We’ve really needed to have this conversation for a while; I’ve avoided it for far too long. No one wants to discuss the elephant in the room, but today we are indeed going to address it: LEFTOVERS!
My fear of the dreaded microwaved/reheated meal is a bit of an urban legend. If Mom was serving up last night’s fried rice or Saturday’s French toast, I might be found hiding under my bed. On one occasion, she tried to serve me oatmeal for lunch (I had refused the bowl for breakfast), but that may have had more to do with discipline than economy…I will own that I was a strong-willed child back in the day.
But back to the subject at hand: LEFTOVERS. In my childhood home, one did not waste food. It was a sin to throw away perfectly good food, especially if Mom had shopped, prepared, cooked, served, saved, preserved and stored it. Many times there was no really tasty way to serve a meal the second time around so what came to the table was unappetizing, congealed, hot on one side, cold in the middle, and eventually, shoved into my napkin and thrown away. (Whoops—another childhood secret shared!)
Fast forward to today. I LOVE LEFTOVERS. I am obsessed with a hot lunch and many times at the conclusion of a fabulous supper, I’m already dreaming about enjoying what I just ate for a meal the next day! There are, in fact, some dishes that improve overnight—stews, short ribs, lasagna, etc. Outside of those dishes there is a trick to enjoying most next-day meals, a finesse you might say.
Enter the Encore Entree (a much better name than LEFTOVERS). This is where I take a main element from last night’s meal and turn it into something that no child or man would ever recognize as the repast from the previous evening. And even if it’s easily identified, there will be no complaint because it is new and different and most importantly, delicious.
Here are some of my favorite Recipe Remixes:
Meatloaf Sandwich
Slice the loaf, warm if desired and use as sandwich filling with crisp lettuce and a tomato slice. Bonus if there’s also leftover mashed potatoes, which I like to warm and then spread like mayo on the bread.
Taco meat Breakfast Tacos
I always make too much taco meat because it’s great to have on hand. Heat the meat in a skillet, stir in whisked eggs and cook it all together. Add filling to warmed tortillas, top with a slice of avocado, sprinkle with cheese and morning yum is yours. Don’t forget the salsa.
Taco meat Nachos
This is a no-brainer but the biggest crowd pleasing Encore Entree. Spread tortilla chips in sheet pan, top with heated beans, taco meat, and shredded cheese, throw it in the oven for a few minutes then add sour cream and pickled jalapeño slices…hello, Thursday Night Football.
Mustard Chicken Cobb Salad
We all love those breaded chicken cutlets but when they’ve sat in the fridge for a few days, I can’t convince anyone to have them for that second meal. So I chop up a head of lettuce, some tomatoes, cucumber, hard boiled eggs, cooked bacon and make a big bowl. Then I warm the chicken cutlets, dice them into bite-sized morsels, top with ranch dressing and cheese, yes please.
Chicken Piccata~Parmesan Panini
This is my youngest’s favorite. Take a leftover chicken cutlet and cut in half. Place on top of a slice of good, crusty buttered bread (sourdough, French, Italian), add mozzarella—fresh, if you like gooey—and heat in a panini press. Serve with heated marinara sauce to dip the sandwich. 🤯 Sooooo gooooood!
Grilled Salmon Scrambled Eggs with goat cheese
JB grills salmon almost every week. It’s healthy, delicious and we never tire of the smoky, flaky fish. He likes to eat the remaining salmon, straight out of the fridge with crackers for lunch. But he also loves a steaming hot plate of fluffy scrambled eggs with crumbled goat cheese and flakes of fish stirred in. Weekend brunch, anyone?
What are your favorite Recipe Remixes or Encore Entrees? I really do want to know. I’ll just be waiting over here, enjoying my hash browns made from an old baked potato, while you gather those notes. 😉
**My mom was and is a GREAT cook. Don’t want anyone to think otherwise! xoRuth