Leftovers … Yay or Nay?

by | Apr 1, 2019 | Food | 0 comments

Leftovers

Leftovers …Yay or Nay
I grew up in Northeast Ohio in a suburb west of Cleveland. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a multi generational family house with grandparents, parents and me. Let start with we were not rich by any means and had a lot of mouths to feed. So what does that mean? Leftovers, lots and lots of leftovers. Sunday roast was served usually Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Soups, stews and spaghetti sauces were made in giant batches any time they were made and lasted for days as well. Psst … pasta stretches a long way in a family and is inexpensive and man we ate our share of pasta.
We ate so many leftovers that by time I was an adult there was no way I was eating another. Nope, not gonna happen. Ever. I could not even stomach the idea of putting that forkful of food into my mouth. I was an adult now, I had a job and I did not need to eat those cold dead leftovers.
 
That is pretty how I spent my 20’s and 30’s, avoiding leftovers like there were the plague. If it was left over meat forget about it. Leftover vegetables…gross. Dried out meats and over cooked vegetables were all my mind could think of. Once again, not happening.
 
So after all these years of adamantly avoiding the leftover, this miraculous thing happened. I turned into an adult. Like a legitimate adult, doing adult things. Don’t judge, I know I am in my 40’s. Sometimes it takes a minute to figure things out. LOL, like you ever actually have things figured out. Anyways, I digress. Where were we? Oh that’s right, leftovers.
Leftovers have morphed into this new game for me. It has turned into “How can I magically transform these items without killing it and still have phenomenal flavor? Take this example of a roasted chicken. Julia Child has an awesome roast chicken recipe but it is labor intensive. If I am going to put that much work into making a simple and beautiful roast chicken I want to benefit from all that hard work.
 
Day 1. Roast Chicken from Julia
 
Day 2. Ginger Chicken Soup from Saveur
 
Day 3. Chicken enchilada casserole from me
 
That one simple item now got stretched into three different dishes. Now I know what you are thinking, 3 days of chicken. It certainly doesn’t have to take place like that. I typically would make the other 2 dishes and freeze them. Then they are ready when I know I am going to be short on time. Thaw and heat back up next week.
 
Let the games begin! Share with me how you use your leftovers.

Cast Iron

by | Sep 13, 2022 | , | 0 Comments

The Case for Cast Iron     This post may contain affiliate links that I can earn money from if you purchase. If you're like me, your kitchen is probably full of gadgets that you never use. That spiralizer that was going to revolutionize the way you eat vegetables?...

Mussels & Chorizo

by | Jul 9, 2019 | | 0 Comments

Mussels & Chorizo For me Mondays are hard. Well, they probably are for most of us. You just came off your couple of days off, put in full time where you work and now you are responsible for dinner. Ughhhh. I try and keep things light on Mondays like doing a simple...

Greek Inspired Lamb Meatballs

by | May 29, 2019 | | 0 Comments

Greek Inspired Lamb Meatballs You know when you have one of the weekday nights were you just want dinner to be easy??? Well I have those all the time. This was a Monday and those are my toughest days when I get off work. The night before I knew I needed to plan for...

Staycation

by | May 16, 2019 | | 0 Comments

Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & SpaEvery once in a while we need a night away. A night away from the house. A night away from the daily routine. A night with room service???? It doesn’t have to be far but we love checking into our home away from home, relaxing,...

Sweet & Spicey Brussel Sprouts

by | May 2, 2019 | , | 0 Comments

Flavor Bomb Alert! Brussel Sprouts… You either love them or hate them is what I find. Growing up my yuckiest memories are of boiled dead brussel sprouts. So overcooked and mushy that no amount of butter or salt would fix them. And for the love of all brussel sprouts...

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welina Home Logo

Need Help Party Planning?

Download Our FREE Ultimate Party Planning Checklist Now And Get All The Latest Updates!

Your Ultimate Party Checklist is on the way!

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy