for a recipe. Polly decided to gather her favorite recipes into a book for her. When close friend Cherry Sue Jackson saw the collection, she urged her to publish the book for friends and others to enjoy.
Polly could not think of a name for the book. Mary Barnes’ son, Charles, was a picky eater, so Polly would take a bite of food, saying it was good and give a bite to her grandson. He began saying “good” too. While Polly and Cherry Sue were discussing a name, they heard the grandson at the kitchen table, saying “good, good, good.”
“That is it,” said Polly. “We will call the book ‘Good, Good, Good.’” The cookbook was sold locally, and the Jernigans took copies when they traveled to sell to small shops.
If you have leftover sweet potatoes, try Sweet Potato Balls, one of Nadine Knowles’s recipes. She was a caterer in Lanett and published a cookbook, “Don’t Forget The Parsley,” in 1976. Whether she was preparing meals for clients or her family, Nadine was interested in presentation and always added a sprig of parsley to her dishes. When she decided to publish a cookbook, the title “Don’t Forget the Parsley” was perfect.
Lyndal Curry, who also has a love of cooking, experimented with leftover roast to make a hearty hot sandwich that has been popular with her family and friends. You can use any kind of leftover roast beef.
While macaroni and cheese is a favorite with almost everyone, it can be used for making crispy patties or small appetizer bites. A well-known restaurant in Tampa, Florida, uses two fried mac and cheese patties for “buns” for a hamburger.
Leftover mac and cheese can be used for making grilled “cheese” sandwiches and added on top of a burger. For a hearty casserole, add chopped ham to mac and cheese and top with breadcrumbs. Bake until hot.
Leftover mashed potatoes can also be used for making patties and muffin cups. Take a scoop of mashed potatoes and roll in flour seasoned with salt and sauté in a skillet until golden brown on both sides. For the muffin cups, fill a muffin pan with thick mashed potatoes and top with cheese, bacon and green onions.
Mashed potatoes are also good as a topping on a shepherd’s or cottage pie.
With these recipes, you can transform leftovers into new dishes for your family to continue to enjoy the holiday dinner with different tastes and flavors.
Cranberry-Turkey Sliders
Mary Richburg
Second Place winner in Heritage Cooking Contest
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Dijon or spicy mustard
2 Tbsp. minced fresh gingerroot, optional
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
1½ tsp. prepared horseradish, optional
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
¼ cup orange marmalade
4 green onions, sliced
2 pkg. (12 oz. each) Hawaiian slider rolls, sweet rolls, or 24 dinner rolls, split
1½ lb. thinly sliced cooked turkey
12-14 Romaine lettuce leaves
Beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Beat in mustard, ginger, orange zest and horseradish, if included.
In another bowl, mix cranberry sauce, orange marmalade and green onions.
Spread cream cheese mixture onto roll bottoms and tops. Top with turkey, cranberry mixture, lettuce and roll tops.
Crustless Ham Quiche
5 eggs
1 ¼ cups half and half, milk or heavy cream (or a mixture of milk and heavy cream)
½ tsp. salt
1 or 1 ½ cups shredded Swiss or cheddar cheese
1 cup or more chopped ham
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top, optional
In a bowl, beat eggs and add cream or milk. Add ½ tsp. salt; blend well. Stir in shredded cheese and ham.
Pour mixture into a greased quiche pan or deep pie pan. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, if using.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until set or knife comes out clean when tested in the middle.
Note: Can had a chopped onion and/or 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed.
Roast Beef Stroganoff
From Polly Jernigan’s cookbook in 1977 called “Good, Good, Good.” Polly’s daughter is Mary Barnes Newman and her son is Charles Jernigan Jr. This special dish is now one of Mary Barnes’ favorites to make.
4 cups cooked, good roast beef
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms, canned or fresh
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup beef stock or consommé
1 ½ Tbsp. flour
2 cups sour cream
Salt to taste
1 pkg. fine noodles
Butter
Parsley
1 small can English peas, drained
Cut meat in thin strips about one inch long. Heat oil and butter in skillet. Add mushrooms and onion; sauté. Add meat and stock and cook slowly for 30 minutes. Mix flour and seasonings with sour cream. Add to mixture. Cook slowly, stirring until thick. Don’t boil.
Cook noodles in salted water according to package directions; drain. Butter noodles well and season with parsley. Add peas to noodles. When ready to serve, pour meat over buttered noodles.
Crispy Macaroni and Cheese Patties or Bites
A restaurant in Tampa, Florida, uses mac and cheese patties as “buns” for a hamburger. It is a popular menu items.
Leftover macaroni and cheese
1 or 2 eggs, beaten
Panko crumbs
Cooking oil
Scoop up macaroni and cheese in desired size for patties or bites for appetizers. Dip each scoop into beaten egg, and then roll in panko crumbs.
Heat oil in skillet to medium. Drop in patties or bites and cook until brown on both sides.
Sweet Potato Balls
Nadine Knowles, who was a caterer in Lanett, published a cookbook, “Don’t Forget The Parsley,” in 1976.
4 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
6 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. orange or lemon extract, optional
Marshmallows
Flaked coconut
Combine sweet potatoes, eggs, sugar, salt and extract, if using. In the palm of your hand, shape sweet potatoes into a ball and put a marshmallow in the center and cover with potatoes. Then roll in coconut.
Place balls on a slightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Serves 8.
Turkey Pot Pie
2 or 3 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1 pkg. frozen green peas and carrots, cooked or fresh mushrooms, sauteed
6 Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups turkey or chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream or use half cream and half milk
½ tsp. salt and pepper or to taste
1 piecrust
Preheat oven to 425. Put chicken in a deep pie pan or casserole dish. Place vegetables over the top.
