If the last few months of cooking big meals for your family has created a refrigerator full of leftovers, you are not alone. Figuring out how to reintroduce the same old dishes to your family in new and interesting ways is a challenge. You don't want to bore your family by serving them the same plate over and over again, but you don't want to waste food either.
You want to invent new dishes from the same old leftovers, but how? When you look at your leftover dish, make a mental list of what you used in that recipe and think about what other recipes you might have or can find that use similar ingredients.
1) Old Fashioned Potato Soup
Mashed potatoes are a good basis for most creamy soups. In your big soup pot, brown up some diced bacon, about three or four strips. Then, in the same pot, add some cut up celery and carrots, as much as you like. Once they are soft, add diced onion. When the onion is soft, add 1 tbsp. oil, 1 tbsp. flour, and 1 1/2 cups milk and stir until thick. Now add your potatoes and bacon pieces and cook very slowly until nice and warm. This is a simple and filling meal with a little crusty bread alongside.
2) Turkey And Gravy Barbeque Style
Break up some leftover turkey either with a fork or dice with a knife. You can use both white and dark meat. Take out a big skillet and cook a couple slices of bacon, diced up. In the same pan, add diced onion and garlic. Add the turkey pieces and put leftover gravy over until the turkey is covered. Add a little of your favorite barbeque sauce or grilling flavor, but just enough to give the gravy its barbeque flavor. Simmer slowly and serve over buns or crusty bread.
3) Creamy Cauliflower Curry Soup
Take your leftover cooked cauliflower and put it in your food processor. Pulse until smooth and creamy, adding a little milk as you go to make it soup-like. Sprinkle in about 2 teaspoons of curry, a little more or less depending on how strong you like it. Then, in a soup pot, cook some chopped carrots and onion, in a little oil, until soft . Pour the blended cauliflower into the pot and add some chopped leftover turkey. Simmer the soup until it's nice and creamy and hot.
4) Cheesy Green Bean Tomato Soup
If you have leftover green bean casserole, you're in luck. It makes the perfect start for a cheese soup. Adding some diced tomatoes gives this soup a fresh flavor. Get out your big soup pot and saute up some bite size pieces of celery until just soft. Add several big chunks of onion, cooking until transparent, and then add a little minced garlic. Pour in a can of diced tomatoes. You may want a little extra seasoning, like a grill seasoning or dry rub. Put in your green bean casserole, slowly mixing in all the ingredients. If it seems a little thick, add a bit of chicken broth. Now just heat, stirring often, until the soup is all creamy and hot.
5) Stuffing with Egg Muffin Cups
Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or brush with butter or oil. Spoon enough stuffing in each muffin cup to form a little cup with room for one egg. Break one egg into each cup and top with enough shredded cheese to cover egg. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the egg is done and cheese is melted. Let stand a few minutes before removing egg and stuffing from muffin tin.
Using up holiday leftovers is always a challenge. No one wants to look at the same dishes being served time and time again. If you give some thought to the ingredients that went in to creating the dish in the first place, you'll no doubt be able to add complimentary food items to build a whole new dish out of the old one. - 16492
You want to invent new dishes from the same old leftovers, but how? When you look at your leftover dish, make a mental list of what you used in that recipe and think about what other recipes you might have or can find that use similar ingredients.
1) Old Fashioned Potato Soup
Mashed potatoes are a good basis for most creamy soups. In your big soup pot, brown up some diced bacon, about three or four strips. Then, in the same pot, add some cut up celery and carrots, as much as you like. Once they are soft, add diced onion. When the onion is soft, add 1 tbsp. oil, 1 tbsp. flour, and 1 1/2 cups milk and stir until thick. Now add your potatoes and bacon pieces and cook very slowly until nice and warm. This is a simple and filling meal with a little crusty bread alongside.
2) Turkey And Gravy Barbeque Style
Break up some leftover turkey either with a fork or dice with a knife. You can use both white and dark meat. Take out a big skillet and cook a couple slices of bacon, diced up. In the same pan, add diced onion and garlic. Add the turkey pieces and put leftover gravy over until the turkey is covered. Add a little of your favorite barbeque sauce or grilling flavor, but just enough to give the gravy its barbeque flavor. Simmer slowly and serve over buns or crusty bread.
3) Creamy Cauliflower Curry Soup
Take your leftover cooked cauliflower and put it in your food processor. Pulse until smooth and creamy, adding a little milk as you go to make it soup-like. Sprinkle in about 2 teaspoons of curry, a little more or less depending on how strong you like it. Then, in a soup pot, cook some chopped carrots and onion, in a little oil, until soft . Pour the blended cauliflower into the pot and add some chopped leftover turkey. Simmer the soup until it's nice and creamy and hot.
4) Cheesy Green Bean Tomato Soup
If you have leftover green bean casserole, you're in luck. It makes the perfect start for a cheese soup. Adding some diced tomatoes gives this soup a fresh flavor. Get out your big soup pot and saute up some bite size pieces of celery until just soft. Add several big chunks of onion, cooking until transparent, and then add a little minced garlic. Pour in a can of diced tomatoes. You may want a little extra seasoning, like a grill seasoning or dry rub. Put in your green bean casserole, slowly mixing in all the ingredients. If it seems a little thick, add a bit of chicken broth. Now just heat, stirring often, until the soup is all creamy and hot.
5) Stuffing with Egg Muffin Cups
Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or brush with butter or oil. Spoon enough stuffing in each muffin cup to form a little cup with room for one egg. Break one egg into each cup and top with enough shredded cheese to cover egg. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the egg is done and cheese is melted. Let stand a few minutes before removing egg and stuffing from muffin tin.
Using up holiday leftovers is always a challenge. No one wants to look at the same dishes being served time and time again. If you give some thought to the ingredients that went in to creating the dish in the first place, you'll no doubt be able to add complimentary food items to build a whole new dish out of the old one. - 16492
About the Author:
Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane mom behind ShowMomtheMoney.com - a fun and informative resource to help moms achieve success working from home. She invites you to learn more ways to save money in her Frugal Cooking Ideas section. Be sure to sign up for her free lessons for work at home moms.
