Leftovers and I have a kind of love-hate relationship. I can't bear the thought of tossing perfectly delicious food into the garbage just because I made too much of it. So I pack it, seal it and fill the refrigerator with it. Once leftovers are past prime — looking more like a science project that tomorrow's dinner — they're so much easier to part with.
The solution, of course, is to have an immediate plan for leftovers and then be diligent and follow through. Check out these terrific ideas!
COFFEE
Freeze it. Coffee ice cubes are great in iced coffee; they don't dilute the drink as the ice melts. Or, add your preferred milk and flavorings to the coffee and pour it into Popsicle-type molds for a frozen treat tomorrow.
Make a Sauce: After pan-frying chicken or pork, deglaze the pan with coffee instead of wine for a deeper Southern-style gravy.
Beef Jerky: Marinate beef slices in strong coffee and your favorite flavorings for up to eight hours, and then dry the beef in the oven at 200 degrees F for about four hours.
Instead of Syrup: Combine hot coffee with melted butter and pour over pancakes or waffles.
Brine a Chicken: Coffee-based brines that include spices like cloves, star anise, peppercorns and, of course, plenty of salt make for delicious and super-moist roast chicken.
Dress a Salad: For a simple coffee vinaigrette, cook equal parts brewed coffee, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup on the stove at low heat until the mixture is syrupy. Top it off with a little lemon juice.
MEATLOAF
Chili: Use chopped up leftover meatloaf in place of ground beef to make homemade chili. It's all seasoned and ready to go.
Quesadillas: So easy! Mix chopped up meatloaf, onion and green pepper or other toppings of choice. Stir in your favorite BBQ sauce. Cover a flour tortilla with the mixture; top it with shredded cheese; and top it with a second tortilla. Place it in a skillet and cook for one to two minutes until the cheese starts to melt and the tortilla starts to turn brown. Flip so each side is golden and crisp.
Spaghetti: Replace ground beef with chopped leftover meatloaf in your favorite meat sauce. It's fantastic over spaghetti.
Grilled Cheese. Add a slice of leftover meatloaf to your next grilled cheese sandwich.
Sliders: Tiny dinner split rolls plus a slice of meatloaf cut to the same size plus your choice of spreads — bacon-onion jam, mayonnaise, mustard, you name it — and what do you get? Party food with no party necessary.
MASHED POTATOES
Potato Cakes: Mix cold mashed potatoes with an egg or two, leftover pieces of fish, ham, corned beef, chopped onion and a little flour to hold it all together. Form into small patties, and fry in shallow oil until brown and crispy.
Topping: Use leftover mashed potatoes as a topping on a savory pie filing. You're not likely to have a great deal of potatoes, so think individual shepherds pies or even chicken potpies.
Lemon-Orange Cake. Mashed potatoes are an ingredient in many gluten-free desserts, paired with gluten-free self-rising flour, like the good food Lemon & Orange Cake (https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1162651/lemon-and-orange-cake) or Lemon Drizzle Cake (https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5870/glutenfree-lemon-drizzle-cake).
Mary invites questions, comments and tips at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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