Easter Leftover Makeover Blog Party

It's the day after Easter, family and friends have left, and I've got a fridge full of food.  Well, for me the three items I have the most of in my fridge are hard-boiled eggs, ham and mashed potatoes, so what should I do?

Hard-Boiled Eggs - Breakfast - Chopped Egg & Chorizo Breakfast Pizza from Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats

On Saturday our kids dyed 48 hard-boiled eggs with their second-cousin, so to say I have a few hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator would be an understatement.  So what can I do?  One option is Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats's Chopped Egg & Chorizo Breakfast Pizza.

I love breakfast pizza and Ally's version is sure to hit the spot with chopped hard-boiled egg, smoky and spicy chorizo, layered with a cheese sauce!  Oh yeah!  I can't wait to transform some of my hard-boiled egg leftovers into this breakfast makeover.

Ham - Dinner - Funeral Sandwiches from Jeni Eats

Next up is ham!  We double-smoked two hams for Easter yesterday and I have a couple gallon bags with leftover ham in it.  With spring planting on the horizon this week the first thing I thought about making was Jeni Eats's Funeral Sandwiches.

These quick, glazed, baked ham and cheese sandwiches are delicious!  Between everything being melty, ooey and gooey, along with the delicious glaze on top - these have become a family favorite and are perfect for feeding a crowd, or a hungry tractor and planting crew.

Mashed Potatoes - Supper - Shepherd's Pie from Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids

Last up is mashed potatoes!  I made 10 pounds of mashed potatoes for yesterday and while people did a really good job of trying to finish them, I still have some leftovers.  So what better way to makeover mashed potatoes other than Shepherd's Pie.

This recipe is a great way to turn your mashed potatoes into another great comfort food.  Add in some of your leftover vegetables and some hamburger, and you've got a classic supper ready for your family.

So now it is your turn!  I've teamed up with my Country Fair Blog Party friends, Jan of The Tip Garden and Nicole of Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom to bring all of you an Easter Leftover Makeover Blog Party.  Feel free to link up as many of your posts that would work as a leftover makeover!  I can't wait to get inspired by all of your ideas.

What leftover are you excited to have in your refrigerator?  What's your favorite leftover makeover?  Remember to Comment for a Cause.

An InLinkz Link-up

Ideas for Holiday Leftovers + Recipe

Today marked the first day that we didn't have any Christmas celebrations or family members at our house for four days.  So I spent the day catching up on laundry, making Christmas thank yous and trying to get back into our normal routine.  Part of my Sunday routine is making my meal plan for the week.  After hosting two family Christmases and having family at our house for three days, needless to say, we have a full fridge of odds and ends of leftovers.  So now the big question is, what to do with all of your leftovers so you don't hear "not this again..." or have to throw any food away.  Here are three simple ideas, plus a recipe that I made tonight!

1. Freeze - This should be a no-brainer but I think it is something people forget about.  If you have a lot of something leftover - freeze it!  I personally froze a half crock-pot's worth of chili and enough pork loin for probably a dozen sandwiches after all of our company left.  This will come in handy after baby #3 JP arrives this winter!
2. Add-ins - Leftover vegetables and meat make for easy and quick additions to eggs for breakfast or inside quesadillas or paninis for dinner.  Today at noon I used leftover cheese from a cheese platter and leftover cubed ham from an appetizer to make some delicious panini melts.  They were perfect and something light to have after eating big meals for the last few days.
3. Repurpose - Lastly, repurpose your leftovers into something new.  There are lots of ideas for repurposing your holiday ham or turkey into casseroles or soups, but don't forget those side dishes.  Tonight I used our leftover mashed potatoes to make a delicious and simple Shepherd's Pie.  I hope you enjoy it just as much as my family did!

Leftover Shepherd's Pie

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes  (Or you make make fresh if you don't have any leftovers - I personally love the Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes recipe.)

1 lb. ground pork or beef

2 Tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. ketchup

1 cup beef broth

4 cups leftover mixed vegetables (Or you can use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, thawed.)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Salt and pepper, to taste

Brown meat in skillet.  Stir in flour and cook for one minute.  Stir in ketchup, followed by beef broth and then vegetables.  Feel free to add a little salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon into casserole dish or 9x9 square baking dish.  Cover with mashed potatoes.  And if you have cheese loving kids like I do, sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.

What is your favorite thing to do with leftovers?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!