Leftover Holiday Ham Recipes

One thing I've always looked forward to during the fall and winter holidays would have to be all of the fabulous feasts everyone seems to insist on cooking... First for Thanksgiving, we traditionally cook an over sized turkey with all the trimmings, not to mention all the cakes, pies, and fattening desserts invited family members bring along and insist you at least try some. Those extra pounds just seem to keep piling on, so we spend the next four weeks eating leftovers and trying to lose some of the weight we put on.

Then Christmas rolls around and we do it all over again, except the menu changes just a bit. We usually cook a large smoked ham instead of turkey, opting for vegetable side dishes instead of dressing & giblet gravy. The desserts are a little lighter as well... Winter squashes such as Butternut, Acorn, or Bon Bon make excellent dessert dishes topped with a dollop of Cool Whip, but one thing does remain the same... There are always tons of leftovers to contend with and I for one hate to see anything go to waste.

If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of families that have prepared a Whole Smoked Ham for the Holidays over the years, then you are fully aware of the beneficial leftovers one of these 18 to 20 lb. monsters can produce. Everyone likes a good ham sandwich every once in a while, but when you try to make 8 or 10 lbs. of sandwiches to use up your leftovers... You sort of lose your taste for ham for a while. I have compiled a few tasty recipes in which you can use some of your leftover ham and not get bored with the same old, same old . If you have leftover ham just sitting in the fridge, maybe this will give you a few ideas on how to get the most out of your leftover ham.

Smoked Ham & Cheese Omelet

A great breakfast idea to help use the leftover ham would have to be "Ham & Cheese Omelets" ... but don't let the name fool you. Ham and cheese are just the two main ingredients, because you can add any other ingredients you like to make your omelets unique and perhaps become a tradition in themselves whenever you find you have leftovers to deal with. Her is one of my favorite combinations that include ham & cheese...

To prepare this dish correctly, it will require two separate skillets... One to saute the added ingredients, and the other to actually prepare the omelet in.

Ingredients: Ham, Cheese, Eggs, Fresh Mushrooms, leftover Green Beans, Butter

Preheat your saute pan and add the desired amount of butter you wish to use, but don't have the heat too high or you will scorch the butter. Slice fresh mushrooms, dice ham and saute until mushrooms are done. If you have any leftover green beans, drain a serving spoon full and add to saute to heat.

While your ham and vegetables are sauteing, spray your egg pan with cooking spray and place on medium heat, scramble two to three eggs thoroughly and pour in egg pan and cover. Once your vegetables and ham are ready, drain and pour into egg pan (eggs should be half done), add grated or sliced cheese and cover until cheese has melted. Fold omelet onto plate to serve.

Fried Ham & Cheese Sandwich or Biscuit

Ham sandwiches from leftover smoked ham are usually just a few slices of ham between bread with mayo or something like that. To change things just a bit, try frying the pieces of ham in leftover bacon grease to give it a light crust. Toast your bread and use mayo, lettuce and tomato for a delicious toasted HLT.

Fried ham biscuits are great too for using leftover smoked ham. I like to add egg, cheese or tomato to my biscuits with a touch of mayo. Sometimes I'll even combine all 5 ingredients just because they all taste so great together, but it makes it very difficult to get in my mouth...

Cream of Celery Soup With Ham & Potatoes

Hot soups are an excellent way to fight back the chill of winter and sometimes cold wet weather, but I've come to realize there are many of you out there that think all soups come from a can, and if you don't have a can of soup in the cabinet to satisfy those cravings, you think you are out of luck... Some of the best soups you will ever taste are always homemade, and once you find the technique for making your own soup, you will start enjoying a lot of different combinations you won't be able to find in the store.This simple "Cream of Celery Soup With Potatoes and Ham" can be made fresh in about 30 minutes if you have all the ingredients available.

Ingredients: Celery, Potatoes, Ham, Milk, Corn Starch, Chicken Bullion Cubes, Parsley Flakes, Salt, Black Pepper.

Begin by bringing 2 cups of water and 2 Chicken Bullion Cubes to a boil in a medium to large saucepan. While the water is heating, dice 1 cup of fresh celery, 1/2 cup finely diced potatoes, and 1/2 cup minced leftover smoked ham and add to water and bring all ingredients to a rolling boil. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until celery and potatoes are done, then reduce heat to simmer. In one cup of whole milk, stir in 3 rounded tablespoons of cornstarch and add mixture to soup stirring constantly until the soup begins to thicken. Remove from heat to avoid scorching and stir in 1 teaspoon Parsley Flake, salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Giant Lima Beans & Ham

Now that you've used most of the leftover Smoked Ham, you should be getting down close to the bone. This recipe allows you to use even the bone before throwing it out so none of your ham is wasted ! If you are unfamiliar with "Giant Lima Beans", they can be found in the dry beans section of your local grocery store for $1 to $2 per lb., and are another dish I like to eat when the weather is cold outside.

Ingredients: 1 Lb. Dried Giant Lima Beans, Ham Bone (dis-jointed), Salt, Garlic Powder.

Rinse the dry Giant Lima Beans and check to be sure they are clean. Place them in a large pot and fill half way with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon garlic and proceed to bring to a boil. While this has started to cook, cut excess ham from bone and dis-joint the leg bone so it will more easily fit into bean pot, then place ham and bones in with beans and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook covered for 2 and 1/2 hours. Check water periodically to make sure there is enough and add as needed. Remove bones and serve with "Homemade Buttermilk Cornbread" .

I'm sure there are a lot more recipes out there that can help you use your leftover Smoked Ham within a reasonable amount of time. Being creative and trying something different is the key to using these tasty leftovers without getting bored with the same old thing. Even though the key ingredient in these recipes is ham, if you add other flavors to change the taste just a bit, you will hardly notice the leftover Smoked Ham from Christmas fed you and your family for another week... Which in turn means you saved a little on your grocery bill by being able to use something you already had. If you have any unique recipes using "Leftover Ham" you would like to add, feel free to post a comment along with your recipe.