It’s fun (well, for most of us…I think!) to have the entire family together for a Christmas dinner. You share good food and good times on that special day of the year. But, what happens to the food once the meal is over? Well, I’ve got 8 ideas for you and hope they’ll come in handy.

- Make soup. Soup is a very comforting and warming dish when the temperature begins to dip. Using chicken or beef broth, you can use your leftovers to make some chicken noodle soup, turkey noodle soup or even beef stew.

- Freeze them. Freezing means that you can enjoy your Christmas fare at anytime. If you use plastic storage bags, make sure that they are freezer bags and write the date of freezing on the outside. When you divide food into portion sizes then you can thaw out only what you need and not the entire lot.

- Send guests home with food. Why keep all the bounty to yourself? Load up on reusable food containers (in festive colors) so that each guest can take home some food for later.

- Make a salad. Green salads can be so boring sometimes. Add a slice or two of turkey, beef, chicken or ham to spice it up. Leftover meats make great salad toppers.

- Breakfast additions. Omelets are fun to make. Even more fun than making them is adding different items to them to see what kind of combinations you can come up with. Use leftover Christmas dinner fare to decorate your omelet. Ham can be diced to use as an omelet add-in. Leftover vegetables can also be cut up to sprinkle inside an omelet.

- Go eastern. Did you have steak for Christmas dinner? Cut the leftovers into thin strips. With a few stir-fry vegetables you have created a new dinner meal. If stir fry is not your cup of tea, you can make lo mien, fried rice and other Asian dishes that include steak. Or if you had the traditional turkey, go wild with turkey chow mein.

- Casseroles are always a hit. Who doesn’t love a good casserole? With Christmas dinner leftovers, you can whip up a casserole for any meal. With breakfast, combine ham, veggies and shredded cheese with egg for an after Christmas treat. For lunch, use some turkey, rice, cream soup and vegetables for a midday meal. For dinner, try chicken, vegetables, noodles and cream of chicken soup for an easy all-in-one meal that takes less than an hour to cook.

- Create a pie. This is not the sweet treat but a dinner pie. Turkey or chicken and even beef can be placed inside a crust with tons of delicious veggies to make a pot pie your family will love.

I know it can be overwhelming when faced with all that leftover food, but hopefully these ideas can make sure nothing goes to waste.

I’m looking forward to coming around with a few thoughts over the Christmas holiday while our resident blogger takes a well-deserved break. I welcome your comments and ideas. I love this time of year and hearing about other people’s ideas and traditions.

So let’s get to the heart of the matter here. Christmas is in 3 days (two if you celebrate on Christmas Eve!), so dinner’s gotta get get done. Everyone thinks of the traditional ham or turkey with all the trimmings as the must-have meal, but it’s a lot of work.

You can still have a delicious meal without slaving away all day. Really!

Ideas:

• Don’t have a lot of guests? Try oven-roasting a whole chicken or even chicken pieces.
• Take a walk on the wild side with a crockpot recipe the family loves. Even a pot roast can be cooked with a Christmas flair by topping the roast with cranberry sauce. Yes, cook the roast with the cranberry sauce on top and sprinkle a little onion soup mix for extra flavor.
• What about a Christmas pizza? A simple idea that can get the family involved. Choose a Christmas-themed pan shape (Christmas tree, bell, etc.) and go for it.

If You’re Still Making The Big Turkey or Even a Ham:

• Choose ready-made stuffing.
• Packaged turkey gravy can help in a time crunch. Just replace some of the water with pan drippings and YUM!
• Packaged mashed potatoes have come a long way. If you haven’t tried them in a while, do a test in your kitchen. You might be surprised.

Of course, if you aren’t into processed foods, things may not be so simple. You’ve just got to get creative with the time you spend in the kitchen:

• Appetizers can be simple. A veggie or meat plate. You can even purchase these fresh items, pre-cut and arranged.
• Don’t go overboard with side dishes. If you’re making them yourself, you don’t have to have EVERYTHING. Just make bigger batches of a few vegetables and other items. They WILL satisfy a hungry crowd.
• But better than making less is getting OTHER people to make it. Enlist all your guest to bring a side dish. Unless they have a specific dish they really want to make, be bold and tell them what to bring. It’s easier for everyone involved.
• Chop vegetables, get the bird ready and do other kitchen prep the night before. Enlist the help of family members and enjoy a glass of wine or a hot buttered rum…or two.
• Don’t be shy about asking for help on the big day. Your guests are perfectly capable of basting, slicing, setting and more.

The important thing is to enjoy the day. Entertaining can be fun, but if you’re running around the kitchen all day, sweating up a storm…it can lose a bit of its lustre.

Holiday Leftovers in a Quiche

This is a quick easy quiche that you can make from Thanksgiving leftovers. It’s great for those office parties and after Thanksgiving get together.

Ingredients:
5 large eggs
2 1/2 -3 cups leftover stuffing or half of a 6 oz package bread stuffing mix, prepared according to package directions
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup diced cooked turkey
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup half and half
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Beat one egg and add stuffing to it. Press this into the bottom of a deep pie dish or a quiche pan if you have one, it will serve as a mock-crust for your quiche. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the stuffing-crust. Layer in the turkey, onion, mushrooms in any order you wish. Beat remaining 4 eggs in a small bowl. Stir in the half and half. Season with salt and pepper to your tastes. Pour egg mixture evenly over the layers in the pan. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Let it stand and cool for about 15 minutes to firm up before cutting and serving.

