Holiday Leftovers-Seasonal Delicacies

Chances are you were either the preparer or the benefactor of some lush holiday dishes and leftovers from the feast.  I was both so now is the time, in this weekend post Christmas, to put those remains to good use. 

I have the following leftovers from the past days of celebrating; ham and a ham bone, shredded beef, shredded colby-jack cheese, three large boneless buffalo chicken snacks, sour cream, and half a jar of pepper jelly. I also have some miscellaneous fresh grocery items that need to be used up.  I love to cook and will use these as inspiration to not only not waste food, but keep the holiday food spirit right through New Years. 

I have both the ham bone, and the bits and pieces of sliced ham that weren't eaten Christmas Eve.  The ham bone will become stock for a big batch of bean soup.  With DD#1 not at home, I do not have to make it vegetarian.  The added bonus is that my sister who hosted Christmas Eve loves bean soup but her family does not so she will get a jar as well.  I posted my recipe earlier, and here is that link. Bean Soup This recipe base is for the meatless kind, but the only difference is cooking the beans with the ham bone the whole time, and then later picking off the very tender little pieces of ham that haven't fallen off the bone on their own.

With the bits of ham, part of the colby cheeses, and the remains of a bag of spinach salad and sour cream, I will make a tasty egg bake.  Economical and feels more special than just scramble eggs and toast.  Whisk 6 eggs with 3/4 cups of milk, a can of cream of something soup (I'll use mushroom), and the sour cream remains (probably about 1/3 cup). Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, place the spinach leaves, ham bits, and light sprinkle of cheese, on the bottom of the dish.  Pour the egg mixture on top evenly, and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or slightly longer depending on the depth of your baking pan.  A knife inserted should come out clean.  If you have a lot of cheese, sprinkle more on top before baking.  This feeds four people generously, and or more if you are having other items.

With half the beef, given to me by my sister from the huge amount she had leftover, half was simmered in  a slow cooker with barbecue sauce and served on sandwich rolls.  With some frozen French fries, and  garlicky, ketchup, mayo mix, it was a delicious Friday night dinner.  The other half will be used with some baking potatoes, carrots, and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, and some packet gravy mix into a beef stew.  I'll bake up the last two frozen bread loaves as well, and Monday dinner is done. 

As for the boneless wings, those will be sliced up today, with the last of the colby-jack, and baked between some tortillas and presto, Quesadillas for the football games today.  I'll pour the pepper jelly over half a brick of cream cheese and we will also have a delicious spread for crackers or on toast or a bagel.

With this plan, and the last of our groceries from before Christmas,I won't need to do a grocery run for a couple more days other than for maybe milk, bread, and fresh fruit, and should be able to get the fridge good and cleaned out, making a fresh start for the year. How are you using your leftovers up?  Do you have favorites post holiday that you intentionally plan to have leftovers for?