by Todd Pheifer

Created on: December 26, 2008   Last Updated: January 11, 2009

Lots of food, lots of leftovers

The holiday season is a time of feasting, parties, and special family recipes. The time is also characterized by large quantities of food, and after hours of preparation, the serving dishes often remain half full of food. Out come the plastic storage containers and people start asking the hard question of, "Are we going to save this?"

Guilt

Of course, people often feel bad about throwing away large quantities of food. After all, they spent money, they prepared for a long time, and they know there are people in the world who are in need. Therefore, here are a few ways to use leftover holiday food.

Freezer time

The first choice for saving food may be the freezer. Certain entrees and sides may freeze well and be able to be used in future meals, which can be helpful in the next few weeks when people are less motivated to cook. Granted, some things may not freeze well due to health reasons and other dishes do not taste very good after they are defrosted. If people are going to freeze food, this should be done very quickly after the meal is done.

Party

There may have had a lot of parties during the holiday season, but most of the time people don't need an excuse to get together again. Sometimes people are hesitant to host a party because they don't want to deal with food preparation. When leftovers are available, that problem may be mostly solved. A quick salad and some bread can go well with the leftover holiday ham and suddenly people have a party.

Casserole

Another possibility for leftovers is the classic casserole. Granted, some people are not terribly fond of the casserole, but it can provide a quick and hearty meal for the busy family. Oftentimes the best materials to salvage for casseroles are meats like chicken, roast, or ham. Again, these items should be sliced or chopped and immediately frozen so that they can be preserved and brought out at a later time.

Lunch time

People may get a little tired of items from the holiday feast, but they can provide some good lunch solutions. Sandwiches are always good, as are small plastic containers of various leftovers that can be heated up in the office microwave. Again, certain things may get a bit old, but the leftovers can help offset food costs when people go back to work.

Gardening

Some food can be recycled or included in a compost pile. This process helps people who plant gardens during the warmer months. As the compost decays, it creates rich nutrients that can be worked into the soil when people are ready to plant. Sometimes a compost pile can be done naturally in a corner of the yard, but it can also be done in specialized containers which are available from a number of home improvement dealers online.

Soup's on!

Finally, people can throw together a few leftover ingredients and create a nice soup or stew. Granted, people often need a decent soup recipe in order to take advantage of leftover elements, but stirring the pot always remains a possibility. Again, meats are usually the starting ingredients for this sort of menu item.

The clock is ticking...

Leftovers shouldn't all be thrown out right away. Granted, people have to be aware that food will go bad fairly soon so the timetable can't be stretched too far. But, in the meantime, leftover food can be very useful for social events, future meals, and workplace solutions.

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