It is really easy to pull together a meal when you deliberately cook with leftovers in mind. Of course, if you and whomever you cook for are not used to leftovers, it will be a major adjustment to cook this way. I generally don't think it is a good idea to disguise your leftovers in an attempt to pass them off as a new meal. My policy of home cooking includes an absolute rule of "eat what is put in front of you." This is a difficulty when you are trying to feed picky eaters. But if you cook after a hard day's work, in my opinion you are already nominated for sainthood and no complaints should be forthcoming!
Anyway, what do leftovers and measuring have to do with each other? If you are cooking intuitively, you may find yourself either overestimating or underestimating how much you should cook. I myself still have to adjust from cooking for four starving teenagers and their friends to cooking for us two empty nesters. Habits are hard to break! Food waste drives me bonkers, especially my own.
I do plan for leftovers when I cook certain things. These are my go to dinners because everyone likes them and I can make the leftovers in a different meal that also tastes good.
I'm going to give you one of my favorite pairs....chicken soup and chicken pot pie. I make this when I know I've got some frozen veggie bags with a little in each. Try it!
You will need a large pot with a lid, a whole chicken,a whole onion, a whole fresh carrot or two, fresh parsley, rice, or a potato, or pasta, and any frozen veggies you like. Also, you will need either cornstarch, or flour and butter.
On day one, make a chicken soup this way:
Grab the biggest pot you have. Get a WHOLE chicken. Wash it and take out the gibblets and neck if its got them. Throw the chicken in your pot, and add a whole onion, unpeeled ( just cut off the ends. the peal will help give your soup a great color), some parsley stems, and a bay leaf.Cover it all with water, and cook it on the stove until the chicken falls apart.
Then, remove everything except the water from the pot & cool so you can pull the meat off the chicken.
You might see a ring of grayish stuff around the top of your pot. Wipe it off, and use a spoon if there are any floating bits.
Then, put the chicken meat, the carrot (easy to chop up now) , the onion (peeled and chopped) , any frozen veggies, and rice, or pasta, or potato. Add PLENTY of salt, some pepper, and cook again until the rice is cooked. DONE!
On day two, make chicken pot pie :
Grab the leftover chicken soup. Heat it gently. Thicken like this:
To use flour, in a small pan, melt some butter, and then add the same amount of flour to the hot pan. Stir and cook until it turns a light brown. Add it to the heated soup to thicken it up. OR
To use corn starch, take out a bit of the soup liquid. Add in some cornstarch, and then add both back in to the soup to thicken it.
Pour the thick soup into a pie pan, or a small baking dish.
Make a top crust. I usually make a drop biscuit dough & plop that on top. Bake & serve!
Anyway, what do leftovers and measuring have to do with each other? If you are cooking intuitively, you may find yourself either overestimating or underestimating how much you should cook. I myself still have to adjust from cooking for four starving teenagers and their friends to cooking for us two empty nesters. Habits are hard to break! Food waste drives me bonkers, especially my own.
I do plan for leftovers when I cook certain things. These are my go to dinners because everyone likes them and I can make the leftovers in a different meal that also tastes good.
I'm going to give you one of my favorite pairs....chicken soup and chicken pot pie. I make this when I know I've got some frozen veggie bags with a little in each. Try it!
You will need a large pot with a lid, a whole chicken,a whole onion, a whole fresh carrot or two, fresh parsley, rice, or a potato, or pasta, and any frozen veggies you like. Also, you will need either cornstarch, or flour and butter.
On day one, make a chicken soup this way:
Grab the biggest pot you have. Get a WHOLE chicken. Wash it and take out the gibblets and neck if its got them. Throw the chicken in your pot, and add a whole onion, unpeeled ( just cut off the ends. the peal will help give your soup a great color), some parsley stems, and a bay leaf.Cover it all with water, and cook it on the stove until the chicken falls apart.
Then, remove everything except the water from the pot & cool so you can pull the meat off the chicken.
You might see a ring of grayish stuff around the top of your pot. Wipe it off, and use a spoon if there are any floating bits.
Then, put the chicken meat, the carrot (easy to chop up now) , the onion (peeled and chopped) , any frozen veggies, and rice, or pasta, or potato. Add PLENTY of salt, some pepper, and cook again until the rice is cooked. DONE!
On day two, make chicken pot pie :
Grab the leftover chicken soup. Heat it gently. Thicken like this:
To use flour, in a small pan, melt some butter, and then add the same amount of flour to the hot pan. Stir and cook until it turns a light brown. Add it to the heated soup to thicken it up. OR
To use corn starch, take out a bit of the soup liquid. Add in some cornstarch, and then add both back in to the soup to thicken it.
Pour the thick soup into a pie pan, or a small baking dish.
Make a top crust. I usually make a drop biscuit dough & plop that on top. Bake & serve!
Comments
Post a Comment