Almost all of our yearly gatherings are celebrated around the dinner table. Often, we make too much food to eat in one sitting. The following recipes are based around meals and occasions my family and friends celebrate throughout the year.
You may not take part in any of these festivities, and if you do, perhaps you don’t observe them with the reused items outlined below. Even so, you may find that many of the meals you eat result in similar leftovers. If you don’t have leftover turkey, you could try the Thanksgiving recipes with chicken, tofu, or roasted veggies, for example.
I look forward to expanding this list beyond what I currently celebrate. I hope to learn more about other cultures and diets, the common leftovers that result, and the creative and delicious ways people use them up.
Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the corned beef and potatoes and cook, stirring and flipping ingredients occasioanlly, for about 10 minutes. Hash should be evenly browned on all sides. Season with salt and pepper.
In another pan, or the same skillet after contents have been plated, heat the butter. To achieve an over easy consistency cook each egg on one side for 2-3 minutes before flipping them over to cook for another minute on the opposite side. Place an egg atop the plated hash. Season with additional salt and pepper, as desired.
In a saucepan, heat oil over medium high. Add garlic and cook until golden and fragrant, about a minute. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, salt, pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for fifteen minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Meanwhile, cut pizza slices in small pieces. In a baking dish, spread about 1⁄4 cup of tomato sauce to thinly cover the bottom of 2 pieces of the pizza pieces facing upright. Spread 1⁄2 the spinach, 1⁄3 of the cheeses and1⁄3 the sauce, over each piece, add another layer of pizza (facedown this time) and repeat the toppings. Top with the final pice of pizza, facedown, each portion in remaining sauce and a final layer of cheese. Bake 30 minutes. Allow to set for 10 to minutes before serving.
In a large pot, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add onion and sautee until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute, until fragrant. Stir in precooked diced meat, corn kernels until warmed through, about three minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, water, beans, sugar, and hot sauce and stir to combine ingredients evenly. Allow the mixture to come to a rolling boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes and then serve.
In a small bowl, combine ketchup, mustard and honey for the barbecue sauce and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix together the sauteed onions and shredded/diced meat until they are well combined. Add the barbecue sauce to the onion and beef mixture until all areas of the meat are covered in sauce.
Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place a small amount of the mixture (about a tablespoon) into the center of each puff pastry square/empanada disco, then fold in half and pinch the edges tightly to seal. Repeat with remaining puff pastry and meat. Place triangles onto prepared baking sheet. To make the egg wash, beat egg with two tablespoons of reserved sauce and brush over the tops of each triangle. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut cake slices into small cubes, about an inch thick. Arrange pieces evenly in a baking pan or casserole dish and drizzle melted butter evenly over cake. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture over cake pieces. Make sure cake is submerged and soaking up the liquid. Bake for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, crumble up the leftover cake thoroughly into fine pieces and mix with melted butter. Press the mixtures evenly into the bottom and sides of a a pie plate or baking dish (something the pie can be easily removed from). Bake the crust for about 15 minutes until light golden in color. Removed from the oven and set aside.
Whisk sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour in a bowl until smooth. Pour lemon filling into your cooled prepared crust. Bake until filling is set, about 20 minutes. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
Put chopped fruit in a mixing bowl and cover fruit evenly with sugar, gently stirring with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to coat. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Remove the bowl from the fridge and place fruit and all liquid into a large sauté pan and heat over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer while stirring frequently. Once the fruit is soften and foam has begun to form on the liquid surface, add the lemon juice. Continue to cook 20–25 minutes or so to allow much of the liquid to cook off. Place in freezer safe glass containers and allow to cool completely before storing in the fridge or freezer.
In a mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt and confectioners sugar and stir to incorporate the sugar evenly throughout. Mix in the honey and set the bowl aside. Blend the berries in a food processor/blender for about a minute until berries are broken down and pulpy. Pour the blended berries into the Greek yogurt mixture and gently fold the contents together until they’re combined to your liking (a uniform color or swirls). Pour mixture into popsicle molds or plastic cups with spoons/popsicle sticks for and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Mix oats, 1⁄4 cup sugar, and flour in mixing bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until topping comes together in moist clumps. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 13x9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Mix apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1⁄2 cup brown sugar in bowl. Transfer to dish. Sprinkle topping over.)
Bake crumble until apples are tender and topping is brown and crisp, about 55 minutes. Cool slightly. Spoon warm crumble into bowls. Serve with ice cream.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the gravy and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes to thicken, stirring frequently. Add in the turkey and leftover veggies, stir well, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Top the mixture with the mashed potatoes, and spread evenly so all bits are covered and reaching the crust edges. Sprinkle the cheese over the potatoes and place pie in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or so, and transfer to under the broiler for an additional minute to brown the top.
Place turkey, mayo, and greek yogurt in a mixing bowl and stir until combined. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Fold in cranberry sauce/dried cranberries, walnuts and Serve on bread or mixed greens.
Combine mashed potatoes, egg yolk, olive oil, and flour in a mixing bowl until the mass forms into a ball of dough. Section the dough into 3 or 4 equal pieces. Flour a work surface, use your hands to roll the portions of dough into 1 inch thick bars. Use a knife to cut each bar into 3/4 inch pieces. One piece at a time, and without flattening the pieces too much, gently press a fork into the shorter edge so the marks are visible. Place the pieces on a lightly floured baking sheet and sprinkle flour over them. Set aside. Bring water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a saucepan. Add gnocchi in small batches (about 1⁄4 at a time) and cook until pieces float to the top, 1 to 2 minutes and then an additional minute. Drain with a slotted spoon and serve with pesto, brown butter parmesan, or marinara.
Fill one of the Ziploc bags with ice (ice should come up able halfway) and pour the salt over the ice, set aside. In your second bag, combine egg nog, cookie pieces, and nuts and seal the bag tightly. Place the bag of eggnog into the ice filled bag and seal the outer bag completely. Shake and squeeze the bag for about 5-10 minutes, checking after about five minutes for hardness. Once the ice cream has hardened, remove the small baggie and wash salt off the outside of the bag by running the still closed bag under cold water. Enjoy immediately or store in the freezer.