Leftover Ideas

Okay, so it took me a little while to get back to this topic. Things around here have been hectic to say the least. In my last post I mentioned turkey leftovers. November is the usual time you might think to discuss such a thing, but truth be known, we love a good roasted turkey breast most any time of the year. If purchased on sale, they are very economical and lend themselves to an enormous number of leftover dinner ideas.

Every family has a different strategy when dealing with leftovers. I know at least one family that just throws everything away because they "don't do leftovers." Well, that's all fine and good as long as there aren't any starving children in Africa - but that's not the way I was brought up. Wasting good food is just sinful but the trick is to make something as delicious the second time as it was the first. I know some who wrap it all up and stick it in the refrigerator and once a week heat everything up and serve a family-style hodge-podge with them. We tried this once and my children fought over the one thing they both wanted, we picked at the rest, and it all ended up in the trash. If this strategy works for you, by all means continue. If not, here are some practical suggestions:

1. Leftover steak was meant to be eaten the next day with fried eggs for breakfast. Throw some buttered texas toast or homemade hash browns on the plate and your husband will follow you around like a puppy dog for the rest of the day.

2. Always freeze leftover meats like pork, chicken or turkey. If it was a dish served with a sauce or gravy, you can freeze that separately if you want. Leaving it plain lends the meat to more versatility later on.

3. Bread freezes very well! With the exception of foccacia bread and a few others, most breads taste very close to their fresher states once pulled out of the freezer. We learned this when we owned a restaurant that was constantly throwing out old bread. If you know you need to prolong it's life a little longer, place it in a labeled heavy freezer bag and wait until you need it again. It also defrosts very quickly, in about 30 minutes.

4. Save your leftover mashed potatoes!! I know they are terrible re-heated the next day; but add an egg and a little milk, shape into small patties and fry in butter and voila! you have potato pancakes that your children will beg for.

5. Never, never, never serve something the same way twice! Inevitably, the re-heated version will not even come close to the fresh version of the day before. A better solution is to find a way to recreate your leftover items and make something entirely new. You can also incorporate some fresh ingredients into the meal and it becomes a regular meal - not the leftovers your loved ones may secretly dread.

Finally, I want to share a great recipe that I use for leftovers. Every time Baxter makes Boston-Butt, we end up freezing a portion of the pulled pork. I am also in the habit of freezing the dark meat from chickens that I've roasted or poached. Once I have between 4-6 cups of meat, I make Brunswick Stew. The last time I made it was during the snow. Here's my recipe:

Brunswick Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 whole green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

4-6 cups cooked and chopped pulled pork, chicken, turkey, or a combination

3 (14.5oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup hickory flavored BBQ sauce

salt and pepper to taste

hot sauce to taste

2 cans creamed style corn (the best that you can find)

Heat oil in a large pot, add onions, celery and green bell peppers and saute until onions are translucent. Pull off the heat and add meat, tomatoes and liquid, ketchup, and BBQ sauce. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to med-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. During this process, if your stew is short on liquid, you can dilute with water as needed. Stir in creamed corn and cook an additional 30 minutes or until desired consistency. Taste and adjust your seasonings.

It looks like we're going to have one more chilly weekend and I plan on serving up some brunswick stew. I'd love to hear your leftover ideas and recipes!