Christmas is over and tomorrow will be New Year’s Day. It’s another day of celebrating, of parades and football, and of making plans for the new year — unless you have already worked them out.

So, what did you get for Christmas that you can use in cooking? Was it a gift of apricots, the dried fruit? A loaf of apricot-nut bread will use not only the apricots, but some of the nuts left over from Christmas cooking.

Apricot-Nut Bread 2 cups chopped dried apricots 1 cup boiling water

1/4 cup butter or margarine 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons soda

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup nut meats, coarsely broken

Grease and flour an 11×4 1/2×2 3/4 bread tin (larger than the usual size). Set the oven at 325 F. Pour the boiling water over the chopped apricots; let sit for 15 minutes. Cream the shortening and sugar; beat in the eggs. Add the soaked apricot mixture. Mix and sift the flour, soda and salt, and add to the bowl. Stir in nut meats. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until bread tests done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Wrap in foil to store. Slices may be used, with or without butter, for the sandwich tray or on a sweets tray.

Sandwiches are always a good follow-up for New Year’s Day, following the previous night’s celebrations. For a special offering, make lobster or chicken salad sandwiches. The main directions are about the same.

Cook the chicken. Add onion slices, a cut carrot and chopped celery, plus salt and pepper to the cooking water. Allow the cooked chicken to cool in the water, to impart extra flavor to the meat. Remove the meat and cut into small pieces. Add the juice of one lemon to the meat of a 5-pound bird, if you are making many sandwiches. There will be about 5 cups of meat. Cut an onion in half and scrape some of the juice from the cut into the filling. Cover and refrigerate until used. At that point, add the mayonnaise. If desired, toast 1/2 cup of sliced pecan meats in 2 tablespoons melted butter in a saucepan until browned but not burned. Mix into the filling before spreading on buttered bread. If butter or margarine is beaten or whipped, it spreads easier and goes further.

For lobster or crabmeat fillings, cook the lobster or crabs in boiling water. Cut the cooked meat into pieces and give it the onion and lemon juice treatment and chill. Stir in mayonnaise or salad dressing. Spread on buttered bread.

Fruit salad ambrosia can be made year-round whether for dessert or a side dish. Since this dish is colorful and guests can easily serve themselves, it is ideal for a buffet. It’s the perfect way to enjoy seasonal fruits.

Fruit Salad Ambrosia 1 (3 1/2-ounce) package non-instant tapioca pudding 1 (3 1/8-ounce) package non-instant vanilla pudding 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple tidbits in natural juice 1 (11-ounce) can mandarin orange sections in light syrup 1 1/2 cups orange juice 1 cup seedless grapes 1 cup sliced strawberries

Reserve juice from the can of pineapple. Stir puddings together in saucepan. Combine reserved canned fruit juices from pineapple and mandarin sections and enough orange juice to equal 3 cups. Add to puddings. Cook and stir mixture until it comes to a full boil. Cool. Fold in four fruits. Pour in pretty glass serving bowl. Garnish and refrigerate for several hours. Makes 12 half-cup servings.

Variations: Two cups of any sliced fruit may be added instead of the suggested grapes and strawberries (don’t use fresh pineapple, though. It won’t allow pudding to firm up).

These toffee bars are a good addition to the sweets tray for the folks engrossed in the New Year’s Day TV offerings. Quick to mix and bake and iced with a mixture of confectioners’ sugar mixed with butter and milk or hot water and a dash of vanilla — or left uniced — these go well with a cup of tea or coffee.

Toffee Bars

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup flour

Mix shortening, margarine, and sugar together. Stir in flour. Press and flatten (with hands) to cover an 8×10 pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 F. Prepare the topping.

Topping

2 eggs 1 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup chopped almonds or other nuts

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup moist shredded coconut

Beat eggs well. Add brown sugar and vanilla. Mix together and sift in flour, baking powder and salt. Add coconut and nuts. Spread over first mixture. Bake 25 minutes in 350 F oven until brown. Cool. Ice. Cut while warm.

It’s New Year’s Day and the meals are casual and served throughout the day as friends drop in to watch the games or to chat. This recipe for Southern chicken bog can be prepared ahead and left to simmer for those who drop by. This hearty main dish can be prepared ahead, refrigerated and reheated.

Southern Chicken Bog 1 broiler-fryer chicken, cooked, skinned, cut 3 tablespoons margarine 1 cup chopped onion 2 cups long grain rice, uncooked

1/2 cup chopped celery 1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper 5 cups chicken broth, warm 1 pound turkey smoked sausage

In Dutch oven or heavy saucepan, place margarine and melt over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute about 5 minutes. Add rice and celery, stirring until rice is light brown, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and sausage, which have been cut in 1/2-inch slices; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until rice in done, about 30 minutes (do not remove cover while cooking). Slowly stir in chicken pieces, cover and turn off heat, letting bog sit for about five minutes. Serve in bowls from pot or place bog in chafing dish and invite guests to serve themselves. Makes 8 servings.

Brownie Schrumpf of Orono has been the NEWS’ recipe columnist for 36 years.