Leftovers - Fresh New Meals from Old

The basic rule of leftovers is to create a new dish out them. Nobody wants to eat the same meal reheated. Your meat will be dried out vegetables limp and unpalatable but a dash of this and a smidgen of that and you can have an exciting new meal. Some meals are even based on leftovers, or well pre-cooked ingredients.

Meats like chicken, beef and lamb cook up well in a shepherd’s pie. Chop the meat and mix it will leftover gravy. Add a few veggies if you have some leftover (or not) and top the whole thing with mashed potatoes. Bake in the oven until potatoe’s tips start to brown a bit.

Chopped up leftover chicken and turkey can make delicious sandwiches. My favorite is to mix them with mayonnaise and relish and put between 2 slices of homemade bread. Yes this is my favorite sandwich.

Leftover spaghetti sauce can actually be added to a few cans of beans, add a dash of chili spice and you have chili. Add different kinds of beans together. Navy, kidney, black. Makes a nice yummy mix.

Make potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes. Add an egg and some flour for holding power and fry in a pan. Kids love this. Serve with ketchup.

Also if you’re boiling potatoes save some of the water and a piece of potato for some soft yummy homemade bread.

You can make quite a bit with leftovers. Think casserole, potpies, soups, stews and sandwiches. An excellent way to stretch the food budget.

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O Quinn is a stay at home mom who always has leftovers. For more on homemaking and cooking visit O Quinn at Homemaking Organized and Quick and Easy Cooking