Using Christmas Leftovers and New Year's Recipes (2024)

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Easy recipes to use all of those Christmas leftovers and New Year’s recipes that your party guests will love! Make your holiday leftovers delicious!

Using Christmas Leftovers and New Year’s Party Recipes!

Leftover and Holiday Party Tips:

Here are some extra recipes to use those Christmas dinner leftovers and other holiday leftovers and also some dips to serve at your New Year’s get together.

This is an unexpected canape and a handy little finger food:
- Roll about 1 teaspoon full your favorite cream cheese dip into a ball. Press it between two walnut halves. Lay on a platter to serve.
Save dry cereal odds and ends to add to your Chex mix when you make it.
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting it in the fridge. It will keep much longer.

Recipes:

(For Using Leftover Ham)

Sheala’s Easy Ham and Noodles Recipe

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This easy ham and noodles casserole recipe is quick and easy and kids love it! Just 5 minutes preparation to a tasty meal without a lot of work!

Author: Sheala Cooper

Ingredients

Units

1 (8 oz.) pkg. egg noodles or pasta, cooked
1/2 lb. ham, chopped
1(10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix the first three ingredients together in a casserole dish.
Bake for 20 minutes, until warmed.
Top with cheese.
Bake an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

You may add 1 package of any vegetable.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
(For Using Leftover Mashed Potatoes)

3-4 cups mashed potatoes
4 oz. cream cheese, softened in the microwave
1 clove of garlic or 1 tsp. garlic powder, to taste
1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Mix potatoes, cream cheese and garlic. Place in a 1 quart greased baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted.

Eggnog Pound Cake Recipe

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2/3 cup sliced almonds

Grease a Bundt or tube pan with butter and press almonds into the sides and bottom.

Cake:

1 package yellow cake mix
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups eggnog
2 eggs
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Prelheat oven to 350°. Beat everything together until smooth. Pour into a prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

David’s Favorite Dip

1 jar Kraft Old English cheese spread
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup nuts, chopped

Mix ingredients. Roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap. Serve with chips.

Most of the time we just mix it and serve in a bowl without wrapping it.

Blue Cheese Dip (Jill’s favorite)

1 stick butter (not margarine), softened
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1/2 small package (2-3 Tbsp.) slivered almonds, toasted*
2 Tbsp. chopped ripe olives

Mix everything. Chill. If you want to make a ball or log then don’t mix in the almonds. Instead, make your cheese ball or log and then roll it in the almonds.

Herb Dip

1 clove garlic, crushed or garlic powder
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. each of dried basil, dill weed, marjoram, thyme,
pepper

Blend all ingredients together. This will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months.

Here’s a recipe for you fruit lovers! It’s a great recipe to make to use all of those fruit plate Christmas leftovers!

Cinnamon Sour Cream

1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg

Mix and serve with fresh fruit. You can use this as a fruit salad dressing. too. If you decide to use it as a dressing, you can use canned fruit and garnish with the coconut and/or toasted chopped almonds or nuts.

You can make EASY and delicious meals at home in less time than eating out! You’ll save a ton of money on food and your family will thank you!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Pat in Kitchener
December 23, 2010 at 3:37 pm

Just wanted to wish you and your family a wonderful stress free Christmas!
Thank You for a year of helpful hints, and great simple recipies like these ones for leftovers.
Looking forward to your newsletters again in the New Year.
Reply
Elia
December 24, 2010 at 10:53 am

Hi, and Merry Christman to all. I would like to by the book, but I don’t have a credit card (incredible isn’t) could I send a check?
Thank You Elia
Reply
grandma
December 24, 2010 at 2:20 pm

here is another easy use for left over mashed potatoes.
mix with fine bread crumbs
some green onions
an egg
salt and pepper.
drop by small spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 or 400
till golden brown.
serve on a platter with what ever else you want
you could also add some parmesean cheese to the mix.
really good so make lots. good as a warm canape as well.
Reply
- Phyllis Howell
  December 30, 2021 at 8:30 am
  
  Great idea, sounds yummy, will try this, thank you.
  Reply
- teresa
  December 28, 2022 at 10:42 pm
  
  i grew up in the 50’s and that is how my mother used leftover mashed potatoes. delish!
  Reply
grandma
See Also
Easy Biscotti Recipe - Daily Appetite
January 2, 2011 at 11:12 am

