Leftovers

[spikesgirl58]

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers.  The original meal has never been found.  -Calvin Trillian( b. 1935

Comments

[69love_songs]

you should! I often find that things are tastier the day after!

[spikesgirl58]

We do this as well, but recently I started on WW and eat WW lunches every day and we have a surplus. I hate throwing food out. Hence my plea now.

[failstoexist]

I think it's better to just pack smaller portions for your lunch, or scale down your recipes when you make them. Instead of making very specific chicken for one meal, just cook some chicken and then mix it with a little bit of sauce, some extra spices, etc. to flavor it how you want for each specific dish. Use it for 2-3 different meals to avoid boredom. Kind of like those sites that show you 50 ways to use a rotisserie chicken, etc.

[hourglasscreate]

I don't freeze them. I cook a meal and parcel the leftovers out in single serving containers. *Then* I serve the meal. I stack the leftovers in the fridge so the oldest is on top. Then I carry them for lunch the next day. When they stack up too high I skip cooking for a night or two and have leftovers for dinner too.

I try to eat them oldest first, but sometimes I just don't want to eat that one and it gets pushed aside. Any leftover which has been pushed aside for 4 days is chucked. If it's a new recipe, I chuck the recipe too because obviously it is inferior.

If I were to freeze them, I'd treat them the same way except I'd label them with the day of the week I made it so a meal made on Tuesday would be eaten the next Tuesday and if Tuesday's meals were all gone then I'd cook again that Tuesday.

[di50rd3r]

this is exactly what i do too!

[njlorelei]

This is sort of what I do. I make most meals with the intent of having leftovers. Then we eat the leftovers for lunch, or dinner later in the week on the night that we both get home late and don't want to cook.

[alicephilippa]

It depends on the nature of the leftovers.

Meat leftover from roasts might well find its way into sandwiches, with a salad, or with pickle and bubble and squeak.

From time to time I do curries and stews leftovers from them are portioned up and frozen to provide a reserve of quick and easy food for when I can't be bothered to cook. I deliberately cook far more than can feasibly be eaten in one sitting.

Leftover veg might well find its way into said stews. Mash and some of the veg often get used for bubble and squeak.

I aim never to have leftover pasta and rice as they are easy to cook fresh when needed, even in my crocked condition.

[spikesgirl58]

Hmm, I never thought of doing a curry with leftovers. Thanks!

[alicephilippa]

When using stuff that is precooked as a curry base it'll need to sit for 24 hours to allow the spices to percolate through as it won't need as long a cooking time.

[spikesgirl58]

Thanks so much for that hint! You saved me from a "What did I do wrong moment?"

[tisiphone]

Depends on what kind of leftovers. I don't really tend to freeze my leftovers, though, but recycle them quickly for lunches.

[yvettel]

I love leftovers. I have tried freezing them and reheating them at a later date but it doesnt really work for me. I end up taking them to work as lunches or have them again for dinner.
I dated one man that refused to eat leftovers of any sort. (even soup which is ALWAYS better days later!) One ex commented "your leftovers are better than most peoples firsts."

[spikesgirl58]

We will pack stuff as a meal, but I always seem to end up with a spoonful of green beans, a quarter cup of mashed potato, that sort of thing. It's frustrating and it is getting worse as we grow older and eat less, but I still cook the same.

[full_metal_ox]

We will pack stuff as a meal, but I always seem to end up with a spoonful of green beans, a quarter cup of mashed potato, that sort of thing.

That's when I play Recombinant Leftovers, and toss all those not-quite-servings together into a soup; one of the best soups I ever ad-libbed consisted of the leftovers of a Christmas Eve party tray--deli turkey and ham, shrimp, celery, carrots, snow peas, cauliflower, green onions, and broccoli--simmered in chicken broth.

[spikesgirl58]

Yum, that does sound tasty. I did mini croquettes with the mashed potatoes and threw the beans in with some leftover roasted red pepper, onions and sugar peas for a stirfry...

At least my refrigertor is empty of leftovers for the moment...