Post-holiday exhaustion is no joke.
Everyone feels it in varying degrees of intensity, but the often days-long slump after New Year’s Day can be rough. Late nights preparing a house for guests and wrapping presents. Long, hot days of cooking for holiday feasts. A valiant effort to will yourself awake long enough to reach midnight on New Year’s Eve…
It all catches up to you.
The days following will be for recuperation and getting your family back on some type of schedule. For cleaning the house. Perhaps putting holiday decorations away.
However, one task looms in front you – your family has to eat, but you’re burnt out on kitchen time and you don’t know if you can force yourself to eat one more bite of turkey or the remains of Aunt Kathy’s green bean casserole.
Never fear! You have all of the building blocks on hand. Let’s make some post-holiday magic!
As long as you have a protein, a vegetable and a carbohydrate or starch, you’re all set! Really, it’s just up to how adventurous one wishes to be. Soups or pasta are always easy; there is a laundry list of soup recipes available online to repurpose leftover turkey, ham, etc. You can make the base entirely from scratch or throw together your own stock/base from beef, chicken or vegetable stock, canned soups – whatever sounds good to you and your family.
I use a lot of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups. I cook a lot with pasta as well. Prepping some plain pasta, I add a basic white sauce, some diced turkey or ham, some leftover vegetables and some light seasoning. Instant comfort food.
Do you have some less structurally sound leftovers that might break down? Stuffings, casseroles, etc.? Thin them out or thicken them as appropriate (adding a little bit of flour, some broth or gravy, etc.) and serve them over biscuits or toast, adding a vegetable as a side, and you have a nice meal. If you’re looking to make it a little more substantive and add some more calories, you could include some turkey or ham in your stuffing as well, prior to serving.
Sandwiches are always a safe bet. A Christmas version of a “Gobbler” could be tasty. Though typically a Thanksgiving delicacy (turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, etc.), the Gobbler (one of its many names) can be recreated utilizing ingredients from the Christmas and New Year’s spread too. Our family has often opted for a fresher take on the Gobbler, serving the sandwich on tortillas as a wrap and utilizing mayonnaise, some fresh lettuce and other fixings for a refreshing crunch.
Lean in to your creativity! Cubed potatoes can be fried in an air fryer for some renewed crispiness. Add a little seasoning as necessary, a sprinkle of cheese, and you’ll have a crunchy take on a potato popper; add some ketchup or a dip or sauce of your choice and you have a delicious snack. Mashed potatoes of any stripe can be fried and turned into potato pancakes, a savory addition to any breakfast.
Check out the links below for some great recipe ideas that are low-impact and easy to make. Most importantly, have fun!
(Allrecipes.com) Turkey Leftovers Recipes
(Allrecipes.com) Ham Leftovers Recipes
(Allrecipes.com) 10+ Leftover Stuffing Recipes
(Allrecipes.com) 7 Tasty Ways to Use Up Whatever Stale Holiday Cookies You Have Left
by Andy Haman
