All Those Easter Leftovers

 The day after Easter means ones thing -- leftovers. what do you do with all that ham, lambs and sides? What about that extra candy and sweets? Get creative ? THere's a ton of new recipes you can try with all that food.

Ham can be turned into tasty hot Croque Monsiurs or a cold, refreshing salad. For the French classic, you can cut the ham extra thick for a heartier sandwich.It would also go well in a grilled cheese too.As for a ham salad, prepare it like you would  a tuna salad. Add mayo along with chopped celery and onions. For added flavor serve on Hawaiian rolls. Their sweetness will offset the ham's saltiness. You can also turn it into a main meal by combining it with rotelli or elbow macaroni. Add peas, chopped carrots and broccoli florets to round it out. As for the dressing you can stick with just mayonnaise or create an Italian dressing to pour over it. What to do with that leftover lamb? Shepherd's pie is a nice way of repurposing it. You can even use those leftover mashed potatoes as the crust. Fill it with chopped carrots and onions along with celery and thyme. A lamb curry is also a great recipe for what's left of that roast leg. It's a great time to experiment that garam masala and curry powder. Serve with warmed naan and yogurt for a different spin on dinner.

You probably also have all that leftover candy too. it may sound strange but you can add chopped jelly beans to a cookie recipe. You could also incorporate them into a fudge if you like a super sweet bite. What about those other super sweet Easter treats - Peeps. A really neat idea is Peeps popcorn balls. This is melting down those chicks and adding plain salted popcorn. To make them even more fun, put  a lollipop stick in them and have a new kind of treat. What about Peeps s'mores? Use that leftover chocolate along with the Peeps on a skewer(think rotisserie Peeps, heated to gooiness over a stove top. Serve on either plain or chocolate Graham crackers. You could also heat just the bottoms and place on cupcakes for a different kind of topping. if those bunnies and eggs  haven't been completely devoured, break them into little bits and serve over anything and everything. They're fun mixed in with hot oatmeal or cold cereal. A layer of them is an extra kick in an ice cream parfait or sundae.

Those holiday leftovers can be repurposed into new and exciting meals and desserts. it's a fun way to reuse them and enjoy them a second time.  Try them  to still celebrate the holiday in a new way.