How to Use Leftovers

Have you ever been inundated with lots of great food, but you are not going to serve it the same way again? Take a tip from the French. They have used leftovers for years to make elegant dishes like chicken and mushroom crepes. There is no end to the ideas waiting for you. If you find yourself with leftover meats, vegetables or fruits, count yourself lucky. Now you have half of the preparation done for a new dish. The precooking has been done, your refrigerator will be cleaned out and excess foods have been used up.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• General and/or French cookbooks
• Creative ideas when searching cooking websites

1. Take advantage of a good general cookbook such as "Good Housekeeping" or "Betty Crocker." Look through the index for recipes using the foods you have identified a need to cook.

2. Search the Recipe Finder website for ideas to use your surplus foods. Just type in the name of the leftover you have in mind. You will see lots of interesting recipes to create. The area for accomplishing this step is near the bottom of the first page in the "quick search" box. You can even search for recipe ingredients that are not the main topic of the recipe.

3. Use your imagination and consider all of the recipe possibilities. Almost any meat makes a tasty soup by adding complementary vegetables and soup stock. The same can be said for coming up with a delectable casserole. Just take a general idea and look for recipes to complete them. Again, think French food.

4. Consider these ideas for starters—chicken or turkey casserole, beef vegetable stew, salad greens with strips of leftover meat mixed in or chili made with leftover beef and canned beans. Use your own ideas for mixtures to make the recipe complete. Mushroom soup, pasta and/or cheese are good additions for almost anything besides desserts.

5. Bake up a healthy treat with breads or cakes made with bananas, zucchini or carrots. Just add some nuts, and everyone will just know you planned the recipe this way.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a soup stock with chopped onion, celery, and chicken or beef stock to use with several different recipes. This stock is wonderful frozen until ready for use. For smaller batches, freeze in ice cube trays so you can add just as much as you need.
• Put leftover meats and vegetables in plastic containers in the freezers to be used as needed for soups or casseroles.
• Don't forget the age of the food when you put it into the freezer. Just because you have frozen something does not mean it reverts to fresh. Actually, just the opposite happens. Once a food is defrosted, it accelerates the aging process.

Who Can Help:

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Resources

• Find recipes at Recipe Finder.
• Recipe Goldmine can help you create new dishes from old.