topic Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS... in Kitchen

WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

Flatbush — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 04:37:52 GMT

I had some mashed potatoes we didn't eat the night before,and I hate waste. So, I thought about them and decided to make potato pancakes. I used no recipe, so just guessed.

Anyhow, I am wondering if you have leftovers, what do you do with them.

Not asking for recipes, just new ideas for your leftovers, and how do you use them instead of throwing them out.

Want to keep this simple, just new ideas.

Will be interesting!

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

Foxxee — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 04:46:29 GMT

Can't give you any ideas because I'd have them as leftovers. We'd never think of them as "waste."

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

Desertdi — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 04:46:56 GMT

My husband refused to eat leftovers. I took them to work for my lunch.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

SandySparkles — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 05:01:27 GMT

This should be FUN!!! I cook A LOT of vegetables, and freeze the leftovers in ziplock bags,, and use them later to make soups, stir fry's, and broth for holiday cooking. The mashed potatoes can even be used to thicken potato soup making for a hearty bowl of potato goodness!!😋 I do the same with seafood.😊 The shrimp shells can be boiled with chicken broth or vegetable broth( my preference), and make an EXCELLENT base for a seafood soup.👍 My food processor gets quite the workout.😄

~~~All we need is LOVE💖

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

In-x-s — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 05:00:27 GMT

We usually eat them for lunches unless there's enough for another meal we eat it that way. Sometimes I'll turn leftover meat into a casserole such as leftover pork roast diced up with gravy and cook up egg noodles and maybe cook some broccolli to mix in. If I have leftover beef roast I like to chop it up with potatoes and onions for roast beef hash. In fact, many times I cook with the intention of having leftovers.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

KathyM23 — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 07:11:16 GMT

We purposely have leftovers. There are only two of us and DH makes enough to eat for a second night. If there is not enough for 2 nights, he will eat what is left for lunch the next day.

We had pork tenderloin in the crockpot with potatoes, carrots and green beans and the next night DH turned the meat into shredded pork with ketchup and brown suger for sandwiches and we finished the vegetables. There was enough shredded pork for his lunch the third day.

Had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Had our widowed neighbor over to eat with us, then had meatloaf and steamed the other half of the heads of broccoli/cauliflower and warmed up the mashed potatos in the mic the next night. DH and I both had meatloaf sandwiches for lunch the third day.

I could go on and on, there are so many things to cook this way and no everyday cooking. I can think of at least 12 more meals that make great second time arounds. As we do eat out often, DH only has to cook 1 or 2 nights a week. Actually leftovers taste better the second time around.

No unused leftovers this way and lots of free time instead of spending it coming up with what to eat and cooking everynight.

@Flatbush Just add a little milk to the mashed potatoes the next night and they microwave just fine.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

Tinkrbl44 — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 07:19:21 GMT

Leftover vegs will go into a heavy plastic bag in the freezer for the next soup ... which, coincidentally, starts tomorrow night.

As for main dishes, I've always cooked by number of servings. Everything I cook ends up being two, four or six servings. I've always been good at estimating that.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

QVCkitty1 — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 07:31:19 GMT

My favorite is using leftover butternut squash blended with chicken broth to make soup. I season with some cumin and a few red pepper flakes go some heat.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

Pooky1 — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 09:15:38 GMT

We cook bigger meals just so meals go for more than 1 night.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

Big Joanie — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 11:22:24 GMT

When I cook .. I usually like a dinner for hubby and me..

and left over one lunch for him .. we use up everything ...

Love the days when I have been really busy but know

there is someting left over in the fridge I don't have to cook ....

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

AZfem — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 11:59:00 GMT

With mashed potatoes I have made tacos. Had them in Mexico & at local Mexican restraunts & to me they are so good. Put the potatoes in a taco, add lettuce, purple cabbage, onions & tomatoes or whatever you like or have on hand.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

JeanLouiseFinch — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 16:30:15 GMT

I normally plan a casserole for intentional leftovers. For us, that means a repeat meal of the same thing. Cook once, eat twice.

Sometimes, I'll intentionally make an additional steak or chicken breast. We will have the protein and a vegetable for one meal, but then a day or two later we'll have that intended additional protein on top of a big tossed salad.

When I make steak I always make a big skillet of sautéed mushrooms on purpose. We'll have some with the original meal but the next day I'll put them in an omelette.

The way I plan and cook, we don't have many random leftovers, but there are times when I can't use up produce fast enough and I do have to pitch some. I hate when that happens.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

CalminHeart — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 12:30:22 GMT

My parents used to make patties out of leftover mashed potatoes and fry them so they were crispy on the outside. We were very poor back then and nothing went to waste. And we loved them as kids.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

Starpolisher — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 12:44:56 GMT

If it's enough for another dinner, we have them again. If not, I love leftovers for breakfast! Dh only eats American breakfast foods for breakfast. But I like everything Especially, fish 🐟 leftovers! I sometimes cut all my leftover veggies up and put them into meatloaf. We don't have leftovers often. Unless I intentionally make something to eat twice.😋

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

PINKdogWOOD — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 13:03:09 GMT

@Flatbush The minute you said leftover mashed taters, I immediately thought yes, potato pancakes! Great idea, toss in a few cut up green onions, oh yeah!

Leftovers - some are good some not so much. We are only two in this house so we try to not overcook but we still on occasion have leftovers. to re-work them sometimes is hard to figure out We do our best thought to figure out something so as to not throw leftovers out.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

LindaSal — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 13:13:59 GMT

Same here, just the two of us. I'm one of those who never really accomplished cooking for two, LOL! We always have leftovers but DH loves them for lunch and we'll do the same as others, if we have enough for a second meal that's great. I like to warm in my smaller corningware on low in the oven, taste better to me than microwaving. Sometimes if we cook steak or pork chops and eat all the meat, the next night DH will make home fries out of the roasted or baked potatoes we had and put the veggies in an omlette with a bit of cheese. With what we pay for food, we try to eat all of it!

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

mrshckynut — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 14:33:28 GMT

husband doesn't eat most of my type of foods leftovers i won't eat go outside for our many visiting critters

mrshckynut

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

skatting44 — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 15:23:58 GMT

For breakfast or brunch - You can take left over mashed potatos and add them to raw eggs that have been whipped , then add ham, onions , peppers , salt & pepper and cheese to make a fritata or pour in one of those muffin tins & bake.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

wagirl — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 15:48:02 GMT

I usually don't have many leftovers-- I only cook for 2 so not much is leftover--but DD takes the rest of the meal we don't eat for dinner , for her lunch at work. Now I do love a good potatoe pancake---but I often add that little dab into any soups I have or am making---I made polenta in my pressure cooker and have enough leftover to make polenta cakes, which is a really nice side dish. We did eat up the few leftovers yesterday for dinner--some pasta and sauce along with meatballs----Been trying really hard to use everything up and not let it go to waste----ends of bread I make into crumbs and freeze.

Re: WONDERING ABOUT YOUR LEFTOVERS...

Sooner — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 15:51:03 GMT

@Flatbush wrote:
I had some mashed potatoes we didn't eat the night before,and I hate waste. So, I thought about them and decided to make potato pancakes. I used no recipe, so just guessed.
Anyhow, I am wondering if you have leftovers, what do you do with them.
Not asking for recipes, just new ideas for your leftovers, and how do you use them instead of throwing them out.
Want to keep this simple, just new ideas.
Will be interesting!

@Flatbush Buy good food, be frugal with it, but then again you can't eat every bite.

So while we do make every effort to plan for and use leftovers, we do not hesitate to toss out things we don't eat, don't cook soon enough, or have kept more than a couple days.