Melt butter in saucepan; stir in flour and cook stirring for 2 minutes. Slowly add broth, cream, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes until thickened and smooth. Pour over chicken and vegetables. Stir carefully.
Place piecrust over pie and cut vents. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Easy Mashed Potato Patties
Mashed Potatoes
All-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper
Oil or butter
Toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese, crisp bacon, green onions
Scoop up mash potatoes in desired amount. Place in flour and cover completely. Heat oil or butter in a skillet. Add patties and brown on both sides. You can add shredded cheese to mashed potatoes. Garnish with desired toppings, if desired.
Turkey or Ham Tetrazzini
6 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 onion, chopped
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup cream, half and half or milk
2 cups turkey or chicken broth
2 Tbsp. sherry, optional
1 lb. angel hair pasta, cooked according to pkg. instructions
3 to 4 cups cooked, chopped turkey or ham or a combination of both
½ cup or more parmesan cheese, grated
Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in skillet. Add onion and mushrooms; sauté until tender. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Melt remaining 3 Tbsp. butter in the same skillet and add flour over low heat. Stir until well blended. Slowly add cream. When thickened, add broth, stirring until well blended. Add sherry, if using, and onions and mushrooms. Cook until thickened slightly, stirring frequently.
Spread pasta in bottom of greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Top with turkey and pour sauce on top, covering turkey and pasta. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
Can prepare ahead. Can be frozen.
Turkey and Rice Soup
Turkey bones
2 to 3 onions, halved
1 bunch celery, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup brown rice or more (can use white rice)
Sliced mushrooms, optional
Place turkey bones in a stockpot; cover with water; add onions, celery and salt. Bring to a boil; lower heat to simmer for three to four hours. Remove bones and strain broth.
Bring broth to boil. Add pieces of turkey, brown rice and mushrooms, if desired. Simmer until rice is cooked, about 40 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Roast Beef and Gravy on Toast
Lyndal Curry
You can also make a Philly cheese steak sandwich out of this by adding some sautéed onions and bell peppers topped with a slice of white cheese.
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
½ cup chopped onion
4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups beef broth
2 cups cooked chopped roast beef
In skillet, heat oil over moderate heat, then add butter. Sauté onions over medium low heat in this pan until they are translucent, approximately 8-10 minutes. Take care that they don’t burn.
Next, sprinkle flour over onion mixture and stir well. Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes for the flour to cook or the gravy will taste pasty.
Add beef broth half a cup at a time, stirring mixture until it begins to thicken, then add another half cup of broth. As it thickens, add last of broth. Add more liquid a Tbsp. at a time if gravy seems too thick. Taste gravy for seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste.
Finally, add chopped meat and stir until blended and warm. Serve immediately over toast or leftover dinner rolls.
Split Pea and Ham Soup
1 ham bone
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg. split peas, rinsed
3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Small ham pieces
Boil ham bone and onion for two or three hours. Add split peas, which have been rinsed, and garlic. Cook for another hour until peas are cooked and soft. Remove ham bone. Add ham pieces and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until ham is thoroughly hot.
Ham Salad
Betty Letlow
Easy to half recipe
2 lb. cooked ham, finely chopped in food chopper
¼ cup sweet gherkin pickles, chopped
2 boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. pimento
½ tsp. black pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Chill well. Serve on lettuce leaves or in sandwiches. Serves 12
Turkey, Grape and Pecan Salad
4 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1 ½ cups red grapes, halved
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. poppy seeds, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine chicken, grapes and pecans. In bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Fold into chicken mixture. Chill until ready to serve on lettuce or in sandwiches.
Turkey Pecan Quiche
Ann Bennett
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together:
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Stir into that mixture:
2 cups finely chopped cooked turkey
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 tsp. dried dill weed, optional
3 drops hot sauce, such as Texas Pete
Pour into 9-inch deep dish frozen pie crust.
Topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Sprinkle pecans evenly over top of quiche.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees about 30 minutes; cover and bake until set to prevent top from over browning, usually 50-55 minutes.
Variation:
Another method of preparing the quiche is to place a piecrust into a baking dish, and press chopped pecans onto the crust. Then add the filling. It is also good.
Mashed Potato Cups
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 egg
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Seasonings of choice: onion powder, garlic powder to taste
Toppings; shredded cheddar, chopped ham or crumbled crisp bacon, green onions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except toppings.
Coat muffin tins with nonstick spray. Scoop mashed potato mixture cups. Add toppings of choice. Bake 20 minutes or more until cheese melts. Carefully remove potato cups by running a knife around the edges.
Mac and Cheese Ham Muffins
3 cups leftover macaroni and cheese
1 cup chopped ham
1 egg, beaten
Topping: shredded sharp cheddar cheese, green onions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, combine mac and cheese, ham and egg; mix well. Spoon mixture into muffin pans coated with nonstick spray. Sprinkle shredded cheese and green onions over top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Run a knife around muffin cups to remove.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Kathy Barrett
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
3 Tbsp. shortening
1/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Roll dough on floured board and cut with biscuit cutter. Bake biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet for 20 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.
Hot Ham and Cheese Yeast Rolls
Frozen dinner yeast rolls (thaw slightly and slice, then bake)
Thinly sliced ham
Swiss cheese, sliced
1 stick butter, softened
Dijon mustard, use about half the jar or to taste
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds, optional
To prepare spread, mix together butter, Dijon mustard and poppy seeds. Spread rolls with mustard mixture and fill with ham and a small slice of Swiss cheese. Wrap rolls in foil and heat in a 300 or 325 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
These can be made ahead, refrigerated or frozen. If frozen, thaw before heating and allow extra time for cold rolls. Make the rolls the day before and refrigerate until ready to heat.
