The holidays are over and your house is probably overflowing with leftovers from your festive meals. Rather than letting these meals sit at the bottom of the refrigerator, why not transform them into tasty dishes that will extend the magic of the holidays? Here are 4 creative ideas for cooking with your holiday leftovers.
Grilled cheese with turkey and cranberry sauce
Ingredients
Instructions
- Brush the bread slices with the butter, on one side only. Brush the other side with mustard.
- On one slice of bread, on the mustard side, pile the cheese, turkey, cranberry sauce and brown gravy. Cover with remaining slice of bread, buttered side up.
- Preheat the panini press or heat a ridged skillet over medium heat. Carefully place the sandwich in the press, close and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the bread is nicely toasted. Or, cook the sandwich for 5 minutes in the hot pan (turn it halfway through cooking).
Macaroni and cheese and ham
Ingredients
- 6 ounces macaroni
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 3 tablespoons of skimmed milk
- 1 large egg
- a pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup grated smoked Gouda
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup ham cut into pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 1 ½- to 2-quart baking dish with vegetable cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain well.
- Return the cooked pasta to the pan and add the butter. Stir to coat the pasta until all the butter is melted.
- In a small pouring bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, regular milk, egg, cayenne pepper and black pepper.
- In another small bowl, combine the cheeses.
- Spread ⅓ of the pasta in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Cover with ½ of the ham. Sprinkle ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the ham and pasta.
- Repeat the operation starting with the cooked and buttered pasta, the rest of the ham and ⅓ of the grated cheese. Finally, spread the remaining pasta and cheese on top.
- Pour the egg and milk mixture over the top of the saucepan. Garnish with a few extra pieces of ham if desired.
- Bake until the casserole is set and lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the dish cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Coq au vin
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken legs and thighs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 1/2 cups red wine
- 2 tablespoons of brandy
- 1 bay leaf
- 4-6 oz bacon or pancetta, cut into small slices
- 1 lb cremini mushrooms, cut into thick slices
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, cut into small pieces
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (more for garnish, if desired)
- 8 oz frozen pearl onions, thawed
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken broth, wine, brandy and bay leaf to the bowl, then mix everything gently
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry, reserving the marinade.
- Preheat a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Increase heat to medium-high. Place the chicken pieces skin side down in the pan and cook until nicely browned, about 5 minutes.
- Flip to brown the other side and cook for about 3 more minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside, then drain all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pot.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium temperature. Add the chopped onion and carrots to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 more minute.
- Add the tomato paste and flour to the pot and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently.
- Pour about a cup of the reserved marinade into the pot and stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the rest of the marinade. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the marinade is almost reduced by half.
- Reduce the heat to minimum. Add the chicken, thyme sprigs and reserved bacon to the pot, immersing it in the sauce as much as possible.
- Cover the pot and simmer for an hour.
- Uncover the pot and add the pearl onions. Leave to cook uncovered for about another 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
- Enjoy!
Pulled Pork Breakfast Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 hamburger bun, toasted
- 3 teaspoons of butter
- 2.5 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 small handful of lettuce
- 5 to 6 thin slices of red onion
- 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
- 1 cup pulled pork
- 1 slice of sliced cheddar or Monterey Jack.
- 1 large egg
- a pinch of salt
- A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Spread butter inside hamburger bun. Spread yellow mustard on the inside of the bottom bun and ½ tablespoon of barbecue sauce on the inside of the top bun.
- Place lettuce on bottom bun, then top with red onion slices and cheese. Put aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick pan, then add the pork and the remaining two tablespoons of barbecue.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pork is heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Place the pork on the bottom of the hamburger bun.
- Use the non-stick pan and add the remaining teaspoon of butter to the frying pan. Break the egg into a small dish.
- Once the butter has melted and is foamy, carefully pour in the egg. Season the egg with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Let the egg cook for about 2 minutes. Flip to the other side and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place the egg on the pork.
- Place the top hamburger bun on top of the egg to form your breakfast sandwich.
- Serve and enjoy!
Comments (0)
There are no comments for this article. Be the first to leave a message !