I would like to add something to the post above.
I cooked these up and they were great. Had a few left over so I put them in the fridge. last night we were having our finger food scrappy meal of the week and my husband tossed the leftover ones into the deep fryer. they were really good, hot crispy and not greasy.
Well had some leftover mashed potatoes did the same mixture but decided to just deep fry them. BAD IDEA we had deep fried mashed potatoes. They disintegrated in the oil. The bits that were left tasted great but I now have the job of straining the oil.
they deep fry well after they have been baked so bake them then freeze them and deep fry them instead of french fries or to go with eggs for breakfast.
Reply
- teresa
  December 27, 2021 at 7:43 pm
  
  Hi – my mother would make them like patties and put in a cast iron pan with some oil – delish!
  Reply
- ransomedheart
  December 31, 2021 at 4:55 pm
  
  Put the potato in a tortilla and deep fry that
  Reply
Lavona Moran
January 2, 2011 at 2:18 pm

Hello! I love to drink a home-made eggnog made from milk, sugar, and raw eggs.
I learned that eggnog can be heated. Can home-made eggnog be microwaved? Thanks!
Reply
grizzly bear mom
December 19, 2011 at 10:39 am

Yes you can heat home made eggnog. Use a recipe to make custard and add enough ingredients to turn it into eggnog. Otherwise the egg will curdle when you heat it.
Reply
grizzly bear mom
December 19, 2011 at 10:40 am

Creative leftover use: feed them to your single friends. We LOVE getting these kinds of things because we only ever nuke one burger at a time. We never get leftovers.
Reply
M. Page
December 22, 2011 at 10:34 pm

Great idea with the celery. Mine never last very long in the fridge. Always throwing half the celery out. I will try your idea.
Reply
Karen Curtis
December 23, 2011 at 6:43 am

Just want to give you another leftover recipe
Leftover Turkey Salad
4 cups cooked turkey, bite sized
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins
2 small, cored, diced apples
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
Mix and fride for 2 hours…. I did not have the sunflower seeds, and no sea salt nor lemon. So I used regular salt and lemon juice..added more raisins and one more apple, still tasted great
Reply
- Patricia Lee
  December 28, 2021 at 9:07 pm
  
  Thanks for this one. I am going to try it with my leftover ham. Do you think it will taste as good? Happy new year!
  Reply
  - Jill
    December 29, 2021 at 7:38 pm
    
    Yes Patricia it will. It is usually leftover ham that I use in this recipe because I sometimes have only a cup or two leftover.
    Reply
Maey Ann
December 20, 2012 at 10:02 am

Thanks for all you do for us all year long. Love the tips and recipes.
Reply
- Jill
  December 20, 2012 at 1:43 pm
  
  Thank you Maey Ann. I do so appreciate all of our readers and their kind words. We seem to have so many sweet and nice readers who are forever encouraging us which we really need and appreciate. Merry Christmas!
  Reply
Donna B.
December 20, 2012 at 2:12 pm

Have a very happy Christmas, Jill. Your house must smell fantastic w/all those little gingerbread men! can’t wait to try all those dip recipes!
My best to Tawra and her family!
Reply
- Jill
  December 20, 2012 at 3:13 pm
  
  Thanks Donna and Merry Christmas to you. My house does smell pretty good. I had a lady say again yesterday that I always smelt so good – just like gingerbread men. I think that is a good thing. Anyway a very expensive skin care company is selling a gingerbread man scent. I am lucky I get my scent for free. :) :)
  Reply
Gail
December 24, 2012 at 7:34 pm

Thanks for the leftover egg nog ideas as I was wondering what I could do with it. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Reply
Rachel
December 25, 2012 at 2:17 pm

The egg noodles and ham recipe sounds really good. I’m going to give it a try. So does the egg nog pound cake, but not enough egg nogs fans around here, and I really don’t need to eat a whole cake myself!
Reply
Susan
December 26, 2013 at 1:08 pm

Wishing everyone a Happy New year and that every ones Christmas was great. I found some good deals at Walgreens today. my friend collects ginger bread men and I was able to get her two that light up for half off,she has been collecting for 40 years and she puts them on display from Nov thru New Years. Its strange how some times when you are not looking for something you will find it!
Reply
Judy
December 26, 2020 at 3:34 pm

Just made the cinnamon sour cream dip. I substituted plain yogurt, 1/2 packet of Splenda naturals and put in 1/2 chopped, unpeeled apple. What a great snack!
Reply
Vicki Lunog
December 27, 2021 at 7:19 pm

GLAD TO HEAR YOUR FAMILY WAS TOGETHER, LOVED THE DEER, THEY LOOKED LIKE SANTAS DEER THATS WORK WAS DONE AND THEY CAN REST AGAIN. HAPPY NEW YEAR
Reply
- Jill
  December 28, 2021 at 10:59 am
  
  That is so true Vicki they did look like that. LOL Happy New Year to you too.
  Reply