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!
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.
Leftover and Holiday Party Tips:
- 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)
PrintSheala’s Easy Ham and Noodles Recipe
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!
Ingredients
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
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.
(For Using Leftover Mashed Potatoes)
PrintCheesy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
This cheesy mashed potatoes recipe is a quick and easy recipe that makes mashed potatoes extra special and includes cream cheese and garlic! It takes just a few minutes to throw together and then 3-4 minutes under the broiler!
Ingredients
3–4 cups mashed potatoes
4 oz. cream cheese, softened in microwave
1 clove of garlic or 1 tsp. garlic powder, to taste
1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded
Instructions
- Mix potatoes, cream cheese and garlic.
- Place in a 1-quart greased baking dish.
- Sprinkle with cheese.
- Place under a broiler for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted.
Be very careful removing this from the broiler as it will be very hot!
Eggnog Pound Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Topping:
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2/3 cup sliced almonds
Cake:
1 package yellow cake mix
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups eggnog
2 eggs
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Instructions
- Grease a Bundt or tube pan with butter and press almonds into the sides and bottom.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Beat the remaining ingredients 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.
3 Ingredient Cheese Ball Recipe – David’s Favorite Cheese Dip
This 3-Ingredient Easy Cheese Ball Recipe is a holiday favorite in our family! Made with tangy cheese, cream cheese, and optional nuts, it’s the perfect quick and delicious dip for Christmas, New Year’s, or any occasion. Whip it up in minutes for a crowd-pleasing appetizer everyone will love!
Ingredients
1 jar Kraft Old English cheese spread
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup nuts, chopped
Instructions
- Mix ingredients.
- Roll into a ball.
- Wrap in plastic wrap. (Most of the time we just mix it and serve in a bowl without wrapping it.)
- Serve with chips or crackers.
Notes
We leave the nuts out because no one around here but mom, my sister in law and I would eat it.
-Tawra
Blue Cheese Dip (Jill’s favorite)
Ingredients
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
Instructions
- Mix everything.
- Chill.
- Serve with chips.
Notes
- 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.
- To toast your almonds, lay them on foil or a pan and heat in a 400° oven until brown. Watch carefully.
Homemade Herb Dip Recipe
This homemade herb dip recipe tastes like some very expensive herb dips that you can buy pre-made. Be sure to use dried herbs and not powdered. Dried herbs are the bigger flakes that haven’t been ground fine. This is a perfect holiday recipe!
Ingredients
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
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients together.
- Serve, or store in a jar in the refrigerator.
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!
PrintThe Best Sour Cream Fruit Dip Recipe
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sour Cream Fruit Dip
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
Instructions
- Mix ingredients.
- Serve with fresh fruit.
Notes
You can use this as a fruit salad dressing. too. If used as a dressing, then you can use canned fruit and garnish with coconut and/or toasted chopped almonds or nuts.
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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.
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
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.
Great idea, sounds yummy, will try this, thank you.
i grew up in the 50’s and that is how my mother used leftover mashed potatoes. delish!
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.
Hi – my mother would make them like patties and put in a cast iron pan with some oil – delish!
Put the potato in a tortilla and deep fry that
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!
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.
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.
Great idea with the celery. Mine never last very long in the fridge. Always throwing half the celery out. I will try your idea.
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
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!
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.
Thanks for all you do for us all year long. Love the tips and recipes.
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!
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!
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. :) :)
Thanks for the leftover egg nog ideas as I was wondering what I could do with it. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
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!
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!
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!
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
That is so true Vicki they did look like that. LOL Happy New Year to you too.