Holiday Leftover Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 package (9 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
3 cups cooked turkey
1/2 cups country or baked ham
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) canned cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 cup milk, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Instructions:
Cook onion, sliced carrots and celery with a little bit of vegetable oil in the skillet under just tender. Stir in the spinach and pour it all into a shallow baking dish (at least 3 quarts or bigger). Spread the chopped turkey and ham cubes evenly over top of everything in the dish. Next, in a medium mixing bowl blend together undiluted soup, 1 cup of milk and ground pepper. Pour this evenly over top of everything in the dish. Now mix together the flour, grated cheese, butter (or margarine) and remaining milk until nice and smooth. Pour this over top of everything in the dish. Bake 45 minutes to one hour at 400 degrees F. The top will be golden brown when done.

If you’re getting ready to entertain a crowd and really want to dazzle and impress, try working some of the ideas below into the menu. Even when used at a minimum, chocolate can prove more flexible than many hosts and hostesses realize.

Using Chocolate At Breakfast
If you’re getting ready to whip up a special breakfast or brunch for company, consider adding chocolate to the menu. Even in its most delicate breakfast forms, chocolate can delight. Some of the options for early morning fare include:

* Cocoa. If you want to please both the kids and the adults, add this as another choice with the usual beverage options of juice, coffee and tea.

* Pancakes. Toss in a few semi-sweet chocolate chips or white chocolate chips when making pancakes or waffles. For kids you could make a smilie face out of chips – place the chips in the pancake as the first side cooks.

* Crepes. Fruit crepes make a very big hit with guests and they do not take as much work as many believe. Drizzle melted chocolate on top of whip cream to increase the eye appeal of the end creation.

* Doughnuts. Even simple cake doughnuts can be jazzed up with a drizzling of chocolate sauce. Stretch them even further by slicing them in half, creating two rounds. Arrange them then on a platter and spoon chocolate sauce over them.

Chocolate At Lunch
Lunchtime usually demands a light touch when it comes to entrees and desserts. To incorporate chocolate into this meal consider:

* Milkshakes. Lunch is generally one of the least formal meals of the day. Run with it by serving up chocolate milkshakes with the main dish. A little chocolate ice cream, some milk and a blender and you’re all set. Vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup work just fine, too. Or mix it up with a Choco-Mint Milkshake!

* Chocolate mousse. A light chocolate mousse served up with a dollop of fresh whipped cream isn’t too heavy, especially if it’s served in moderation. The airy flavor generally makes a very big splash, too.

* Chocolate chip cookies or brownies. Top off the meal with a cup of coffee or tea and a cookie or brownie. It’s quick, easy and will make even the stodgiest of grown ups feel like a kid again.

Dinnertime and Evening Decadence
After-dinner desserts are an easy way to incorporate chocolate into your party menu. Try working chocolate it into your evening by using one of the following tips.

* Chocolate fountains. To really make a huge impression, consider a chocolate fountain for a dinnertime spread. This is a fantastic way to please the eyes and stomach at the same time.

* Fondue. A creamy white chocolate fondue served with pound cake and fresh fruit is always a hit. Other options here include milk chocolate, dark and even caramel laced turtle fondue. Have a little fun with this type of dessert creation and remember to let guests serve themselves.

Chocolate makes a nice addition to any meal spread. Whether impressing guests is desired, or just surprising the family with something different, consider adding a little bit of white, dark or milk chocolate to the menu.

Here are a few tips to take the pain out family meal planning:

First, choose a quiet time once a week when you have enough time to sit down and prepare your menu for the week ahead.

Look through your cupboards, fridge and freezer and make a mental note of all the food you already have in there.

Start with the food you’ll need for dinner. Plan your next weeks dinner menu around the food you already have. So for example, if you have pasta, simply add pasta sauce and ground beef to your list.

Plan as many dinner meals as you can around what you have in your kitchen already. Once you “run out” of meals then start planning new meals from scratch.

Once you have all your dinner meals then move on to breakfast. In my house this is fairly easy as my kids like to have cereal and fruit or toast and fruit (they’re not very adventurous at breakfast time!)

Once breakfast is sorted, then move on to lunch. If you have older kids who have school lunches you don’t really have much to worry about. If you have toddlers or younger children, a lot of the times they can actually have leftovers from the night before.

Lastly, add snacks, fruit, juice, milk and all those little extras we always seem to need.

Keep your weekly food shopping at that, once a week. Plan your weekly meals and do one shopping trip. If you have to keep going back and forth to the supermarket a few times a week, you can end up spending more money.

Stick your weekly menu on your fridge so all you have to do is glance at it in the mornings and take out whatever meat needs thawing and you can also make a mental note of how much time you’ll need to prepare dinner that night.

I guarantee if you take the time to do this once a week, you’ll actually save time and definitely save money. So it pays to plan ahead and be prepared.

With a little thought and planning ahead you’ll be on your way to hassle-free meal times… now if you could only get your kids to eat all their veggies!