by CoastViews staff

Holiday Leftovers

by Liz Hamill

December 2010 — For years, I made this dish in secret, oddly ashamed to be mixing up holiday leftovers into one bowl. One day my husband saw me furtively stirring something at the stove and asked what I was making. I hemmed and hawed and finally told him, expecting horror. Instead, he begged for a bowl. Now I make Holiday Leftovers out in the open.

½ cup mashed potatoes

© Steven Love | Dreamstime.com

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons gravy

¼ cup shredded roast turkey (or chicken, or beef)

½ cup vegetables (lightly cooked is best)

2 tablespoons cranberry sauce (optional)

Put all ingredients except for the cranberry sauce into a saucepan. Over medium heat, stir until the potatoes are bubbly. Serve in a bowl with cranberry sauce. Alternately, put all ingredients except cranberry sauce into a bowl and heat in the microwave on high for about two minutes or until potatoes are bubbly. Serve with cranberry sauce.

Feel free to substitute, add, and subtract your favorite — or most numerous — holiday leftovers. I don’t use sweet potatoes or stuffing because I don’t like them much, but they’d make great additions or substitutions. If I don’t have enough leftover veggies, I grab some corn and green beans out of the freezer. Add a few of your favorites to create a well-rounded dish that’s all your own.

Brown Rice and Chard Salad

adapted from recipe by Stuart Cristol-Deman of Toque Blanche

by Gwen O’Neill

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This is great for adding leftover turkey. Use a cup or two according to your taste. You could also use beans, hard-boiled eggs or other protein for a one-dish meal. Also experiment with adding things like carrot slivers and green onions.

2 cups cooked brown rice

½ cup slivered almonds

¼ cup golden raisins

6 or more leaves Swiss chard

2 tablespoons apple cider

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cut out ribs from the chard leaves. Slice very thinly and set aside. Roll the chard leaves together and cut into thin ribbons.

Place cooked rice in large mixing bowl and add in the nuts, raisins, chopped chard ribs and leaves and leftover turkey or chicken. Stir to mix.

Pour vinegar into empty jar and add the salt and pepper. Swirl to dissolve the salt. Add the oil, cover and shake well until combined. Pour about half the mixture over rice and stir to combine. Adjust the amount of dressing and salt to your liking.

Easy Peanut Clusters

© Unfruscio | Dreamstime.com

by Mary E. Knippel

1 pound of almond bark, broken into

small pieces

One 6-ounce Hershey bar

½ cup semisweet chocolate morsels

2–4 tablespoons peanut butter (to taste)

2 cups peanuts or mixed nuts

Combine chocolate bar, almond bark, chocolate morsels and peanut butter in a glass bowl. Microwave on low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Pour nuts in; stir well. Cover cookie sheet with waxed paper. Drop mixture by tablespoon onto wax paper. Freeze for a few minutes to set quickly. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Makes about 24.

I’ve also used peanut butter chips and butterscotch chips in addition to the chocolate chips. And if you can’t find almond bark, white chocolate chips will work. Instead of dropping tablespoons on waxed paper, I’ve also put them in mini holiday paper cups for a very festive touch.