The holidays are here, and I suppose, like me, to be sure there’s enough, you’ve over bought for at least one meal, which means that in a few days you’re gong to be contemplating left-overs, but that’s O.K. If you’ve read my plan, you know my approach to over stocking, and leftovers are simply surplus in a prepared form. In fact, I like to stretch their use out.  It offers chances to be creative and save money on  food bills for the next week or so. To this end, and to keep my family from boredom, I only give  a  major meal one encore, and never with  the full cast. For us, it’s turkey, stuffing and one green vegetable. We  relax, enjoy the main entree, don’t feel stuffed ourselves, and appreciate the other dishes in future dinners.

Over the years, I’ve learned to follow a few guidelines in dealing with leftovers. With the exception of ham, which keeps well chilled, it’s best to strip roasts within a few days. I freeze the meat in two portion (about 1 cup) plastic wrapped packets. Then I take out just what I need. I have found that  poultry white meat dries when frozen. Dark meat fares better. So don’t mix them in freezing, and use the white first.

I boil the bones for stock. Simply cover them with water and simmer for 2 ½  hours, strain and freeze.  A whole turkey skin included, yields enough for about 4 dinner servings of soup. I don’t skim the broth   until I’m ready to use it. The fat comes off easily when frozen and seems to keep the flavor fresher.

Some other tips are: Sweet potatoes freeze, white ones turn watery, even in soups and stews, so use them up. Don’t try to increase the amount of a green vegetable by cooking more. It won’t look or taste right. If it can’t be added to another side, save the leftover for a frittata, soup, stew or casserole, and make fresh for that night. Gravy freezes and cranberry sauce and jelly last for months chilled, and are wonderful additions to many marinades and sauces. One of the hardest holiday leftovers to find a use for is stuffing. The following recipe solves that problem:

STUFFING SOUP  (6 servings)

• 4 Tbs. Butter or canola oil—or a combination
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 carrot sliced
• 1 stalk celery sliced
• 2 tomatoes diced or (1) 14oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 Tbs dried parsley-or equal amount fresh
• 3 to 4 cups diced poultry or pork
• 48oz stock=3 cans broth+ 6oz water ( gravy may be mixed in to this amount )
• 2 cups leftover stuffing
• 1 ½ cups cooked shaped pasta-bows, shells, penne
• 1 to 1 ½ cups leftover vegetables—peas, beans, corn, sprouts, spinach (optional)

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Melt butter in a stock pot over low heat and saute onion, carrot and celery until tender. Stir in tomatoes, meat and parsley. Add stock and stuffing. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 1hr. Add any leftover vegetables and warm through. Place pasta in a deep bowl and ladle soup over.

Have a Happy Holiday everyone and use those leftovers to save money!

 

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR LEFTOVERS  FROM ROASTS

The favorite meat choices for December holiday roasts are beef and poultry. I’ll be dealing with the other meats in the future, but now, I’m just giving a couple of options aside from the usual stews, stir fries and frittatas. These are company friendly, and not time consuming.

BEEF: Remember in using cooked beef that it is already done to the desired degree. The more well done it is the tougher it becomes, until the only way to tenderize it again is to stew it. ( see the beef hand chart)The solution is to have the meat at room temperature and add it at tor he last minute to just warm through, even with stews. These are in my cookbook Dinners With Joy, dinnerswithjoy.com

but modified for leftovers,, and all are easily divisible to accommodate portions.

BEEF CASSEROLE  (serves 4)

• 2lbs or 2 cups beef sliced and cut in 1 inch pieces
• 8oz fresh sliced mushrooms or (2) 4oz. Cans
• 2 medium onions in 8ths
• 2Tbs. Dried parsley
• 2 cloves garlic sliced   = 2tsp. bottled=1/2tsp. powdered(not salt)
• 2 tsp each  dried oregano, thyme and rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¾ cup tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine-divided—1/4 cup reserved
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch
• 3 Tbs. cooking oil—I sue Canola
• 1 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet if necessary.

In a large skillet or sauce pan, over medium heat saute the onions, mushrooms, garlic and herbs for 3mins. Add the tomato paste and ¾ cup of wine. Cover and cook 5mins.Add the cornstarch dissolved in the ¼ cup wine  and stir until gravy thickens, about 3 mins. Add Kitchen Bouquet for color if needed. Remove from heat and fold in beef. Pour into a greased casserole and top with mashed potatoes as made below.

• 1 box instant mashed potatoes— 3 cups
• ½ milk and ½ water for the liquid
• 1 egg
• 1envelope beef bullion granules
• 2 Tbs butter
• ½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• Paprika

Make potatoes according to directions. When fluffy add the egg, butter and bullion. Spoon over the top of the casserole, sprinkle with cheese, then paprika. (Leftover potatoes can be used. Beat in the egg, melted butter, bullion and enough milk to make them creamy) Bake in a preheated 375degrees oven for 20mins. Until browned. Casserole can be frozen before potatoes are added.

BEEF IN WINE SAUCE (serves 4)

• 8 slices of cooked beef
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 1Tbs oil
• 1 medium onion halved and sliced thin
• 2 cloves minced garlic or 2 tsp. Bottled or ½ tsp. Powdered
• 1 envelope beef bouillon granules
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch
• ¾ cup red wine
• 2 Tbs. brandy
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. tomato paste and Kitchen Bouquet as needed
• 4oz. Sliced mushrooms or (1) 4oz. can

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and saute onions and mushrooms 3 mins. Add oil for 1 min more. Add all other ingredients and stir until sauce thickens. Add kitchen Bouquet if sauce . isn’t a rich brown. Plate meat, cover with sauce to warm.

CHICKEN & TERKEY: One of these is hot, the other cold. Both are excellent for entertaining or for a family meal.

SALAD WITH GRAPES (Serves 4)

• 2 cups cubed (¾ inch) chicken or turkey
• stalk celery thinly sliced
• @ 24 red seedless grapes halved (green are fine but lack the visual contrast)
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream
• Curry powder to taste
• Salt to taste

Stir  the mayonnaise, sour cream, curry and salt together. Taste to correct seasonings. Gently stir into the other ingredients  to avoid tearing meat. Plate on Romaine leaves, garnish and serve.

HOT CHICKEN ( OR TURKEY) SALAD  (serves 6)

• 3 cups cubed cooked meat
• 1 ½ cups thin sliced celery
• 1 small to medium onion diced
• (1) 4oz. can stems and pieces mushrooms
• ¼ cup toasted almond slivers
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tbs. sharp cheese
• 3 Tbs butter- melted
• ½ cup toasted croutons –  I like rye bread

Mix first 8 ingredients and put in a greased casserole. Toss croutons with butter and top. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven until brown–@ 30 mins.

Doubled or tripled, this is an excellent party dish, but it also freezes well, before the toppings are added. So, save time and make extra to have ahead. It’s a five star with my family!